Cucumber: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vegetable calories
With the onset of summer, a person tries to eat as many vegetables as possible, among which in the first place are cucumbers... Zelentsy is used both in salads and as a mask on the face. And how good are salted cucumbers with young potatoes! But are the fruits of this famous herbaceous plant so useful, as we think.
An annual herbaceous plant has long won its place of honor in garden beds, in greenhouses. Already in early spring, I want to try crispy greens, smelling of summer. But a cucumber also carries a lot of benefits for a person. For those wishing to lose weight, this is an irreplaceable dietary product.
Content:
- Cucumber - composition and useful properties
- Carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the vegetable, its calorie content
- For whom the product is harmful, contraindications for use
- The use of vegetables in folk medicine, cosmetology
- Cucumber selection rules
- Procurement and storage methods of the product
Cucumber - composition and useful properties
It is interesting that a person uses a green vegetable in an unripe form. A feature of its composition is a large amount of water. In structure, it is similar to that which can be obtained by distillation followed by freezing. The liquid hidden in the pulp of the cucumber promotes the elimination of various toxic substances, heavy metal salts from the human body.
Ascorbic and pantothenic acids, as well as phylloquinone, are the most in the amount of vitamins in greens. The latter belongs to the fat-soluble vitamins of the K group, which is involved in the mineralization of bone tissue, is present in the blood serum, contributing to its coagulation. The herb is rich in B vitamins. The presence of folic acid in the fruit helps keep blood sugar under control.
Among the micro- and macroelements in greens, there is a predominance of potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, cobalt, manganese and iron.
The amount of useful elements in the body after eating fresh cucumbers returns to normal. The folate in the plant blocks the formation of cholesterol plaques in the blood vessels. The presence of insoluble coarse fiber is beneficial for the intestines, which quickly normalizes when cucumbers are included in the menu.
For the elderly, those with diabetes mellitus, overweight cucumbers are indispensable in the diet. They help restore disturbed metabolic processes.
The vegetable is good for women during pregnancy. After all, its property to remove excess fluid from the body and helps to reduce the formation of edema. Also, cucumbers will saturate the expectant mother with useful vitamins, nutrients, and improve the functioning of the digestive tract.
A fasting day once a week, when the entire menu consists of vegetables, will be useful for those who have problems with the cardiovascular system. Cucumbers will save you from constipation, intestinal atony, uric acid diathesis. Fresh vegetable juice helps with catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, cough, stomach pains. Cucumber pulp is useful for the skin, restoring its structure, moisturizing and rejuvenating it.You need to know about the benefits of a vegetable in order to think about including the product in food.
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats in the vegetable, its calorie content
When joining in activities aimed at losing weight, do not forget that cucumber fights extra pounds effectively. A fresh vegetable contains between 11 and 15 kilocalories. But when marinating the product, their number increases slightly. Even in cucumber salads with sour cream, the calorie content is not too high to be discarded.
Due to its low calorie content and the ability to saturate the human body, cucumber is indispensable in weight loss diets.
The composition of zelents contains proteins - no more than 0.8 grams. The amount of fat is minimal, less than 0.1 grams. But carbohydrates prevail in vegetables - 2.5-3 grams per 100 grams of product. But it is interesting that cucumbers do not allow carbohydrates to be converted into fats, they delay the process. Salted and pickled vegetables cannot do this.
For whom the product is harmful, contraindications for use
But besides the benefits, a hobby for a vegetable leads to undesirable consequences:
- The presence of an ulcer in the stomach or duodenum is a contraindication for eating zelents. The acids they contain can worsen pain.
- Cucumbers are contraindicated in patients with increased gastric acidity.
- Since the vegetable has some diuretic effect, it is impossible for those who have kidney stones. The use of the product in large quantities will lead to the movement of formations, blockage of the ureters.
- With inflammation of the intestinal mucosa, cucumber can aggravate the patient's condition. Pain sensations will become more pronounced.
- There are bans on eating cucumbers for chronic and acute nephritis, chronic renal failure. They are contraindicated in patients with pyelocystitis, which are accompanied by an alkaline urine reaction.
- Pickles are harmful to patients with kidney dysfunction. And for pregnant women, they are dangerous in that they increase appetite, contributing to weight gain.
- It is forbidden to give cucumbers to young children under six months. A vegetable that is poorly processed by the intestines will cause severe abdominal pain and gas production.
Before switching to a cucumber diet, you need to consult with a specialist about its benefits.
The use of vegetable folk medicine, cosmetology
The fruits and seeds of the plant have a healing effect, which are widely used in the treatment of many diseases:
- For the successful treatment of jaundice, liver diseases, a decoction of dry cucumber leaves (20 grams) and fruits (50 grams) is drunk four times during the day. Raw materials are poured with half a liter of water, boiling for twenty minutes.
- Fever, painful urination, diseases of the respiratory system are cured with an infusion made from cucumber seeds. Taking a tablespoon of crushed seed, pour three glasses of boiling water. After half an hour, filter the solution and drink a glass three times a day, adding a teaspoon of honey.
- Two to three tablespoons of fresh cucumber juice twice a day with honey is an excellent expectorant for severe coughs. The juice will help get rid of constipation, relieve pain in the stomach and intestines.
- The tuberculous cough subsides with the use of cigars rolled from cucumber leaves.
- The crushed greens are applied to the skin suffering from rashes and tumors.
In addition to being used in folk medicine, cucumbers are also a skin whitening agent. Daily application of pieces of vegetable on the face will make freckles and age spots invisible.
Morning washing or rubbing the face with cucumber juice mixed with an aqueous extract of the peel is used in the treatment of acne. It helps with excessive sunburn.
The value of a vegetable is not only in its high taste, but also in its medicinal properties.
Cucumber selection rules
If the plant is grown on the site, then it is harvested every day at the same time - in the evening or in the morning. Skipping the procedure, you need to understand that after two days there will be many overgrown fruits in the garden, which prevent new cucumbers from appearing.
When buying a vegetable, you need to choose hard, bright green fruits that do not have yellow, brown spots.
The size of zelents can reach ten centimeters or more. These fruits are good for canning. Instances of longer are used in the preparation of salads. There is no need to choose fruits that look like a hook or a ball.
If you want to keep the greens fresh, then you should not wash them after purchase. The natural finish will keep the product from wilting. A properly selected vegetable can be kept fresh for several weeks.
Preparation and storage methods of the product
Due to the fact that cucumbers can be preserved in different ways, then until the next harvest they consume the vegetable in salted and pickled form.
- Cucumbers are prepared for the winter by adding dill, horseradish leaves, a head of garlic, black currant leaves, cherries, oak leaves to the jars. Many housewives fill the greens packed in jars with hot brine three times. And others with cold water, and their cucumbers do not spoil under a plastic lid.
- Pickled cucumbers drenched in tomato juice, marinated with carrots, onions and mint leaves are well preserved. There are many cooking recipes, and each housewife has her own special way of preparing a vegetable for the winter.
- Storing fresh fruits is placing them in cold water, coating the skins with the protein of a chicken egg, keeping them in an open polyethylene bag placed in the refrigerator. Such methods will allow you to enjoy a fresh product for a week or two. During storage, it is necessary to often inspect the fruits, removing those that begin to rot and deteriorate.
Cucumbers in any form will be a favorite treat for the whole family during the long winter.
More information can be found in the video:
I did not think that cucumbers have so many contraindications. Well, if someone is not allowed inside, then masks on the face will definitely benefit. I love cucumbers in any form. I know that they contain a lot of zinc, and it is useful for immunity and good condition of the skin and hair.