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Cucumber Nutrition:
Facts and Benefits
It takes no
time to prepare this vegetable and it can be eaten raw.
It
makes an ideal snack and its sweet and refreshing taste
often appeals to kids. Therefore, this healthy vegetable
is an ideal snack to put in kid's lunch boxes as
it is beneficial to their health and has high
nutritional value. One of its health benefits is its
revitalizing qualities - people actually swear by its
benefits for puffy eyes and place slices over
their eyes to help the appearance of tired eyes!
This vegetable can also help to relieve sunburn! It is known
for its anti-ageing properties and is often a popular
ingredient in beauty products, as it is both
anti-inflammatory and hydrating.
Cucumber Nutrition:
Data and Nutritional Benefits
The health benefits are
outstanding as this healthy vegetable naturally has a
high water content, and a fantastic range of vitamins
and nutrients. it is an excellent diuretic food
and it helps the body to detoxify by flushing out
toxins. It is high in fiber which helps to maintain a
healthy digestive system. It provides important
vitamins including vitamin A, vitamins B3 and B5,
vitamin C and vitamin K. This healthy vegetable also
contains essential nutrients including caffeic acid,
fibre, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, as
well as other health benefiting minerals. |
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Cucumber
Nutrition: Calorie Count and Carb Facts
The vegetable fruit is low in calories and can form a healthy part of a controlled diet. The amount of calories
and carbs in cucumber depends on the way that it is
served, for example if the
cucumber is
served alone, pickled or with a dip. The
following calorie guide can be used to calculate the
amount of carbohydrates and calories in cucumbers:
Carbohydrates and
Calories: Cucumber Nutritional Value per 100 grams:
Cucumber Nutrition
- 10 calories / 1.5g carbs |
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Cucumber
Nutrition: Facts and
Analysis
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Cucumber
Nutrition: consists of approximately 90% water .
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Cucumber is
known for it's refreshing and revitalization
benefits - some people place fresh slices of
cucumber over their eyes to help improve the
appearance tired
eyes!
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Cucumbers
Nutrition: can
grow very long - up to 60cm (24 inches) long!
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Cucumber
benefits the health considerably as it is an
excellent diuretic food.
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Cucumber
nutritional value is very high and provides vitamin
A, B3, B5, C and K
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Cucumber Varieties - Nutrition, Vitamins and Health
Benefits
There are many different varieties of
cucumbers, including the following, which are perhaps the
most popular types:
English Cucumber
Nutrition: this variety is
long, narrow cucumber with smooth, rich green skin. The
skin is fairly thin and the flesh is pale green, and
doesn't contain too many seeds. The whole cucumber is
edible and is usually eaten raw. English cucumbers are
sweet and the taste can be described as watery, perhaps
a little similar a mild melon flavor.
Lebanese Cucumber
Nutrition: this type is
small, it has smooth skin and a mild taste.
Ridged Cucumber
Nutrition: this variety has
firm, thick green ridged skin and more seeds than the
English Cucumber. This particular type is smaller than
standard varieties. Ridged cucumbers are very popular
vegetables in France. Some are waxed and if this is the
case, the wax should be peeled away prior to preparation
for eating.
Gherkins
Cucumber Nutrition- The gherkin is a very
small baby cucumber. These little cucumbers usually have
bumpy skin and many are recognized as small pickled
cucumbers. Pickled varieties have a strong flavor and
pickling cucumbers prolongs its shelf life.
Kirbys
Cucumber Nutrition- Kirby cucumbers are popular
in the United States of America. They are a small
variety of cucumber that are ideal for pickling.
There are lots of other varieties of
cucumber including Armenian (pickled wild cucumbers),
Beit Alpha, Persian, Dosakai, Apple Cucumbers and Kekiri. |
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Cucumber
Nutrition: Is Cucumber a fruit or
vegetable?
Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) is a fruit, which for
culinary purposes is referred to as a vegetable.
They are deliciously tasty and refreshing
vegetables that vary in size and appearance.
However, the standard cucumber, that we commonly
recognize, is long and fairly narrow. Cucumbers are
rich green vegetables with skin that should be firm,
and is usually either smooth or ridged depending on
the variety. Cucumber belongs to the gourd family,
along with squash. This vegetable was first
cultivated in India but is now grown all over the
world. Cucumbers contain approximately 90% water and
they grow on creeping vine plants. Cucumbers can
grow huge and have been known to grow as large as
60cm long x 10cm wide!
Cucumber
Nutrition Fiber: Picking and Storing
to Maintain Vitamins and Nutrients
When picking this vegetable, always look
for the freshest available as this will last longer and
be more beneficial to your health as its nutritional
value will be higher. The cucumber skin should be firm
to the touch and blemish free. Check the use by date and
choose cucumbers with the longest dates remaining on the
label as they will undoubtedly be the freshest. Seal and
store cucumber in the fridge. If it is sealed, it will
last for several days. Once it starts to go
soggy, discard of it.
Cucumber
Nutrition Peeled: Preparing
for Eating
Cucumber is definitely one of the
easiest and quickest vegetables to prepare! It's so
simple! Just wash the cucumber under cold running water,
cut the very tip off and discard. Slice the cucumber to
whatever width you desire, and serve!
There are lots of delicious cucumber
recipes to choose from! This vegetable is cook and
refreshing and makes an excellent accompaniment to lots
of dishes! Cucumber is excellent served with any type of
salad as it provides an added difference - this
vegetable is tasty and has a delicious crispy texture!
Cucumber can be used to make lovely, tasty dips and
sauces. This healthy vegetable can be used in lots of
recipes. It's an old favorite that has been around for
years! Try adding slices of cool crisp cucumber to a
sandwich, baguette or salad, or simply serve on its own
with a dip such as soured cream! Cucumber salads are
exceptionally healthy and are lovely, especially on a
summer's day!
Cucumber skin is edible and contains
good nutritional value, it's full of health benefits so
it's important to eat it! (Ridged cucumbers are
sometimes waxed and this should be peeled away before
eating).
Cucumber
Nutrition: Cucumber and Vinegar
Salad Recipe
Slice a red onion thinly
Slice cucumber into thin slices (3-4 Persian cucumbers
are ideal for this recipe)
Place the sliced onion and cucumber in a dish
Stir together half cup of white vinegar, half cup of
water and one third cup of sugar, pinch of salt and
pepper
Pour the vinegar mixture over the sliced onion and
cucumber
Cover over and allow to marinate for minimum of 1 hour
This cucumber vinegar salad recipe
should be used within 24 hours. The vinegar will provide
a strong taste, the longer it is left to marinate. |
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Cucumber
Nutrition: Cooking Tips
Surprisingly, cucumbers can be cooked
and they are, in actual fact, very tasty indeed!
How to cook cucumber:
Slice the cucumber into wedges.
Cut away the seeds and
discard.
Place the cucumber wedges in a pan of simmering
water and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until
tender.
Remove from the heat and drain.
Add cream to the
pan and gently mix with the cooked cucumber wedges.
Season as desired and serve. |
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Health
experts and nutritionists believe that a well-balanced
diet that includes at least five portions of fruit and
vegetables per day will help to considerably improve our
lifestyles and ultimately extend our lives |
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