How cucumber juice affects the body: benefits and harms, methods of use

Cucumbers are consumed raw, used for preservation, used as an ingredient in various dishes, and processed into juice. Not everyone knows about the benefits of cucumber juice.

Its regular use has a multifaceted beneficial effect on the body: it activates the intestines, improves skin condition, removes waste and toxins, promotes weight loss, and ensures normal functioning of the nervous system. From the article you will learn about the benefits and harms of cucumber juice, how to prepare and store it, how to take it for weight loss and for various diseases.

Cucumber juice

There are many varieties and hybrids of cucumbers from which you can make juice. The most commonly used varieties are Obyknovenny, Vyaznikovsky, Nezhinsky. To be sure of the quality and usefulness of the vegetable drink, it is better to grow cucumbers yourself without the use of nitrates.

Composition and properties

Cucumber juice completely replicates the chemical composition of the vegetable itself; it consists of 95% water. The remaining 5% is represented by such components as:

• organic acids;
• alimentary fiber;
• vitamin A;
• B vitamins: B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B12;
• vitamin C (ascorbic acid);
• vitamin PP;
• vitamin H;
• vitamin D;
• vitamin K;
• beta carotene;
• macroelements: calcium, potassium, silicon, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, phosphorus;
• trace elements: iodine, boron, iron, zinc, fluorine, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, nickel, selenium, molybdenum.

Contains in small quantities digestible carbohydrates (starch, sucrose, fructose, glucose), non-essential amino acids (aspartic, glutamic, glycine), saturated fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

For reference. The energy value of a cucumber is 14 kcal per 100 g. The amount of fat per 100 g is 0.1 g, protein - 0.8 g, carbohydrates - 2.5 g.

Thanks to its unique, diverse chemical composition, cucumber has a variety of beneficial effects on the body:

• vitamin B1 - necessary for stabilizing the processes of growth and development, proper functioning of the heart, maintaining the health of the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract;
• vitamin B12 - important for the health of bones and teeth, takes an active part in metabolism, enhances immune defense;
• vitamin B2 - participates in the process of hematopoiesis, supports energy metabolism, protects the skin from microbes, and has a calming effect on the nervous system;
• vitamin PP - improves the state of tissue metabolism and microcirculation, regulates oxidation-reduction reactions, normalizes the permeability of vascular walls, promotes weight loss;
• ascorbic acid - has a general strengthening effect on the walls of blood vessels, ensures the normal functioning of connective and bone tissue, fights infections, and removes toxic substances;
• silicon - reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, improves the condition of the skin and nails, promotes the absorption of calcium, ensures the strength and elasticity of blood vessels;
• magnesium - helps maintain bone density, improves vascular tone, takes part in muscle contraction, stabilizes heart rhythm and blood pressure;
• potassium - responsible for maintaining water and electrolyte balance, reduces the risk of heart and vascular diseases, takes part in protein synthesis, neuromuscular transmission of excitation;
• vegetable fiber - cleanses the digestive tract, kidneys, blood, liver, lowers cholesterol levels, due to which a person loses weight.

Benefits and harms

Cucumbers have diuretic properties, remove toxic substances, waste, and excess fluid from the body. A vegetable drink is an ideal choice for those who want to lose weight, reduce swelling, and give their body a good shape. The fiber present in cucumber helps to quickly saturate the body.

Cucumber juice satisfies the body's needs for nutrients necessary for normal functioning. It also helps reduce pain, reduce fever, and stabilize blood pressure.

Calcium takes part in the transmission of nerve impulses, contraction of smooth and skeletal muscles, and blood clotting. To replenish the daily requirement of calcium, it is enough to drink 200-250 ml of cucumber juice per day.

Retinol, responsible for the formation of new cells, prevents the development of cancer cells, normalizes metabolism, slows down the aging process, and participates in the production of steroid hormones. In addition, it protects against flu, genitourinary infections, and neutralizes free radicals. Cucumber acts as a sorbent, so it is good for various poisonings.

Cucumber juice is widely used in cosmetology.It cleanses the skin, nourishes and moisturizes, whitens, and activates hair growth.

Vegetable drink can also cause harm to the body. It increases the acidity of the stomach, so its use for gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers can cause an exacerbation of the disease and worsen overall health. An allergic reaction manifests itself in the form of a rash, redness and peeling of the skin, and itching.

Cucumber juice for various diseases

Cucumber juice is a universal remedy that is used to treat and prevent a wide range of diseases:

• flu, colds, pneumonia, other infectious diseases - together with honey, reduces the frequency and intensity of cough, thins sputum, facilitates its elimination, and has an antimicrobial effect;
• hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, other thyroid pathologies - regulates the synthesis of hormones, maintains hormonal activity at a physiological level;
• mental disorders, psycho-emotional fatigue, stress - calms the nervous system, improves night sleep, relieves depression, increases performance and endurance;
• cardiovascular pathologies - improves the condition of vascular walls, increases their elasticity, helps prevent atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease;
• slow metabolism, obesity - activates metabolism, improves digestion, provides quick saturation due to fiber, removes waste, toxins, excess fluid from the body, reduces cholesterol levels;
• rheumatism, gout - reduces the content of uric acid, has an anti-inflammatory effect to a lesser extent;
• osteoporosis, bone fractures - increases bone density, accelerates the process of formation of new tissue, replenishes the body’s needs for calcium;
• hypertension, hypotension - stabilizes blood pressure, reduces heart rate;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - normalizes the acid-base balance, neutralizes hydrochloric acid in the stomach, has an enveloping and adsorbing effect, eliminates heartburn;
• constipation - restores the natural consistency of stool, facilitates bowel movements;
• wounds, cuts, thermal, chemical damage to tissues — accelerates skin regeneration, prevents the penetration of infections through the open wound surface, reduces the severity of pain;
• dermatitis, acne, post-acne - restores the protective functions of weakened immunity, improves skin condition, suppresses the activity of the inflammatory process, makes the skin more elastic and healthy.

For weight loss

Cucumber juice is recommended for overweight people. There are several ways to use a vegetable drink for weight loss: diet and fasting days.

A fasting day allows you to get rid of 400-600 g per day. To do this, you need to eat 1-1.5 kg of fruits during the day and drink at least 1 liter of water. Half of the norm of cucumbers can be consumed fresh, unpeeled, the second part can be processed into juice. To improve the taste, add parsley, celery, and lemon to the drink.

The diet itself is designed for 7-10 days, during which time you can lose 7 kg. A day you need to eat 1-2 kg of cucumbers raw and in the form of juice, smoothies, drink an average of 2-2.5 liters. water.The menu is structured in such a way as to avoid disruptions, so you can eat vegetables, cereals, lean meats, and drink various vegetable juices.

Advice. To prevent the weight from returning, it is important to review your diet, organize your meals properly, limit or completely eliminate fatty, fried foods, spices, and flour products. And most importantly, drink at least 200-250 ml of cucumber juice daily.

There is another mono-diet based on cucumber juice. For two days you are allowed to drink unlimited amounts of vegetable drink, excluding other foods and water. Due to the presence of a variety of micro- and macroelements, vitamins, and minerals, the body does not experience an acute deficiency in nutrients.

Cucumber juice is allowed even during complete fasting to maintain water and electrolyte balance.

In cosmetology

Cucumber juice is used to care for the skin of the face, neck, hands, and to treat acne, dermatitis, and skin inflammation. It is added to the composition creams, ointments, masks, scrubs, cleansers, mousses, lotions, or simply wipe your face with it. The juice nourishes and moisturizes the skin, protects against aging, gives elasticity and a healthy appearance, and evens out skin color.

Due to antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects helps solve the problem of acne, prevents new breakouts, accelerates the healing process of pustules and scars.

How to squeeze juice from a cucumber

There are several ways to prepare cucumber juice. The easiest way is to use a juicer. Wash the cucumbers well, trim the edges, do not remove the peel, because it contains many useful substances. Cut the fruits into even pieces, transfer to a container, and process for juice.

If you don’t have a juicer at home, you can grate the unpeeled vegetable, grind it through a meat grinder, or puree it in a blender. Transfer the pulp into gauze, folded in several layers, squeeze out the juice.

Advice. To prepare juice, it is better to choose green cucumbers without yellowness, firm to the touch, with intact peel and preferably of medium size (such fruits contain fewer seeds).

How to take it correctly

It is recommended to drink freshly squeezed cucumber juice within 30 minutes of preparation. Subsequently, its usefulness and the amount of macro- and microelements and vitamins decreases.

To improve taste and enhance the healing effect, the drink is combined with other vegetable juices, add honey, kefir, parsley, celery, garlic, lemon.

For the overall health of the body, ensuring the normal functioning of internal organs and systems, nutritionists advise drinking cucumber juice on an empty stomach in the amount of 200-250 ml. To treat cough, a vegetable drink with the addition of honey is consumed in small portions throughout the day.

In order to start your metabolism and normalize your weight, you need to take one glass of juice every morning or replace it with breakfast or a snack. To improve complexion, skin condition, and cure skin diseases, drink the juice regularly.

For reference. Tomato juice goes well with cucumber juice, but at the same time reduces its diuretic effect.

Terms and conditions of storage

Freshly squeezed cucumber juice can be stored for no more than 24 hours in the refrigerator. It is better to drink it immediately after preparation. The juice can be frozen or canned, in which case the shelf life increases to 12 months.

Preparation for the winter

Ingredients:

• cucumbers — 15 kg;
• salt - 180-200 g;
• cumin - 50 g;
• Dill seeds;
• black pepper - 2 g;
• allspice peas — 5-6 pcs.;
• Bay leaf;
• ½ red hot pepper;
• caraway.

Recipe:

1. Wash the unpeeled cucumbers, remove the ends on both sides, and cut into cubes.
2. Prepare brine at the rate of 1 tbsp per 1 liter of water. l. salt. Soak the cucumbers.
3. Drain the brine, rinse the cucumbers again, and process them into juice. Add salt to the drink and mix well until the crystals are completely dissolved.
4. Prepare jars: rinse with soda, sterilize in any convenient way.
5. Chop the peeled horseradish and pepper, put all the spices in jars, pour in the juice. Leave the jars warm for 3 days.
6. When the drink has fermented, preserve it with pre-sterilized lids. Store in a cool place.

Contraindications

Absolute contraindications for drinking cucumber juice are individual intolerance to one or more components of the composition, gastritis with high acidity, gastric ulcer during exacerbation.

Due to the diuretic effect, the vegetable drink is consumed with caution in the presence of stones in the gall bladder, bladder, liver, bronchi, lungs, and other organs.

Reviews

We advise you to read the opinions of other people before drinking the drink. who have already experienced its effect on themselves.

Natalia, 25 years old: “Cucumber juice is a godsend for girls with oily skin. I tried many expensive cosmetics - unfortunately, they did not solve my problem. On the advice of my grandmother, I began to wipe my face with juice from half a cucumber every morning. Oh, miracle! Makeup lasts throughout the day, does not run, and the skin does not become shiny. In addition, the skin looks healthier, more elastic, and the number of rashes has decreased.I recommend cucumber juice to anyone looking for a good and inexpensive product to care for oily skin.”

Veronica, 43 years old: “I have atherosclerosis in the ischemic stage. As recommended by my doctor, I take a glass of freshly squeezed cucumber juice every morning on an empty stomach. In winter I use canned drink. During these two years there was not a single attack, the dynamics were positive, the disease did not progress. The effectiveness of cucumber juice is difficult to objectively assess, since the basis of therapy is medications. The obvious advantage is the absence of side effects, the drink’s low cost, and accessibility.”

Milana, 36 years old: “I followed a diet for a week: I drank 1 liter of cucumber juice, 1.5 liters of water a day, and ate about 1 kg of unpeeled cucumbers. My result is minus 4 kg from the declared 7 kg. The diet is quite strict, it is difficult to tolerate, the stomach seems to be full, but the feeling of hunger does not disappear. Perhaps the result depends on metabolism and the state of the digestive system, but next time I’ll choose a different diet.”

Conclusion

Cucumber juice is a valuable food product that has a variety of beneficial effects on the body. The drink is rich in organic substances that normalize metabolism, improve intestinal motility and digestion, and promote the absorption of other foods. Regular consumption of juice helps normalize weight, strengthens the heart, protects against atherosclerosis, ischemia, and calms the nervous system.

It is important to understand that this is not a panacea for all ills. The advisability of using cucumber juice for medicinal purposes should be discussed with your doctor in order to assess the advisability of use and exclude possible contraindications.