The humble cucumber and human relationship
Written by Dr harold Gunatillake-health writer
When we discuss superfoods and those ingredients that make such foods, from unprocessed grains, crucifers, fish, and fruits, you totally exclude a cooling veggie like Cucumber- anti-inflammatory to the hilt and full of nutrients. You remember the old idiom, ”cool as a cucumber” is quite appropriate when it comes to cooling the body.
Store sliced cucumber in your fridge, to be available when required. During mid-night, if you suffer from heartburn, obviously after a binge night, open your fridge and eat a few slices of cooling cucumber to cool your inner lining of your stomach. If you need further cooling, adding a few teaspoons of low fat, unsweetened Greek type of yogurt, onto your cucumber slices would make it more tasty and effective. There are very few foods as cool as cucumber. Cucumbers could be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. When your eyes ache place slices of cooling cucumber to relax your tired eyes. Cucumber has silicon. Apply cucumber slices on your hair after a shampoo and you’ll be surprised to see a shining smoothness due to the silicon in the cucumber.
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Some cucumbers are treated with a wax coating after they are picked. Wash them thoroughly or peel before consuming.
If ever your skin is itchy just rub a slice of cucumber and the relief would be immediate. Works well for sunburns, too
If you feel dry in the mouth, as so common after alcoholic drinks, mouth breathing and dehydration, keeping a dish containing cool sliced cucumber by your bed and enjoying when you wake up anytime during the night is most refreshing. Another cool cucumber drink is cut thin slices and drop into a pitcher of ice water and stir. You could add some fresh mint leaves or a bit of fresh lemon and drink. It is a tremendous way to cool down and hydrate.
There are hundreds of varieties of cucumber that comes in different colors, but the most edible popular one in Australia is the ‘Lebanese cucumber’ with a greenish skin and the yellow skinned ones in Sri Lanka.
Cucumber is not defined as a vegetable but it is considered a fruit. They contain seeds and grow from the ovaries of flowering plants. They are members of the plant family Cucurbitaceae.
Though 95% of the contents in cucumber are just water, the rest of the 5 percent are concentrated with phytonutrients that protect the plant against disease producing microbes, antioxidants like lignans, and triterpenes. Lignans are polyphenols found in plants. The seeds and the skin (especially the Sri Lankan varieties with yellow skin) have beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A and helps with immunity, eye and skin health and prevents cancer.
Cucumbers are low in calories, carbs, cholesterol and diabetics and weight-watchers should take the advantage and eat a lot of cucumbers daily.
Nutritional facts for cucumber according to the US Food and Drug Administration are:
Cucumber, with peel, raw
Serving size: 1/2 cup, sliced (52 g): Calories 8: Calories from Fat 0: Vitamin A 1%: Calcium 1%: Vitamin C 2%; Iron 1%: Potassium 4%: Fibre 3%: Vitamin C 4%.
There are small amounts of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese and vitamin A
Cucumbers contain two phytonutrient compounds having anti-cancer properties: they are lignans and cucurbitacins. The latter is supposed to help block the signalling pathways of cancer proliferation, especially in pancreatic cancer. Lignans work through the microbiota in the gut and protects against cancer.
In most homes cucumber in Sri Lankan is cooked as a curry to go with rice. Pickled cucumber in brine is quite a rice puller and gut microbes seem to enjoy it, too. Pickling cucumbers are produced for eventual processing into pickles.
Cucumber is used is salads, too. There is a popular Japanese salad, where you peel and seed two medium cucumbers and diagonally cut into ¼ inch slices. In a colander toss the cucumbers with salt and drain 30 minutes. Rinse cucumber to get the remaining salt off and pat dry. Mix cucumber slices and a tablespoon natural sugar, then toss cucumbers with about ¼ cup of rice vinegar, about a tablespoon of soy sauce. Then with scissors cut seaweed nori lengthwise into thin strips and top when ready to serve (recipe from care2.com)
Cucumbers are high on the pesticide residue list. The organic ones have a lower pesticide exposure. It is important to wash them thoroughly before use.
Cucumber is a nutritious cheap veggies (fruit) and daily consumption has its health benefits
