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The Benefits of Drinking Cucumber Water and 4 Delicious Ways to Make It!
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When you feel thirsty, this means your body is already dehydrated, so much so that it is “begging” you, in a sense, to find water. You can give your body more than just plain water, however. Drinking cucumber water will not only hydrate your body, it will also improve your mood, boost your immune system, and give you extra vitamins and minerals.
You already know that vegetables such as cucumbers give our bodies the antioxidants and other nutrients which are vital for our good health. You don’t need to buy those expensive vitamin waters they sell at the supermarket when you can make your own, delicious cucumber flavored water for pennies. You can also save the planet by leaving a little less plastic lying around.
Cucumbers are mostly made of water, so infusing water with cucumbers only makes sense. Your body will get plenty of tasty hydration, along with some important nutrients that can help it to flush toxins at the same time. Cucumber water is similar to drinking green tea as both are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants fight free radicals, which are the cause of many types of disease and the signs of aging.
Cucumber is more than just a delicious water additive. They also have important health benefits.
They can help to hydrate you, of course, which is important for every single function of your body. When your organs are receiving enough water, you will find that you have more energy.
Cucumber water is not going to give you all the vitamins and minerals you need if you are going to eat a diet filled with sugar and junk foods, however. Combining cucumber water with a healthy diet will help to give you added nutrition; a supplement of sorts. Since you will be getting vitamins from a whole and natural source, they are better absorbed by the body than if you were to get them from those vitamin supplemented waters you buy that contain synthetic vitamins.
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Cucumbers can help to keep your blood pressure in check. Cucumbers have potassium, which binds to salt and removes it from the body, which will naturally lower your blood pressure. Cucumbers have no sodium, so drinking cucumber water won’t contribute to hypertension if you have a problem with it.
Also, if you are looking to drop a few pounds, cucumber water might help you to do exactly that. Drinking a glass of cucumber flavored water can help to curb your appetite between meals, and drinking a glass before every meal will fill you up so that you naturally eat less.
So while you are losing some weight, cucumber water will also go a long way towards making you look younger. It’s true! Cucumbers contain a compound called silica, which is super beneficial to the skin and hair. Silica can calm irritation and inflammation, stopping acne and red blotches from the inside out.
By drinking cucumber water every day you can also detox your body a little bit with each glass so that toxins don’t have a chance to accumulate. Think of cucumber water as a daily maintenance that can keep you feeling clean and energized all year long!
Perhaps the best reason of all for drinking cucumber water is its anti-cancer compounds. Cucumbers contain unique polyphenols called lignans, which have been shown in studies to be associated with a lower risk of heart disease as well as protection from certain cancers including ovarian, prostate, uterine, and breast cancer. Although the research that has been done is still in its preliminary stages, being mainly tested on animals, but pharmaceutical companies are already actively looking at one compound that cucumbers contain, a compound called curcurbitacin, in hopes that research will enable them to develop an anti-cancer drug. Scientists have already found that cancer has different signaling pathways that are essential for cancer cell development and survival and that these pathways are blocked by the curcurbitacin cucumbers contain.
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So you see, drinking cucumber water is not only delicious but provides you with many important benefits.
We have a few super tasty recipes to get you started. Are you ready? Let’s go!
1. Cucumber Lemon Mint Water
Lemons and cucumbers are a natural combination that goes well together. Lemons are also naturally detoxing and mint always adds a fresh taste to everything and it contains calcium and magnesium.
Take two liters of pure water and add one sliced organic cucumber, one large organic sliced lemon and two sprigs of fresh mint leaves. Allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator. You can serve this as is, or drink it over ice.
2. Cucumber and Basil Water
Basil is also loaded with antioxidants, so you might consider this drink to be your own personal fountain of youth, since antioxidants kill the free radicals that cause the signs of early aging, such as wrinkles. Basil also contains vitamin A, which is also great for the skin and is turned into beta carotene by the body, which is another antioxidant.
For this recipe, use two liters of pure water and add two sliced organic cucumbers and one handful of fresh basil leaves. If you want to add extra flavor, crush the basil leaves slightly before you put them in the water. Another variation of this is to use one cucumber and one organic lemon with the basil. Add these items to the water and allow to sit overnight.
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3. Watermelon Cucumber Delight Water
This water has the best flavor ever! Watermelon is another detoxing agent due to the citrulline it contains, which is known to help the kidneys flush out ammonia. Cucumber also has citrulline, but not nearly as much as watermelon does.
Use two liters of pure water and add 2 cups of cubed watermelon, 1 sliced organic cucumber, 1 sliced organic lime and one handful of fresh, organic mint leaves. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight and serve over ice.
SEE ALSO: 7 Shocking Things You Should Know about Coconut Water and Your Health
4. Super Strawberry Cucumber Water
This strawberry, lemon, cucumber mix is sweet with just a hint of sour from the lemon and has such as unique flavor; you will find that you easily become addicted to this one. Strawberries will give you tons of vitamin C for immune system support.
Slice about two cups worth of organic strawberries. Remove the green tops and simply slice them in two. Slice one organic cucumber and one organic lemon. Add everything to a pitcher with 2 liters of pure water. Allow to sit overnight before serving.
We want to mention the wax coating that most cucumbers contain. Even organic cucumbers are coated with non-synthetic waxes in order to minimize bruising but conventional cucumbers are covered with synthetic waxes that contain soap, ethyl alcohol, and other chemicals that you don’t want in your water. It’s important to choose organic cucumbers. If you like, you can remove the peel or wash off the wax, but it’s really the inside of the cucumber that we want in the water, so although you can do this, as long as the cucumbers are organic, it’s not necessary.
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