Since childhood I have always loved cucumbers but lately I have been obsessed with them. I try to incorporate them in to my breakfast almost everyday and try to carry them around as a snack when I go skateboarding or am going to be away from home for more than a couple of hours. Here is a list I put together of 5 reasons you should eat cucumber everyday.
BONE STRENGTH
Cucumbers contain a pretty impressive assortment of minerals and vitamins. One mineral in particular, silica is important for the health and strength of your bones. Dr. Susan E. Brown PhD is a medical anthropologist and nutritionist that recently posted an interesting article (which I’ll link to at the end of the post) on http://www.betterbones.com that stated that non-western populations with higher silica intake have lower incidences of hip fractures.
DIGESTION
Raw cucumbers facilitate digestion. According to http://www.berkeleywellnes.com, cucumbers are 96% water. Sufficient water intake is integral in order for the digestive system to function properly. If you eat the cucumbers with peels on them then you are also increasing your intake of fiber, another essential part of proper digestion.
HYDRATION
Since cucumbers are 96% water, snacking on them during the day is great way to add more water consumption to your daily routine.
BRAIN HEALTH
Fetisin is a flavonol found in cucumbers. Studies on mice have shown that fisetin, which was fed to mice that have Alzheimer’s, helped to prevent impairments in memory and learning. I am not a scientist so I can not tell you if this phenomenon translates exactly the same to the human brain but it is definitely worth trying as other studies with mice have often shown a correlation.
CUCUMBERS HELP LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
A whole cucumber (raw) has only 6 grams of sodium. A diet high in sodium is a leading contributor to hypertension or high blood pressure. Whenever you are in the mood for your favorite salty snack I recommend substituting it with cucumber instead. As mentioned before cucumbers are very filling, unlike most non vegan snacks that are heavily marketed by the mass media. Try squirting a little bit of lemon or lime on some cucumber slices and a dash of hot sauce if your palette wants something fancier. If you are not ready to completely give up your salty delights try just eating half of what you would normally consume and slice up half a cucumber to substitute the other half. Sometimes healthy habits are difficult to keep up if you don’t ease in to them, but everyone is different so if you want to do the whole substitution have at it.
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Click here to read Dr. Brown’s article on silica and bone health.
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