Cucumbers: healthy ingredients, hardly any calories

Cucumbers are a welcome refreshment, especially in summer, because their high water content means they provide our body with plenty of liquid. This water content also ensures that cucumbers are low in calories. So you can enjoy the healthy slimming products in larger quantities and also during  diets  without feeling guilty. Because of the vitamins and  minerals it contains  , every slice of cucumber is good for your body. What exactly are the ingredients in cucumbers, what is their nutritional value and how do you preserve cucumbers by pickling them?

How many calories does a cucumber have?

Cucumbers are an extremely healthy vegetable. 100 grams of raw cucumber contains only about twelve kilocalories  (50 kilojoules). This makes cucumber one of the foods with the fewest calories. A cucumber weighs an average of 400 grams, which is  48 kilocalories  (200 kilojoules).

The low calorie content is mainly due to the high water content, which is around 95 percent. Especially those who tend to drink too little in summer can compensate with a piece of cucumber.

Cucumbers: high nutritional value thanks to many vitamins

In addition to the high water content, the cucumber contains 1.8 percent carbohydrates and very small amounts of proteins and fats: the protein content is around 0.6 percent and the fat content is 0.2 percent.

In particular, vitamins from the B group are found in cucumbers, but also  vitamin C  and vitamin E.

Among other things, 100 grams of cucumber contain:

• 8 milligrams of vitamin C
• 0.1 milligrams of vitamin E
• 0.2 Milligram  Niacin  (Vitamin B3)
• 0.04 milligrams  of vitamin B6

When it comes to minerals, cucumber is rich in:

• Calcium (15 milligrams)
• Iron  (0.2 milligrams)
• Magnesium  (8 milligrams)
• Potassium  (160 milligrams)

In addition, cucumber contains  zinc , vitamin A, vitamins B1 and B2, vitamin K and  folate .

Incidentally, in order to preserve the valuable vitamins and minerals, the cucumber should be eaten with the peel, since these  nutrients  are primarily found in the peel. However, when buying the cucumber, it is important to make sure that the skin is untreated. Organic products are available here. In any case, you should wash the cucumber thoroughly before eating.

Other healthy components of cucumber

The ingredients of the cucumber also include peptidases, also known as proteinases. Peptidases are enzymes that  can cleave proteins  . These enzymes make it easier to digest protein-containing products such as meat.

Bitter cucumber – not healthy?

If a cucumber from your own garden tastes bitter, this can mean that the plant has formed certain bitter substances, so-called cucurbitacins. This happens in situations that are stressful for the plant, such as cold or dry periods. In large quantities, cucurbitacins can lead to symptoms of poisoning such as nausea  and vomiting in humans  . A bitter-tasting cucumber should therefore be discarded.

Health effects on the skin

Cucumbers are not only eaten, they are also great for wellness treatments. The skin in particular benefits from the high moisture content of the cucumber. Moisturizing lotions, hand creams and face masks with cucumber are popular care products.

If you don’t have much time but still want to do something good for yourself, you can simply put finely chopped cucumber slices on your face and around your eyes. The application has a positive effect on swelling and redness. Since the cucumber slices have a cooling effect, the mask can also have a pain-relieving effect on sunburn. Here, however, you should make sure that the skin on the affected areas is not open in order to avoid inflammation.

Cucumber supports skin health even better when consumed. Because the high water content of cucumbers gives the skin more elasticity.

Make your own cucumber mask

The wellness classic par excellence is the cucumber mask. The mask is not only extremely popular because of its relaxing effect, but also because you can easily make it yourself at home. That’s how it works:

1. Puree half a cucumber and mix the resulting cucumber water with three tablespoons of natural yoghurt or quark. If you want, you can add a little lemon juice.
2. Then apply the cucumber mask to your face and leave it on for about 15 minutes.
3. The mask is then washed off with lukewarm water.

Cucumber masks are suitable for all skin types and provide the skin with a lot of moisture. This makes the skin look younger and firmer. A cucumber mask is also an effective tool in the fight against  pimples  and blackheads. The vitamin C contained in lemon juice has a cell-protecting effect and promotes the formation of collagen.

Healthy recipes with cucumber

If you are looking for a simple cucumber recipe, the best thing to do is conjure up a delicious cucumber salad:

1. To do this, cut the cucumber into thin slices and put them in a bowl.
2. Then stir together a  dressing  of natural yoghurt, vinegar, oil and a dash of lemon juice and season with  salt , pepper and a little sugar.
3. Fold in a chopped bunch  of dill  .
4. Mix the sauce with the cucumbers.

Another popular combination is a cucumber and tomato salad with a vinegar and oil dressing, or a cucumber, melon and feta cheese salad.

If you want to try something different, you can make a cucumber soup instead of a cucumber salad or treat yourself to a glass of healthy cucumber juice. And those who like it exotic can be inspired by Indian cuisine: in the country of origin of the cucumber, the green vegetable is also used in chutneys or curries.

Cucumbers: purchase and storage

How can you tell if a cucumber is really fresh when you buy it? Fresh cucumbers are rich green in color, with no yellow spots. They are firm to the touch and the skin is smooth and shiny.

Lagern sollte man Gurken am besten nicht im Kühlschrank, da sie auf Temperaturen unter zehn Grad empfindlich reagieren. Schuld daran ist der hohe Wasseranteil, durch den Gurken leicht gefrieren. Auch die Kohlenwasserstoffverbindung Ethylen vertragen Gurken nicht. Sie sollten deshalb nicht in der Nähe von Lebensmitteln aufbewahrt werden, die diese beinhalten. Dazu gehören beispielsweise Pflaumen, Aprikosen, Bananen oder Äpfel.

Gurken einlegen

Frische Gurken können durch Einlegen länger haltbar gemacht werden. Dabei verändert sich natürlich auch der Geschmack – je nach verwendeter Lake mehr oder weniger stark. Essiglake sorgt für ein stärkeres saures Aroma, Salzlake gibt weniger Säure.

Klassischerweise verwendet man zum Einlegen keine Salatgurken, sondern spezielle Einlegegurken. Diese sind deutlich kleiner und haben eine weniger glatte Schale. Aber auch Salatgurken können eingelegt werden. Dann sollte man die Gurke aber in Scheiben schneiden.

Vor dem Einlegen können Sie die Salz- oder Essiglake je nach Vorlieben mit verschiedenen Geschmacksträgern anreichern. Dazu gehören beispielsweise Knoblauchzehen, Silberzwiebeln oder Dill.

Geben Sie die Gurken mit den Gewürzen in sterile Einmachgläser, kochen Sie die Lake kurz auf und füllen Sie die Gläser damit. Verschließen Sie dann die Gläser und stellen Sie sie kopfüber zwei bis drei Wochen an einen dunklen Ort. So entsteht ein Vakuum und die Gurken bleiben länger frisch.

Von Salatgurke bis saure Gurke: die Gurken-Pflanze

Die Gurken-Pflanze (Cucumis sativus) gehört zur Familie der Kürbisgewächse. Grundsätzlich unterscheidet man zwei verschiedene Untergruppen: die Salatgurke, die auch als Schlangengurke bezeichnet wird, und die Einlegegurke. Die Früchte der Salatgurke können bis zu 60 Zentimeter lang und 500 Gramm schwer werden. Die Einlegegurke ist lediglich sechs bis maximal zwölf Zentimeter groß. Zu den Einlegegurken gehören beispielsweise Cornichons und Delikatessgurken.

Gurken: Obst oder Gemüse?

Die Unterscheidung zwischen Obst und Gemüse ist in vielen Fällen nicht leicht und gerade bei der Gurke aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Definitionen nicht ganz eindeutig. Im Allgemeinen wird die Gurke dem Gemüse zugerechnet, mitunter wird sie auch als Fruchtgemüse bezeichnet. Rein botanisch betrachtet gehört die Gurke aber tatsächlich zu den Beeren. Definiert werden diese als Früchte, bei denen mehrere Samen von Fruchtfleisch umgegeben sind. Das Fruchtfleisch besteht dabei aus einer festen Schale, einem fleischigen mittleren Bereich und einem etwas dunkleren Innenbereich, in dem die Kerne liegen.

Gurken pflanzen und ernten

Sowing cucumbers outdoors is possible from early May to early July. Cucumbers can also be planted in the greenhouse. The location should be as sunny and sheltered from the wind as possible. The first cucumbers can usually be harvested after about two months.