Table of contents:
- Pick a good cucumber
- How to make cucumber water
- Cucumber water benefits
- 1. Maintain healthy skin
- 2. Prevent aging and fight free radicals
- 3. Prevent rising blood pressure
- 4. Get rid of toxins in the body
- 5. Helps you lose weight
- 6. Helps prevent cancer
- 7. Strengthens bones
Cucumber is a fruit that is usually served as a complement to fresh vegetables, pickles, or vegetables. This fruit is often found everyday because it is easy to get. In addition, it is also fresh and sweet, making it suitable for processing into various kinds of dishes. However, did you know that cucumber can also be used as a drink? You can try making cucumber water yourself at home. Because the health benefits of cucumber water are not in doubt, immediately serve cucumber water as an alternative to plain water at home or to take with you daily activities.
Pick a good cucumber
Choosing a cucumber that doesn't taste bitter or too mushy is a little difficult. Pay attention to the color of the skin and choose a cucumber that is bright green in color. A slightly dark cucumber is still a little sweet, as long as the skin is not sweaty or dull. To make sure your cucumber is crispy, the cucumber you choose should feel solid when pressed. You should also see if the cucumber is proportional or straight from one end to the other. The bigger the cucumber, the bitterer it will taste. The cucumber will stay fresh for a few days if stored in the refrigerator.
How to make cucumber water
If you choose organic cucumber, you don't need to peel the skin. Cucumber skin contains various benefits for the body which are a pity to miss. However, if you buy a regular cucumber, it's best to peel the skin of the cucumber, as it risks being contaminated with pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
Wash the cucumber thoroughly and prepare the water in a bottle or pitcher. Cut the cucumber thinly so that the nutrients are absorbed more quickly by the water. Soak it in water and let it sit for at least one night in the refrigerator.
Cucumber water benefits
Apart from feeling fresher than ordinary water, the benefits of cucumber water for the body are very effective in warding off various health problems. If you regularly drink at least eight glasses of cucumber water every day, you will get the following benefits.
1. Maintain healthy skin
You may have heard about the use of cucumber as a face mask. Apparently, drinking cucumber water is also beneficial for the skin. Cucumber is good for maintaining healthy skin both from the outside and from the inside. Regularly drinking cucumber water will make your skin brighter and more supple. The content of pantothenic acid (also known as vitamin B5) in cucumber is effective for treating acne.
2. Prevent aging and fight free radicals
Your daily activities are at risk of causing premature aging. This is because free radicals can attack you through pollution, cigarette smoke, or sunlight. Cucumber is rich in antioxidants that can prevent damage to various cells in the body due to free radicals. In addition, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and various minerals such as manganese are good for preventing premature aging.
3. Prevent rising blood pressure
The efficacy of cucumber water for blood health is quite well known. For people with hypertension, usually in their bodies there are levels of sodium that are too high. Excess sodium has the risk of causing an imbalance in water levels in the body. This will trigger a rise in blood pressure. To neutralize water levels, the body needs sufficient potassium. Unfortunately, most people don't get the potassium that their body needs every day.
You can work around this by regularly drinking cucumber water. Cucumber is rich in potassium which functions to help balance sodium levels in the kidneys. That way, blood pressure will be stable and you can prevent blood pressure from rising. In addition, cucumber water can also keep your blood from clotting naturally.
4. Get rid of toxins in the body
Cucumber has diuretic properties or can trigger urine production. This means that your kidneys will increasingly push toxins, bacteria, and metabolic products that the body no longer needs to pass through the urine. This process is also known as detoxification. The body will also be fresher because it is clean from various toxins and harmful substances.
5. Helps you lose weight
Sometimes you feel hungry and want to eat something, when in fact you just lack fluids and thirst. Try chugging the cucumber water when you suddenly feel hungry. This drink will help you feel fuller with a very low calorie level. If you don't feel hungry anymore after drinking cucumber water, you are actually just feeling thirsty. This method is good for those of you who are trying to lose or maintain an ideal body weight.
6. Helps prevent cancer
Research shows that kukurbitasin and lignans in cucumbers can fight cancer cell growth. Another study conducted by the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center in the United States revealed that cucumbers can kill various types of cancer cells, shrink tumors, and stimulate your immune system. Prostate cancer can also be fought with the flavonoid compound fisetin contained in cucumbers.
7. Strengthens bones
Cucumber has a very high vitamin K content. One glass of cucumber water can meet up to 20% of the recommended vitamin K requirement in one day. This vitamin is useful for producing proteins needed by the bones and tissues that form them.
