If you think cucumbers are used only to decorate vegetable platters or sit atop green salads, you may want to reconsider your position. Cucumbers are a tasty treat loaded with health benefits and would make a wise addition to your dietary routine. Cucumbers offer more dietary benefits with the peel on, but be sure to wash them with lukewarm soapy water and rinse well. Otherwise, the dietary benefits may be overshadowed by parasites and pesticide residue.
Vitamin K Content
Cucumbers are extremely high in vitamin K: an 8-inch cucumber, with skin, contains 49.4 micrograms of K, or 62 percent of the recommended daily intake, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. Vitamin K's primary role in the body is to make sure your blood clots when you are cut or wounded. Without enough K, you may bleed to death. However, for some too much vitamin K can be detrimental. If your blood clots too easily you may be on warfarin or blood thinning medications, and in this case eating cucumbers high in vitamin K may interfere with your medication's ability to work properly. If you are on blood thinners or an aspirin regimen, speak to your doctor about the safety of cucumbers in your diet.
Other Vitamins
Cucumbers contain other essential vitamins, with vitamin C being second to vitamin K. One 8-inch, unpeeled cucumber contains 8.4 mg of vitamin C or 14 percent of the recommended daily intake. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements reports that vitamin C is water-soluble, which means any excess is excreted from the body in urine so it must be taken in daily to meet our needs. Needed for many functions, vitamin C helps maintain strong bones, the skin and immune system. An antioxidant vitamin, the NIH also states that C may help fight off chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Snacking on slices of cucumber daily will help you reach your RDI for vitamin C.
Other vitamins in cucumbers in lesser amounts are vitamin A, the B-complex family and a trace of vitamin E.
Mineral Content
Cucumbers deliver minerals that are needed for optimal health. Their highest mineral content is of potassium, with 442 mg, or 13 percent of the RDI in one 8-inch cucumber. Potassium is an electrolyte mineral that sends impulses between cells in the body and regulates important functions such as muscle contraction and heart rhythm. The American College of Cardiology also reports that potassium helps regulate the sodium levels in your bloodstream, which helps to keep blood pressure under control. Other minerals in cucmbers are magnesium, calcium, manganese, phosphorous, copper, iron, zinc and traces of sodium, selenium and fluoride.
Diet-Friendly
Cucumbers are diet-friendly and can be added to any plan you may be following. They are loaded with fiber which, according to the February 2010 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," helps fill you up and may even decrease your waist circumference. An 8-inch cucumber has only 11 carbs, 45 calories and less than 1 gram of fat.
References
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Keyword -- Cucumber
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin C
- American College of Cardiology; CardioSmart: A Measured Approach: Sodium, Potassium and Heart Disease; July 2011
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Dietary Fiber and Subsequent Changes in Body Weight and Waist Circumference in European Men and Women; H. Du et al.; February 2010
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