Cucumbers seem like a funny thing to get “kooky” about, but there really are a number of reasons why you should! Cucumbers are made up of 95% water, so like watermelon they are ideal as a hydrating and cooling food in the summer. They also contain most of the vitamins you need every day (just one cucumber contains Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Folic Acid, C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.) These vitamins help protect brain health, maintain a healthy weight, support heart health, manage stress, and may even help reduce your risk of certain cancers. Cucumbers also contain an anti-inflammatory, are low in calories and high in fiber, and that makes them useful for both weight loss and digestive health.  

While the list of health reasons are numerous, below are a few other cucumber facts you may not have known:

Cucumbers can cure bad breath – A slice pressed to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds with your tongue helps kill the problematic bacteria.

The waxy coating of a cucumber can remove ink from your skin. (not the permanent tattooed type, to be clear….)

Pureed or sliced cucumber gives an almost instant relief to sunburns.

Rubbing a cucumber slice along a bathroom mirror will eliminate fog from a shower and provide a soothing, spa like fragrance.

Want to avoid a hangover? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients.

David Thomas from the UK grew the world’s heaviest cucumber, weighing in at 23 pounds, 7 ounces.

Cucumbers can help lower eye puffiness (guess the movies were right after all!)

There can be a 20 degree difference between the inside of a cucumber and the actual temperature outside; this is thought to be where the phrase “Cool as a cucumber” came from.

Use a cucumber slice on a squeaky hinge to fix it.

Having an issue with grubs and slugs in your garden? Place a few slices of cucumber in a small pie tin and your garden will be pest free all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans, but drive garden pests crazy.

Christopher Columbus brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494, and started their distribution around “the new world”.

 

Have any other suggestions for cucumber slices? We’d love to hear from you!

 

Image by Krzysztof Jaracz from Pixabay