Cucumber water1 is known to improve hydration and make the skin glow, but is it good for your health? Also, is it easy to prepare, and are there any side effects of it? Before going into the details, let us understand the basics.
Cucumbers are a type of fruit that is less expensive and readily available, but it is often mistaken as a vegetable. You can usually find them in spa sessions and other skin treatments. Let’s look at some benefits of cucumber water in detail.
1. Is Cucumber Water Good for You?
Cucumber water is a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Each of the cucumber’s vitamins has its specific function in our body. Numerous health benefits are listed below :
1.1. Hydration
For the human body, the need for water is inevitable. Water influences complex cell reactions and other functionalities.
If you can’t drink normal water frequently, substitute it with cucumber water. The flavor of cucumber can encourage you to drink more water and relieve your thirst.
1.2. Weight Loss
Cucumber water is a low-calorie beverage, whereas sugary drinks are high in calories. Drinking sodas and energy drinks regularly might result in weight gain.
However, cucumber water could be a perfect choice for people following a weight loss diet. It will make you feel refreshed without affecting your weight loss journey.
1.3. Antioxidants
Antioxidants are compounds that can remove toxic free radicals from your body. Cucumbers are rich in antioxidants like calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B, and vitamin K.
These antioxidants2 can act as a shield from oxidative stress and help prevent chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
1.4. Cancer Prevention
Cucumbers have special compounds called cucurbitacin which play a pivotal role in cancer prevention. Cancer research also says that dietary flavonoid antioxidants like fisetin in cucumber can delimit the cancer cell progression in various types of cancers.
1.5. Muscle Health
The element potassium found in cucumber maintains muscle tissues and helps in attaining muscle energy. A glass of fresh cucumber water can revive your lost energy when you are fatigued or have sore muscles.
1.6. Healthy Skin
In spas and wellness centers, sliced cucumbers are kept on your eyes and skin, which helps in reducing inflammation. Cucumber water also keeps you hydrated, which is vital for improving your skin health. It has pantothenic acid, which controls breakouts on the skin and keeps the skin healthy.
1.7. Blood Pressure
Hypertension3 affects a significant share of the global population, estimated to be over 1.3 billion people. Cucumber water is rich in potassium, an electrolyte that is proven to reduce blood pressure and keep your heart healthy. Potassium regulates sodium in our body and helps in maintaining an electrolyte balance.
1.8. Cure Hangover
Cucumber water can rejuvenate and eliminate toxins from the body. It replenishes lost nutrients and helps you stay hydrated while relieving alcohol-associated headaches.
2. Cucumber Water Recipe
Preparation time: 5 Minutes
2.1. Ingredients
- Cucumber – 1
- Water – 1 jar
- Salt – ½ tsp
2.2. Preparation
Take one medium cucumber and cut it into thin slices. You can peel the skin and remove the seeds if you want.
Put the sliced cucumbers into a glass jar and sprinkle salt over it. After mixing them, add water and close the lid tight, and refrigerate the beverage for all night.
2.3. How to Add More Flavors?
If you don’t want to drink it bland, you can make cucumber water more palatable to your taste buds by adding additional ingredients like lemon slices, mint leaves, ginger, melons, berries and lemongrass.
3. Which Plant Family do Cucumbers Belong to?
The creeping plant cucumber, scientifically Cucumis sativus, is a member of the gourd family. It has a lot of health benefits but can be bitter to taste in some instances.
4. Selecting Cucumbers for Cucumber Infused Water
Always go for the organic ones; they are safer to consume. Cucumber colors can also vary and may appear in different shades of green.
Sellers often coat them with wax to retain their moisture; these waxes are edible but can disturb the natural texture of the fruit. So, wash your cucumbers nicely.
5. Types of Cucumber Water
You can use different types of water to make your drink, like filtered, cold or plain water.
5.1. Sparkling Cucumber Water
Chilled seltzer or sparkling water can be mixed with cucumbers to give it a different taste.
5.2. Sweet Cucumber Water
Cucumbers are not sweet by themselves. To make your drink extra sweet, you can add naturally sweet foods like berries or melons.
After refrigerating, it is ready to serve, and the natural sugar will not interfere with its health properties.
6. Cucumber Water Versus Lemon Water
Lemon juice is also a great source of antioxidants like cucumber-infused water. It aids in digestion as well. The health benefits of cucumber can be doubled by adding lemon slices.
7. How Long Can You Keep Cucumber-Infused Water?
Cucumber water should not be kept for too long. You can store it for a maximum of 3 days if refrigerated, otherwise consume it within a day.
Don’t forget to choose an airtight container to keep the drink. Leaving cucumber slices at room temperature for a long time is not advised as they can stale easily.
8. Side Effects
Before preparing the cucumber water, wash your hands because the bacteria on your hands can contaminate the health drink. Wash cucumbers and your container too.
The chemical compound cucurbitacin 4can have toxic effects on sensitive people. Cucumbers also cause certain allergies in some people, like oral allergies, breathing difficulty, and swelling. So, it is better to get a heads-up from your doctor first.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How often should you drink cucumber-infused water?
You can substitute your daily water intake with cucumber-infused water. However, the right amount might depend on your age, gender, and environment, but as a general rule, you can drink 2-3 liters every day.
2. How long can you store cucumber water?
You can store it for a maximum of 3 days if refrigerated. Otherwise, consume it within a few hours of preparation. The intake of spoiled cucumbers can turn its health benefits into adverse effects.
3. How much cucumber water can you drink?
Drinking too much cucumber water doesn’t have any adverse effects, it can quench your thirst and can make you full at the same time.
In The End
Cucumber water has many health benefits. Some of the many health benefits of cucumber water are hydration, muscle health, cancer prevention, healthy skin, weight loss, and many more.
Cucumber water has a simple recipe that anyone can follow, and you can also add additional ingredients for more flavor. Cucumber water is a better alternative for beverages with added sugar.
Stay healthy and hydrated!
- Murad, H., and M. A. Nyc. “Evaluating the potential benefits of cucumbers for improved health and skin care.” Journal of Aging Research & Clinical Practice 5.3 (2016): 139-141. ↩︎
- Hossain, Abul, Deepika Dave, and Fereidoon Shahidi. “Antioxidant potential of sea cucumbers and their beneficial effects on human health.” Marine Drugs 20.8 (2022): 521. ↩︎
- Winata, Nova Pandu, Triana Indrayani, and Bunga Tiara Carolin. “The effect of cucumber juice on the elderly Hypertension in Citalahab Village, Pandeglang District in 2020.” Journal of Global Research in Public Health 5.2 (2020): 177-182. ↩︎
- Dai, Shu, et al. “Cucurbitacin B: A review of its pharmacology, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics.” Pharmacological research 187 (2023): 106587. ↩︎
Last Updated on by Namrata
