Choosing the proper types of foods to curb hunger is important in maintaining health and managing weight. Eating too many fatty, high-calorie snacks will not only cause you to gain weight, but will also increase your risk for chronic disease, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Therefore, snack on healthy foods such as cucumbers to curb your cravings.
Cucumber and Hunger
Cucumbers are a good food choice to curb hunger because the high water content makes your stomach feel temporarily full. According to the University of Illinois Extension, cucumbers contain mostly water. Therefore, you can eat quite a few cucumbers when you are hungry to reduce your food cravings. Further, eating cucumbers will not cause weight gain -- a cup of sliced cucumbers contains only five calories.
Nutrients
Because cucumber contains mostly water, the nutrient content is quite low, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Each cucumber you eat only provides small amounts of protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and beta-carotene. Further, peeling a cucumber decreases the fiber, vitamin A and beta-carotene content. Although cucumbers are a healthy food to snack on to curb hunger and prevent weight gain, they are not the best food for nutritional benefit.
Fiber Content
Foods high in fiber are preferable to eat to help curb hunger, and the fiber content in cucumbers is also quite low. Most of the fiber content is in the peel, but even eating the peel only provides 1 gram of fiber per cup of sliced cucumbers. According to Medline Plus, the average American needs between 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day. To meet your daily fiber needs, combine cucumber with a salad to increase your fiber intake and curb hunger.
Cucumber Preparation
You can prepare cucumbers in several different ways to appease your taste and curb your appetite. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to your cucumber slices to give them extra flavor. Soak your sliced cucumbers in white vinegar overnight or cover with a low-calorie salad dressing. Try dipping your cucumber in a low-fat yogurt for a healthy mid-day snack. You could also dip raw carrots into the yogurt to add variety.
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