cucumber is often used as fresh vegetables, food ingredients, and even drinks. Not only that, this type of fruit is also refreshing because it has a fairly high water content. Are there other benefits or properties of the nutritional content of cucumber? This is the full explanation.
Cucumber nutritional content
Cucumbers, cucumbers, or cucumbers are often considered vegetables. However, because it contains seeds, cucumbers or Cucumis sativus are included in the fruit group.
You may be among those who often eat cucumbers. However, do you know what the nutritional content in cucumbers is?
Quoting from Panganku, here are the nutritional facts and the composition of cucumber calculated per 100 grams.
1. Calories: 8
2. Water: 97.9 gr
3. Carbohydrates: 1.4 g
4. Fiber: 0.3 gr
5. Calcium: 29 mg
6. Phosphorus: 95 gr
7. Potassium: 57.1 mg
8. Beta carotene: 314 mcg
9. Folate: 7 mcg
10. Vitamin C: 1 mg
11. Vitamin K: 16.4 mcg
Cucumber benefits for health
When consuming it, you at least realize that in the cucumber contains quite a lot of water.
Not only that, there are also vitamins and minerals that can help the body’s health.
Here are some of the benefits and efficacy of cucumber for your body.
1. Increase hydration or fluid intake
Several times it is mentioned that there is the water content in cucumbers. The water content in cucumber helps increase hydration or fluid intake because water plays an important role in the body.
Not only that, the water content in cucumbers also has benefits so that the metabolism functions properly, maintains body temperature, and prevents kidney disease.
2. Reduce blood sugar levels
Quoted from the American Diabetes Association, cucumber is one of the vegetables that does not contain flour, so it is useful for reducing blood sugar levels.
This is because the fiber and water content in cucumbers can also help satisfy your appetite while controlling sugar levels, making it good for diabetics.
Then, in a study published in BioImpacts also found that the benefits of cucumber are effective for reducing oxidative stress and preventing diabetes complications.
However, further research is still needed because the experiments are still carried out on animals.
3. Smooth digestion
Cucumber contains fiber and water, which have benefits to help prevent constipation and smooth the digestive tract.
The fiber content in the form of pectin in cucumbers can also help regulate bowel movements and increase the frequency of bowel movements.
Not only that, the pectin in cucumbers is also useful in accelerating the movement of intestinal muscles as well as feeding good bacteria so that it improves digestive health.
4. Maintain heart health
The fiber content in cucumbers also has other benefits and properties such as maintaining heart health. This is because fiber also serves to lower cholesterol levels.
Meanwhile, the potassium content in cucumber is also useful for lowering sodium levels, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
There are also benefits of vitamin K in cucumbers which can help lower blood pressure and prevent the buildup of minerals in the arterial area.
Not only that, adequate intake of vitamin K also allows the heart to pump blood throughout the body.
5. Maintain bone density
In addition to calcium, there is also vitamin K content in cucumbers which has benefits for maintaining bone health and density.
Keep in mind that vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that functions to maintain healthy bones and regulate calcium levels in the blood.
Therefore, vitamin K has benefits and properties to support the maintenance of strong bones, increase bone density, to help reduce the risk of fractures.
However, further studies are still needed on the function of vitamin K in cucumbers that can prevent osteoporosis.
6. Improve cognitive function
Did you know that cucumbers also contain beta carotene? This content has benefits to help improve cognitive function.
Beta carotene is also included as an antioxidant compound that also functions to improve memory. However, it should also be remembered that these benefits are long-term effects.
If you regularly consume vegetables, fruit, and supplements containing beta carotene, this is also efficacious to reduce the risk of dementia.
7. Improve facial skin condition
Some women must have used cucumber as a natural ingredient to treat facial skin. This is because the water content is useful for cooling, soothing, and relieving redness.