How to Improve Your Health 4 Ways With Cucumbers

Cucumbers, along with lettuce and tomato, are a very popular addition to salads. They are delicious and refreshing, and add to the enjoyment of any side dish. However, this seemingly modest vegetable brings so much more to the table than its good taste. The cucumber is chock-full of nutrients that make it an excellent staple to keep on hand for major health benefits. Some of these include skin care, digestion, easing of joint pains, and kidney support. (1)

Here are just four of the many ways cucumbers can aid your body in achieving optimal health.

1) Cucumbers are your skin’s pal

It’s likely you have seen spas with cucumbers on hand to use as a skin treatment for their guests and clients. Why? Because cucumbers are one of the most powerful skin-loving aids you can use. Let us count the ways:

Can be used in masks to tighten the skin (2)
Reduces eye puffiness (3)

Brightens and rejuvenates skin (4)
Hydrates skin (5)

2) Cucumbers are a fantastic source of antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory

Packed with powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, and manganese, cucumbers are a terrific source of vital nutrients. Studies have shown that cucumbers are useful in ridding the body of free radicals and supporting antioxidant activity. They also keep inflammatory enzymes at bay, and stop overproduction of substances that increase inflammation. (6)

3) Looking to ease your joint pain? Add cucumbers to your diet!

Cucumbers are a potent source of silica, a substance that strengthens the connective tissues that are critical to joint support. Packed with beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, folate, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, cucumbers are a serious contender in the world of health superfoods! If you make a fresh carrot and cucumber juice, the combined nutrients help you to ease arthritis and gout pain by lowering uric acid levels. (7)

4) Cucumbers can help keep your heart healthy

Because cucumbers are an excellent source of potassium, they make an ideal part of a heart-healthy diet. Potassium is an electrolyte which can help reduce blood pressure and heart rates, and it fights the effects of too much sodium. (8)