As I continue my series to tease you about my upcoming course, Food Quality Matters, How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck Buying Organic, I want to continue to address skins, rinds and the amazing health benefits that most of us waste and throw away. My class will be introduced before the end of April, and it loaded with remarkable information to make buying organic good for your budget and to help you discover why it’s important. I want you to utilize the skins and peels to give you a bigger bang for your buck and also to stop food waste which is a huge contributor to climate change.
Cucumbers are 96% water, so they are excellent to eat just for that reason. They hydrate your body. The meat of the cucumber also does have a few minerals, vitamins, and fiber that we need as well.
We love cucumbers in the US. In 2019 Americans ate 8 lbs. of cucumbers each.
But most of the gifts of the cucumber are in its peel. That’s where you will find the Vitamin K (important for building strong bones and for its blood clotting nutrients) and most of its minerals are. Its also where the phytonutrients for the fruit are. The flavonoids and phenolic compounds are in the peel. That’s because plants produce these health-giving chemicals to protect itself, and the peel is where the sun hits the plant.
A large cucumber with its skin also has 8% of our recommended allowance for Vitamin A. If you leave the skin on. B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, and pantothenic acid supply your body with the energy needed to keep your heart, brain, and blood cells functioning properly.[i]
Cucumber peels are rich in fiber and contain minerals like magnesium, potassium, and silica. Along with this, silica is also an essential component available to keep your muscles, bones, and tendons healthy. Apart from this, it also hydrates our skin and is very helpful in removing complexion and dark circles.
“According to University of Missouri, everyone from the Egyptians and Romans to Charlemagne and Henry VIII grew and used cucumbers for what would become multiple purposes. In the 17th century, it was discovered that they might help bring down a fever, and as a result, the phrase “cool as a cucumber” was coined. Today, we know that the mighty cucumber offers consumers a great many solutions for several common household, beauty, and health-related issues, one of which involves the cucumber peels, and their use may surprise you. “[ii]
In addition to eating the peels for their health benefits you can
- Lay them on your facial skin to reduce aging
- Turns out this spa standby isn’t just for show. Cucumbers are high in water content (which hydrates your delicate under-eye skin) and vitamin K to help reduce any inflammation or discoloration
- Cucumber peels are a natural repellant to keep ants and bugs away in your kitchen. Find the ant entry point, lay down cucumber peels, and watch them go away. Cucumbers stop the fungus that the ants can “smell” that attract them.
- Works like fertilizer. You can use cucumber peels as manure as they contain 11% phosphorus and 27% potassium.
- When you juice cucumber, include the peel.
- Since it is a fibrous food, cucumber peel is great for constipation
- Cucumber peel has natural beta-carotene so it’s great for your eyesight.
- Cucumber peel makes you feel full from its insoluable fiber, so it slows food cravings and is great for weight loss.
- You can make an awesome dip out of your cucumber peels. https://yesiamvegan.com/2015/05/07/cucumber-peel-dip/
- Make a pitcher of refreshing water in your fridge to drink all day using mint and cucumber peels. https://www.eatortoss.com/mint-stem-cucumber-peel-water/
- You can bake them so that they are crunchy and yummy https://cookpad.com/in/recipes/15611507-baked-cucumber-peels
- You can make a yummy sandwich spread with it. https://lifehacker.com/cucumber-peels-make-a-surprisingly-great-sandwich-sprea-1772922178
Just remember, cucumbers are a dirty fruit, on the dirty dozen so buy them organic. And they are often waxed to protect them, so you need to wash them using a brush and a filtered water white vinegar solution.
Enjoy your cucumbers and stop food waste using one of the many suggestions above.
[i] https://www.mashed.com/468129/this-household-use-for-cucumber-peels-may-surprise-you/
[ii] https://www.mashed.com/468129/this-household-use-for-cucumber-peels-may-surprise-you/