Pass the Cucumbers Please

Snacking has become my favorite thing to do these days. Less than 60 days until my due date and my appetite seems to be on overdrive. With the end of my pregnancy now in sight, it is important now more than ever that I stay on track with the food choices I make especially since I seem to be eating all day, everyday. Over the last 7 months I have had a lot of people ask me about my cravings and I always seem to let them down when I answer, “cucumbers…” Wait what?! Seriously?

I know it sounds odd and I’m sure they were hoping I would say something more like bacon wrapped in peanut butter dipped in pickle juice, but the truth is I cannot get enough plain sliced cucumbers! That cool, crisp, refreshing crunch is so incredibly satisfying to me these days that my mouth is watering just thinking about eating some right now! So it got me thinking, what are some of the benefits that my most sacred snack item offers these days? I was amazed at what I found…

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need everyday. Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish many essential nutrients, reducing the intensity of both a hangover and headache.

Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

Be well, and eat cucumbers my friends.

Sarah Murray LMT, NCTMB