With summer and its raging heat, cucumbers although low calorie vegetables are one of the coolest veggies one can consume during this intense heat.
Cucumbers belong to the plant family Cucurbitaceae, sometimes also called the gourd family. Most people mistake Cucumber as a vegetable when it is in fact a fruit. Since, it is a seedy outgrowth which develops from a flower.
Cucumbers come in not only different varieties but also in different colors. However the edible varieties are either the slicing or the pickling ones. Slicing cucumbers are not only larger in size but also possess thicker skin and therefore are meant for fresh consumption. Pickling cucumbers on the other hand are smaller in size and have thinner skins covered in tiny warts.…show more content… But their use and therefore benefits just do not just end there. They are also used to help treat sunburn by providing a soothing and cooling effect to the affected area and are often claimed to banish the cellulite. As they help tighten the collagen by drawing out excess of fluids.
Ascorbic acid and vitamin C in cucumbers help promote anti-aging activity in the body.
Hydration benefits
Cucumber is believed to hydrate the body twice as effectively as that of a glass of water. As a cucumber contains 96 per cent of water content, therefore helping to keep the body hydrated.
According to an article in the find home remedy, rubbing slices of raw cucumber on rashes will immediately bring relief by soothing it and providing a cooling sensation. Not only that, it can be used to treat different kinds of skin diseases such as eczema.
An article in the natural news, cucumbers are claimed to help stimulate the natural detoxification process of the body.
Healthy Bones
One cup of cucumber juice is said to contain about 19 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin K. Vitamin K is extremely crucial part of a healthy diet as it help reduce fracture rates, by increasing the bone…show more content… Since cucumbers contain cucurbitacin, it can provoke indigestion in some people therefore causing gassiness and belching.
Besides that, eating cucumbers also cause the breakout of hives and rashes. However this is only noticed in a few people and not all according to American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology.
Moreover the states askdocweb.com that the small bitter tasting patches found on a Cucumber contains the toxic compound tetracyclic triterpenoids. Excessive consumption of which may be lethal.
Cucumbers and pickling
Pickling is a method of preserving food to prevent spoilage. There are two basic types of pickles: non-fermented and fermented. Like any other fruit or vegetable a cucumber can also be pickled in vinegar, brine or other solution by leaving it to ferment in either acidic solution or by carrying out lacto fermentation.
According to Wikipedia, Brined pickles can be prepared by the process the natural fermentation in brine which causes these cucumbers to grow sour. Moreover, the Polish-style pickled cucumber although sour tends to be seasoned