Cucumber water: how to prepare it and benefits

Drinking the right amount of water per day is essential for the functioning of the body, given that correct hydration regulates body temperature , lubricates the joints , eliminates waste from the body and is responsible for many other physiological mechanisms.

However, not everyone is able to drink a lot because the thirst stimulus is not so insistent or simply due to forgetfulness.

One way to encourage yourself to drink can be to add fruit and vegetables to water , in order to give it a more inviting aroma.

Among the various options, choosing cucumber is certainly one of the most successful, given that this vegetable brings various benefits and has no contraindications and can therefore be consumed every day.

How to prepare it

• Cut the desired amount of cucumber into thin slices.
• Place them in a glass or jug ​​full of water and leave to rest for a few hours so that the water absorbs the flavor of the vegetable.
• Also add mintor citrus fruit to taste .
• Cucumber infused water can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Benefits of Cucumber Water

• Keeps hydrated
• Provides essential nutrients
• Contains antioxidants
• Helps in weight loss

Keeps hydrated

Not introducing enough fluids into your body not only generates a feeling of great thirst but can lead to dehydration , which in turn is responsible for various side effects such as headaches , dizziness , drowsiness , decreased skin elasticity and low blood pressure. .

In addition to water, some foods also help you stay hydrated, such as cucumber , which similarly to other vegetables contains almost 100% water. Furthermore, its taste is pleasant and the sensation it leaves in the mouth is fresh . These characteristics make it perfect for quenching your thirst on the hottest days or after carrying out a particularly intense sporting activity.

Provides essential nutrients

Cucumbers contain fiber , calcium , iron , magnesium , phosphorus , zinc and vitamin K.​ A medium cucumber provides the body with approximately 57% of the daily quantity of the latter, which is essential for blood clotting and bone health .

Even if some nutrients pass into the water in which the cucumber slices are immersed, for greater assimilation the advice is to eat the cucumber once you finish drinking.

Contains antioxidants

Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals , molecules that cause oxidative stress to cells . These in turn can lead to potential inflammation , as well as playing a role in the onset of cancer , heart disease and other conditions.

Increasing the amount of antioxidants in your daily diet means giving your body the support it needs to fight cell damage and partly delaying or preventing the occurrence of these conditions.

Antioxidants are found in most fruits and vegetables that contain vitamins A , C and E, and for this reason it is essential not to forget to consume several portions every day.

Cucumbers in particular have a wide variety of antioxidants within them, which includes several flavonoids , vitamin C , beta carotene , manganese and fisetin.

Various studies confirm the role of antioxidants in reducing the risk of incurring certain pathologies, such as the one from July 2012 which evaluated the effects of fisetin on melanoma and pancreatic , prostate and lung tumors . The researchers observed the effect that the flavonoid had on the cancer cells of patients with prostate cancer and lung cancer , finding that fisetin stopped cell growth within the prostate cancer cells.

Although more research is needed, these findings suggest there may be a link between fisetin and a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Helps in weight loss

Often those who have difficulty drinking a lot of water during the day look for alternative solutions to ingest liquids, most of the time ending up relying on sugary drinks such as fruit juices or carbonated drinks .

Extra doses of sugar repeated over time, however, can be harmful to the body and also cause weight gain . On the contrary, if you rely on cucumber to flavor your water , the opposite effect could occur, i.e. weight loss .

In fact, a third of an average cucumber has only 10 calories and water has no calories and this means that even with several glasses of water and cucumber the calorie intake is minimal.

Obviously this works if supported by a correct lifestyle and if the habit of putting some cucumber slices in water is continued over time.

For example, if you replace a 200-calorie drink with cucumber water every day, you can cut up to 73,000 calories in a year.

Additionally, cucumbers are low energy density foods . In an April 2016 systematic review published in Nutrients, researchers examined the relationship between food energy density and changes in body weight in adults with obesity, finding that low-energy-density foods, rich in water and fiber, were associated with weight loss