What Are Cucumbers?
Cucumbers are fashionable lengthy, lean, and inexperienced backyard greens. Technically, they’re fruits from the identical household as watermelons and pumpkins, however most individuals contemplate them veggies.
Cucumbers are native to India, have a slight melon-like style, and typically may be barely bitter.
Cucumber Varieties
There are two principal varieties:
Slicing cucumbers are eaten recent, usually in a salad. They are often 12 inches or longer and normally have clean pores and skin. There are “burpless” varieties which have much less of a plant compound known as cucurbitacin. That provides them a milder style, and it could make you burp much less after you eat them. You might also hear them known as “seedless cucumbers” or “European cucumbers.”
Pickling cucumbers are a lot smaller and are the kind used to make pickles. They are often 3-7 inches lengthy, they usually usually have bumps or spines on their pores and skin.
Dietary Advantages of Cucumber
A serving of cucumber — one-half a cup — is about 8 energy. They’ve small quantities of vitamin Okay and vitamin A and are about 95% water. Additionally they have a number of phytonutrients (plant chemical compounds) known as lignans.
One medium unpeeled, uncooked cucumber has the next:
- Energy: 30
- Whole fats: 0 grams
- Carbs: 6 grams
- Protein: 3 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Vitamin C: 10% of the beneficial day by day worth (DV)
- Vitamin Okay: 57% of the DV
- Magnesium: 9% of the DV
- Potassium: 12% of the DV
- Manganese: 9% of the DV
Well being Advantages of Cucumber
All that water in cucumbers may help maintain you hydrated. Plus, the fiber increase they offer you helps you keep common and keep away from constipation.
The vitamin Okay helps blood clot and maintain your bones wholesome. Vitamin A has many roles, like serving to with imaginative and prescient, the immune system, and replica. It additionally makes certain organs like your coronary heart, lungs, and kidneys work the best way they need to.
The lignans could assist forestall osteoporosis, coronary heart illness, and a few cancers.
Antioxidants corresponding to beta carotene in cucumbers may help combat free radicals in your physique, unpaired electrons that injury cells and may result in illness.
Cucumbers can also have well being advantages exterior your physique. Placing them in your pores and skin could assist ease sunburn ache, swelling, and broken pores and skin. That is why individuals typically put a slice or two underneath their eyes, hoping to shrink baggage and ease puffiness.
Dangers of Cucumber
There are few dangers to consuming cucumbers. One concern often is the pesticides growers use on them. Earlier than you eat them, peel the pores and skin off or wash it in heat working water. That’ll make sure that your cucumber is secure to take pleasure in.
Cucumbers include a pure wax on their pores and skin. Washing cucumbers after selecting them takes away that wax, so producers add an artificial wax again on earlier than sending them to grocery shops. The wax helps them keep shelf steady longer, however it additionally holds onto germs. The wax itself isn’t dangerous, however peeling the pores and skin earlier than you eat the cucumber can decrease the chance of contamination. Nonetheless, the pores and skin is the place many of the vitamins dwell. A greater choice could also be to purchase natural and wash your cukes effectively earlier than having fun with.
Put together and Retailer Cucumbers
Most individuals wash, slice, and toss their cucumbers right into a salad. Earlier than you do, chances are you’ll need to soak them in salt water first. That can decrease the quantity of water in them and maintain the cucumbers from making your salad dressing watery.
You may eat the peel of a cucumber. In truth, it would add fiber and vitamin A to your weight-reduction plan. Simply you’ll want to wash the cucumber first.
If you store for cucumbers, skip ones which can be yellow, puffy, or have sunk-in areas, bulges, or wrinkled ends. These overripe cucumbers will not style nice. As a substitute, search for vibrant, agency, medium to dark-green, slender cucumbers. Any bruises or darkish spots are indicators of decay.
Retailer cucumbers unpeeled in your fridge’s crisper drawer. If they’ve a wax coating that offers them a shiny look, use them inside every week. If they do not have a wax coating, use them sooner. Do not maintain them out at room temperature lengthy, or they may develop into smooth and limp.