Say what you may, but it is not easy to survive the Indian summer without a little help from our kitchen. You need that extra glass of sharbat and nimbu paani, not just for the flavour but also to quench your thirst. You need a bowl of curd right after your meal just to keep your tummy light and cool. Another solid summer staple has to be the cucumber. This cool and crunchy green vegetable is mostly eaten raw in form of salads. One can also blend it in smoothies and juices. The vegetable is also all the more fascinating because more than 90 percent of the vegetable is just water! That’s right, cucumber is 96 percent water and a 110 percent nutrient-laden food that you must add in your diet for these reasons.
1. Weight Loss
Cucumber is exceptionally low in calories, only 45 calories in a 300-gram serving. Cucumber is in fact, counted as a ‘negative calorie’ food. Which means your body takes more calories to burn it than the calories originally ingested. It is also super-filling given the water content. Hence, if you are on a diet, you must include cucumber in your diet.
2. Beauty Benefits
Cucumber helps keep you hydrated that further helps lock moisture of your skin and keep it supple and glowing. Cucumber is also a replete with antioxidants that fights free radical activity which is liked to skin-ageing.
3. Diabetes Control
Cucumbers has a low GI index and are also very low in carbohydrates in general making it an ideal, healthy snack for diabetics to keep their blood sugar in check.
4. Boosts Immunity
Cucumbers is rich in antioxidants, including flavonoids and tannins that helps fight harmful free radical activity and give our immune system a natural boost.
5. Prevent constipation
The high-fibre and water content of cucumber helps regulate the bowel movement and thus improve digestion too.