With the departure of bone-chilling winter, we have our eyes set on all the seasonal goodness summer has to offer. One of our most favourite summer staples is fresh cucumber. Crunchy and cool cucumbers make for an excellent addition to salads, smoothies and soups. For its rich vitamin C content and silica, cucumbers have also found a firm place in our skin and beauty rituals. Best when consumed raw, cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamin K, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, iron, calcium and zinc. Cucumber is also immensely effective in weight loss. Consuming cucumber may also help curb bloating. Here's how.
Bloating occurs when the belly feels swollen after eating. There could be number of reasons that could lead to bloating, for instance; indigestion, constipation, trapped winds in the tracts while eating, water retention etc. Bloating is mostly temporary and gets okay in a matter of few hours. However, you can also employ some natural remedies to curb the same.
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According to the book, 'Healing Foods' by DK Publishing House, cucumber is an excellent veggie to maintain water balance. "Its ability to balance water in the body makes cucumber important for heart and kidney functions. It also has a mild diuretic action and can help prevent constipation," notes the book.
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About 95 percent of cucumber's weight is just water. Interestingly, 60 percent of human body is also just water, yet experts often advise you to drink enough water. Ever wondered why? This is because we lose out on a lot of water daily to carry out essential bodily functions. Sometimes, the body retains a little too much water, which leads to fluid retention, bloating, and even exerts pressure on our blood vessels. Cucumber is that water-rich vegetable that can do wonders to regulate water balance in the body and could also prevent water retention.
Cucumber is high in potassium, which helps negate the ill-effects of sodium that is known to cause bloating. It helps you eliminate extra sodium through urine. Cucumbers are rich in antioxidant quercetin, caffeic acid (the skin), vitamin C and silica that are known to reduce swelling. Just as how putting them around your eyes prevent puffiness, eating cucumbers on a daily basis can help you de-bloat as well.
Many of us are habitual to eating cucumbers without its peel. Cucumber peels are full of antioxidants, so make sure you have them on a regular basis too and not toss them away each time.
You can have them raw or you can dunk in some freshly cut pieces of cucumber in a tumbler of water and sip into it through the day. A chilled cucumber soup is also a refreshing way to keep bloating at bay.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.