Cucumbers are a warm weather vegetable grown on a vine. They are very low in sodium, which makes them ideal for a variety of diets tailored for medical conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. However, pickling of cucumbers adds sodium, which can raise blood pressure. That makes these pickles unsuitable for some medical condition diets.
Nutrition
According to the USDA's Nutrient Database, one medium raw and peeled cucumber contains just 4 g of sodium, 273 g of potassium, 24 kcal, 4.34 g of carbohydrates, 1.4 g of dietary fiber, 1.19 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat. Vitamins include 6.4 mg of vitamin C, 14.5 mcg of vitamin K, 62 mcg of beta carotene and 28 mcg of folate.
Hypertension
Readings of 140/90 or above are considered hypertension, or high blood pressure, according to Medline Plus. People with hypertension need to limit their daily sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg, Medline Plus advises. A medium, peeled cucumber is low in sodium and high in potassium, a mineral that is needed to regulate blood pressure and heart beat. Cucumbers make an ideal vegetable choice for those who are on a hypertension diet to lower blood pressure.
Diabetes
While sodium does not affect blood sugar levels, diabetics are at high risk for getting heart disease, according to the American Diabetes Association. Hypertension increases the risk of heart disease for diabetics. A salad made from low sodium and low carbohydrate cucumbers should not significantly raise a diabetic's blood pressure or blood sugar levels, making cucumbers a good vegetable choice to include in a diabetic diet.
Pickling
The low sodium benefits of cucumbers disappear when they are pickled because sodium is added in the pickling process. A recipe from the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension for nontraditional sweet freezer pickles adds 1 tbsp of salt per 2 quarts of cucumbers. There really is no standard amount of added salt for pickling; it just depends on the recipe, which means that some recipes for pickling cucumbers can be quite high in added salt.
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