Benefits Of Cucumber Water - khire ka pani

Drinking cucumber water may not seem like a surefire way to improve your health, but it delivers a number of surprising benefits and is very easy to prepare.

Cucumber water has been around for a very long time – years before the infused water craze began.

Water with cucumber has been served at day spas and health clubs all over the world for decades, mostly due to its health benefits and great taste.

Not only is this simple recipe yummy, but cucumbers look oh so pretty when sliced and placed neatly in a pitcher of water and ice.

What is Cucumber Water?

Quite simply, cucumber water is water that is infused with cucumbers, by immersing and soaking cucumber slices in a pitcher of water. While this may sound overly simple, many of the active ingredients of cucumber infuse in the water, boosting your overall nutrient intake. Drinking water is an important part of any healthy diet, so tweaking the recipe slightly to improve its impact is a wise choice.

Cucumbers are composed primarily of water, which is why this type of water is so popular in detox cleanses. This beverage possesses the earthy, refreshing flavor of cucumbers, as well as many other nutrients and active ingredients. Drinking cucumber water will increase your vitamin C levels, as well as beta-carotene, manganese, molybdenum, and various other antioxidants, including cucurbitacin. Cucumbers also contain silica, which has a number of positive effects on the body. Most importantly, however, this is a delicious and unique twist on an average glass of water that will keep you coming back for more.

Cucumber Benefits
Cucumbers are one of the most underrated ingredients around, even though they have so many health benefits.

They’re made up of mostly water, which makes them a perfect component of a cooling detox drink.

They’re really low in calories and high in fiber, which makes them a great addition to your diet during weight loss because they’ll fill you up and help you feel more satisfied.

Among its many health benefits, cucumbers are a great source of vitamin B, rich in potassium and magnesium (which may help to lower blood pressure), and have even been known to fight cancer.

They contain an anti-inflammatory flavonol called “fisetin” which studies have shown to help improve brain health.

Cucumbers are a know antioxidant, and also contain polyphenols called lignans, which may help to lower your risk of certain types of cancer including ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer.

Is cucumber a fruit? Yes. Cucumbers are part of a gourd plant family called Cucurbitaceae and are considered a “cylindrical fruit”. They grow on vines and come in three main varieties: slicing, pickling, and burpless.

Health Benefits Of Cucumber Water

A few of the many benefits of cucumber water include skin care, weight loss, chronic disease, cardiovascular health, and bone density, among others.

• It keeps you hydrated.
  Your body can’t function properly without water. Most people should aim to drink six to eight glasses of water per day, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. We know we’re supposed to drink water throughout the day, but sometimes plain water gets boring. Adding cucumber gives it some extra flavor, encouraging you to drink more.
• Cucumber Water Is Good For Your Muscles
  Cucumbers contain silica, a trace mineral necessary to keep connective tissue healthy. A good idea might be to add a few slices to your workout water bottle.
• Skin Care
  There are a number of antioxidants and antioxidant vitamins found in cucumbers that can help with skin health, as antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals, which cuts down on oxidative stress, the force that can lead to wrinkles, age spots, blemishes, and loose skin as you age.

• It helps with weight loss.
  If you’re trying to lose weight, replacing sugary sodas, sports drinks, and juices with cucumber water can help you cut some serious calories from your diet.

  Staying hydrated also helps you feel full. Sometimes your body confuses thirst with hunger. You may feel like you’re hungry, when you’re actually thirsty.

  How will you know the difference? Reach for a tall glass of cucumber water first. If your hunger goes away after finishing the drink, you were thirsty. If you’re still hungry, then you know it’s hunger.

• It Helps Transport Calcium To Bones
  Cucumbers are rich in Vitamin K, which helps transport calcium to bones. In fact one cucumber averages 22% of your daily recommended intake. Just remember that Vitamin K is most dense near the cucumber’s skin. Peeling the cucumber decreases the amount of Vitamin K that you’ll receive.

• Heart Issues
  Drinking cucumber water is an excellent way to increase your potassium levels, which is a vital electrolyte for overall health. Potassium also acts as a vasodilator to reduce blood pressure and lower strain on the cardiovascular system, thus reducing your risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes and coronary heart disease.

• It delivers antioxidants.
  Antioxidants are substances that help prevent and delay cell damage from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Oxidative stress can lead to chronic conditions like:

1. cancer
2. diabetes
3. beta carotene
4. heart disease
5. Alzheimer’s
6. eye degeneration

Research has shown that antioxidants may be able to reverse or stop this damage. This is why you should each fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants. Cucumbers fall into this category. They’re rich in:

• ​vitamin C
• beta carotene
• manganese
• molybdenum
• several flavonoid antioxidants

• It may help prevent cancer
  Cucumbers contain a unique compound called cucurbitacin, which acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. In recent years, this compound has been the subject of a great deal of research, and it has been found that drinking cucumber water can lower your risk of prostate cancer, among others.

• It lowers your blood pressure.
  One contributing factor to high blood pressure is having too much salt (sodium) and too little potassium in your diet. The excess salt causes your body to hold fluids, which raises blood pressure. Potassium is an electrolyte that helps regulate the amount of sodium retained by the kidneys.

  Cucumbers are a good source of potassium. Drinking cucumber water helps your body get more potassium, potentially helping to lower your blood pressure.

• Cucumbers Are Low In Calories
  An entire cucumber averages about 45 calories. This means that a few slices in your water does not add very many additional calories.

• Cucumber Freshens Breath
  Some online sources suggest that keeping well hydrated may reduce odor-causing bacteria in your mouth. Apparently, if you hold a slice of cucumber at the roof of your mouth with your tongue this helps boost saliva production which washes away bacteria that causes bad breath.

How to Make Cucumber Water

Making cucumber water is pretty simple:

1. Slice a cleaned, peeled (or unpeeled depending on your preference) cucumber into 1/2 inch slices.
2. Combine cucumber slices in water, and type with ice. Allow to marinate for at least an hour. (For best results, allow it to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.)

3. The cucumber slices will float, so it’s important to top with ice to keep them submerged.

   To avoid having to use ice, try purchasing a fruit infused water pitcher that holds the cucumber slices in an infusion chamber. They work great, the large pitchers look fantastic on a dinner table and encourage your family to drink more water, and the travel bottles help keep you hydrated all day long.

   You can refill the pitcher or travel bottle several times before it starts to lose flavor.

   You can even eat the cucumber slices if you like, but discard your batch after 24 hours.

Ingredients That Go Well With Cucumber Water

Who says you need to limit infused water to just one ingredient? These other ingredients go really well with cucumber water:

• lemon
• lime
• orange
• mint
• strawberry
• kiwi
• mint
• rosemary
• thyme
• lemon verbena
• lavender

How To Select A Cucumber
Cucumbers should be firm, not wrinkly, and a medium to dark green color. Grocery stores sometimes put an edible wax on skins of fruits and vegetables that otherwise might store poorly. Wax helps retain moisture and serves are a barrier to bacteria and algae. While the FDA says that edible wax is not harmful some people do not prefer its taste or texture. You can avoid wax by buying organic cucumbers. Cucumber skin contains vitamins so try to avoid peeling the cucumbers, if possible.

According to WHFoods, you may want to consider buying organic anyway as its thought that conventional cucumbers might be more prone to heavy metal contamination.

History Of Cucumbers
Cucumbers originated in India, and were introduced to Europe by Greeks or Romans. They are listed among the foods eaten in ancient Ur, and are referenced in the legend of Gilgamesh. Christopher Columbus brought cucumbers to the Americas in 1494.

And, did you know that World Cucumber Day is June 14th?