Cucumbers are full of beneficial nutrients and fiber, and naturally low in calories. They have a crisp, clean, mild flavor that goes well with salad, and they can be sliced and dipped in dressing. Adding cucumbers to your daily diet allows you to reap all of the benefits these vegetables have to offer.
Eye Health
Cucumbers are full of vitamin A, which includes four carotenoids such as beta carotene, and lutein. You need vitamin A to support overall eye health and improve vision, especially night vision. The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin A is 2,333 IU for women and 3,000 IU for men, the Linus Pauling Institute reports. Most vitamin A in your diet probably comes from dairy foods, fortified breakfast cereal or dark green vegetables; however enjoying just 1 cup of cucumber slices, or about 4 oz. by weight, provides 110 IU of vitamin A.
Beneficial for Digestion
Cucumbers are naturally full of fiber, an indigestible type of carbohydrate that improves digestion and regularity. The soft, juicy inside of cucumbers provides soluble fiber, while the tough outer skin offers insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber slows digestion, allowing nutrients to fully absorb in your intestinal tract. Insoluble fiber speeds up digestion, relieving constipation. Both types of fiber are essential in your diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, women need 21 to 25 g of fiber daily, but men require as much as 30 to 38 g. A 1-cup serving of fresh cucumber slices with the peel intact, contains nearly 1 g of combined soluble and insoluble fiber.
Weight Loss Benefits
Cucumbers may benefit your weight loss efforts. They are naturally low in calories, offering a minimal 16 calories per 1-cup serving. Snack on cucumbers throughout the day, without feeling guilty. Dipping fresh cucumber slices in a fat-free dressing or drizzling them with balsamic vinegar can help curb your appetite until dinner. Additionally, the fibrous outer skin of cucumbers take a while for you to chew. Tossing a few slices into your salad requires you to chew for a while, which gives your body time to register that it is full. You'll be less likely to overeat, since you'll feel full earlier on in your meal.
Fluid Balance
Adding cucumbers to your meal or afternoon snack can help balance fluids in your body. Cucumbers provide potassium, a mineral that acts like an electrolyte in your body, allowing electricity to pass. This process makes your heart beat and muscles contract. Potassium is a positively charged ion that sits primarily inside of cells and goes back and forth with sodium, which rests in the fluid outside of cells. Both potassium and sodium cross cell walls to maintain fluid balance in your body. Throughout the day you should consume 4,700 mg of potassium, suggests the Linus Pauling Institute. Each 1-cup serving of fresh cucumber slices provides around 150 mg of potassium.
Member Comments