90 Percenters

I went into work last week with a bowl of sliced cucumbers for lunch. To tell the truth the bowl as a tad large and the cucumbers were…plenty! Anyway, as is my custom (wink) I offered my colleagues some slices of cucumbers to nibble on and to my surprise of the six people in our little office a whopping FIVE said they did not like cucumbers! Can you believe that? Who does not like the coolest veg in town? SO this is a subtle message to them (you know yourselves) to get them to the cu-side of town.

Here’s 10 reasons to LOVE cucumbers… (I got this off a newspaper article!)

Rehydrate your body. Cucumbers are 90% water, so they can help you rehydrate in a pinch.

Cooley. Get some relief from heartburn and sunburn by nibbling on some slices of cucumber. With the 35˚C days we are currently experiencing in Abuja, a cucumber snack may just be what the doctor ordered to help you get your second wind each day!

Plus I can attest to the heartburn bit – I have an elixir of blended chunks cucumber and low fat yoghurt that works wonders (I call it my C-Smoothie; find the recipe following).  

Toxin Buster: The 90% water content works as an internal broom which sweeps waste products out of your body. Then you can give your kidneys a makeover by eating cucumbers daily – they not only flush out excess uric acid but may also dissolve kidney stones. (I can almost see someone reaching for a dish of cucumber salad…LOL)

Miracle Hangover Cure: Forget your hair of dog mixture; cucumber is it I hear for those ‘infrequent’ days when you overindulge. Simply eat a few slices before going to sleep. The mega quantities of Vitamin B, sugar and electrolytes will replenish essential nutrients lost which could reduce the severity of both hangover and headaches.

Manage the BIG Three: By Big Three I mean some of the major killers today Diabetes, High cholesterol and Blood Pressure. Incidentally, if you are overweight you are up to 3 times more likely to develop any two or all three of these- a good reason to DROP IT! J

Apparently, cucumber juice contains some hormone which aids your body produce insulin (that’s your help with Diabetes). Also sterols (found in cucumbers) can help you reduce your cholesterol levels. The third whammy is the combination of fiber, magnesium and potassium in cucumber which will contribute to regulating your blood pressure (both high & low).

Cancer Fighter: If you are reading this and you have never had a pap smear, boob or prostate exam – please go get it done immediately. Especially if someone(s) in your family has had cancer. Cancer is no respecter of persons! That said – I hear that cucumbers contain some tongue twisting compounds (secoisolariciresinol, lariciresinol and pinoresinol -I even had a tough time typing these) which researchers believe could help reduce the risk of several cancer types including ovarian, breast, prostate and uterine cancer. Every little helps, right?

Hair & Nails: If you are like me and have flaking nails this will be good news for you! Cucumber contains silica which makes your hair and nails shinier and stronger over time. It could also help stimulate hair growth. Good news for those of African-decent suffering from receding hairlines (women) from tight braids.

Have you noticed that cucumbers are a staple at Spas? It’s because of its high silicon, vitamin C and vitamin(s) B content – excellent for the skin and whole body.

Daily 5: If advertisers are to be believed, we all need 5 portions of fruit/veg daily to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Now our beloved cucumber is tooted to have most of the vitamins our bodies need in a single day to boost your immune system, give you energy etc. So make cucumber on of your 5 when picking your fruit/veg portions. 

Eyes Bright: I think every woman knows that placing a thin slice of cucumber over your [closed] eyes for a few minutes can help reduce under eye puffiness and bags because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

Digestion & Weight loss: Truth be told this is the real reason I started chomping on cucumbers. Cucumbers are 90% water (I’ve mentioned that twice already, but it begs mentioning again) and low caloric content so it’s an ideal meal/snack for people like me/us looking to DROP IT. And I can testify that the fiber in cucumbers contribute to your regularity, and help with constipation.

Not sure how to introduce cucumbers to your diet? Give some of these ideas a try:

C-Smoothie

I cucumber (cut into chunks)

1 cup of low fat yoghurt

1 teaspoon candrel/stavia to sweeten [or honey] (optional)

4 ice cubes

  

How to: Throw everything (except ice) into your smoothie maker (or blender) pulse for 10seconds or until smooth; then add the ice.

 

Pulse again for 15 seconds at 5 sec intervals to break up the ice. Serve!

 

Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber (thinly sliced)

1 medium sized red onion

½ cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard

½ spoon of brown sugar (I personally prefer brown to white)

1 teaspoons of salt  

How to: Slice your cucumbers thinly and salt them. (Salt by coating the slices with salt then leaving them in a colander to drain for 30minutes – the salt draws out the sweetness of the veg)   When the 30mins are up, rinse the salt off your cucumber slices, dry them off by placing them in a clean dish towel the wring dry (careful if you want to keep your cucumber shapes). Empty dried off cucumbers into a bowl, toss in your vinegar, your mustard and sugar and …toss. Refrigerate for no less than 30minutes (you don’t have to….I just like my cucumber salad cold) then serve.

There are so many exciting and innovative ways to eat cucumbers and you only have to give it a trial to get hooked. PLUS, I am sure some of you have really good cucumber recipes – please share them with us, I promise to publish and give you the credit (cross my heart…). So share…how do you use your cu’?

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