Cucumbers are refreshing snacks on their own or with dips. You can use these healthy vegetables in salads, salsas and other recipes. Remember to count the additional calories you eat with your cucumbers, such as dips.
Calories and Water
A small sliced cucumber weighs 158 g, or nearly 6 oz., and has only 19 calories. Because they are so low in calories, cucumbers can help you lose weight or prevent weight gain. You can eat them with your meals or as snacks in between meals to fill up without going over your calorie limit. More than 95 percent of the weight of a small cucumber is water, which is calorie-free and a natural appetite suppressant.
Sodium
Fresh cucumbers are naturally low in sodium, with only 3 mg per cucumber. A high-sodium diet can cause high blood pressure and an increased risk for stroke and heart disease, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A low-sodium diet for adults with high blood pressure has a limit of 1,500 mg of sodium, and most healthy adults should not consume more than 2,300 mg of sodium. Sour, dill or sweet pickled cucumbers can contain hundreds of milligrams of sodium per serving.
Other Nutrients
A small cucumber contains 3.4 g of total carbs, including 2 g of natural sugars and 1 g of dietary fiber. It has 1 g of protein and almost no fat. Cucumbers are cholesterol-free. Potassium is essential for regulating your blood pressure, and a cucumber provides 215 mg of potassium to help you reach recommendations to get at least 4,700 mg per day, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A cucumber provides 5 mg of vitamin C and 22 mcg of folate, or about 5 to 10 percent of the daily value for these vitamins.
Potential Benefits
If you suffer from calcium oxalate kidney stones, your doctor might recommend a low-oxalate diet, according to the University of Pittsburgh. This diet restricts high-oxalate foods, including vegetables such as rhubarb, carrots, beets, green beans and celery, but you can still eat low-oxalate vegetables, including cucumbers, cabbage, peas, chives and radishes. Adults on a 2,000-calorie diet should aim for 2.5 cups of vegetables per day to meet recommendations in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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