Cucumber water is known for being a vegetable that benefits the beauty. It’s mostly found in spas as a moisturizer which refreshes the undereyes. But that is not all, as cucumber can also become an ideal health drink. No need to go to the spa for cucumber-based treatments, as you can make it within the comfort of your own home!
What are the benefits of cucumber water?
1. Maintain the health of your skin
You may have heard of the use of cucumber as a face mask. Apparently, drinking cucumber water is also beneficial for the skin. Cucumber is good for maintaining healthy skin both from the outside and from the inside, as regularly drinking cucumber water will make your skin brighter and supple. The content of pantothenic acid (also known as vitamin B5) in cucumber is effective for treating acne.
2. Prevent rising blood pressure
The benefits of cucumber water for stability of blood pressure are well known. People with hypertension usually contain sodium levels that are too high in the body. Excess sodium is at risk of causing water levels in the body to become imbalanced triggering an increase in blood pressure. To neutralize water levels, the body needs adequate potassium content. Unfortunately, most people do not get the potassium intake that the body needs every day.
You can work around this by regularly drinking cucumber water. Cucumber is rich in potassium which serves to help balance sodium levels in the kidneys. That way, blood pressure will be stable and prevent it from rising. In addition, cucumber water can also keep your blood clotting naturally.
3. Gets rid of toxins in the body
Cucumber has diuretic properties or can trigger urine production. This means that your kidneys will be pushing toxins, bacteria, and metabolic products that your body no longer needs out of the urine. This process is also known as detoxification. The body will be fresher because it is clean from various toxins and harmful substances.
4. Helps weight loss
Sometimes you feel hungry and want to eat something, when in fact you are just dehydrated and thirsty. Try to drink cucumber water when you suddenly feel hungry. This drink will help you feel fuller with a very low calorie content. If you don’t feel hungry anymore after drinking cucumber water, it means that you are actually just thirsty. This method is good for those of you who are trying to lose or maintain your ideal weight.
5. Strengthens bones
Cucumbers have a very high vitamin K content. One glass of cucumber water can meet up to 20% of the recommended daily requirement of vitamin K. This vitamin is useful for producing proteins needed by bones and the tissues that form them.
Cucumber water recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 sprigs fresh mint
- 2 quarts water
- 2 cups ice
Method:
- Thinly slice the cucumber.
- Pour 1 quart of water into a pitcher.
- Add the cucumber slices.
- Hand-crush the mint by rolling it between your palms, then drop it in the pitcher.
- Stir the mixture gently.
- Add ice and the rest of the water.
- Put in the fridge and wait 1 hour.
Top tips for the best cucumber water
- Add a bit of tanginess. Add half of a thinly sliced lemon or lime with the cucumber.
- Experiment with various herbs. The most popular faves are mint, thai basil and rosemary, but you can definitely add herbs found in cocktails or smoothies.
- Cucumber water lasts for 2 days. You can top it off as you drink. The veggies will keep infusing into it the whole time. But be aware that it will go bad after 48 hours in the fridge, so prepare to make a new batch.
- Make it into a bubbly drink. Another option is to mix your cucumber water with club soda. Voila! You get a cucumber water spritzer. If that’s not enough to satisfy your palate, add a bit of flavored vodka to your mix.
- Mix in berries. Whether it’s strawberries or rasperries, adding berries adds flavor to your cucumber water. The downside is that you have to drink it in one sitting, for berries start to go bad in under a day.
