Most of us have opinions about cucumber, often hovering around tasteless, boring, and kinda pointless. But while it does have a mild flavor, cucumber is anything but boring and there are several really great reasons to eat it.
For starters, cucumber masquerades as a vegetable, but is really a fruit. That’s interesting, right? More than that, cucumber has a startling amount of nutrition packed into it, both in the flesh and the peel. Cucumber also has no fat, very few calories, and a lot of water, making it fantastic for maintaining proper hydration and supporting weight loss.
So if you’ve been skipping cucumber because you believe it is pointless, it’s time to reconsider. Eating cucumber every day is super good for you, inside and out. Cucumber may even provide some protection against cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Following are all the positive bodily changes you can expect when you start eating one cucumber every day. You’re going to love #3, but perhaps secretly appreciate #6 most of all!
1. Disease Protection
Cucumbers contain a great deal of antioxidants, which are molecules that can prevent oxidative damage in the body. They bond with and neutralize unpaired electrons called free radicals to protect you from issues like chronic illness and premature aging. In fact, free radical damage has a strong association with heart and lung problems, cancer, and autoimmune disease.
When you eat cucumber on a daily basis, you’re upping your intake of antioxidants, especially the powerful flavonoid and tannin variety. One study that supplemented the diets of 30 older adults with cucumber powder found that for each participant, the level of antioxidant activity improved significantly from baseline numbers.
