13 Amazing health benefits of eating cucumber at night

Health benefits of eating cucumber at night are healthy weight loss, reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels, reduced the risk of cancer, supports heart health, supports digestive health, keeps inflammation away and provides essential anti-oxidants such as kaempferol, quercetin, luteolin and apigenin.

There is a common myth that I keep hearing about cucumber i.e. one should not have cucumbers at night as it causes indigestion, well let me tell you, it is not true at all.

I have seen people eating Burgers and Pizza’s at night and those are the same people who say cucumbers are not good at night.




Technically, the primary reason why people say cucumber causes indigestion is because it contains cucurbitacin.

But did you know what cucurbitacin does?

Cucurbitacin is an essential phytonutrient that has various health benefits such as anti-cancer properties, hepatoprotective properties (Protects your Liver), anti-tumor properties (Anti-cancer and helpful in reducing tumors), anti-inflammation, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, provides cardiovascular and anti-diabetic effects. You can find the research results on Cucurbitacin here.

So, just saying cucurbitacin cause indigestion may not be hundred percent true as that’s the same thing that actually protects you. Please don’t hesitate to consume cucumbers at night as it’s the best thing you can give to your body. Hands down it’s safer than modern day burgers, Pizza’s, Breads, meat and cooked foods.

So if you give your body raw food that is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium, Magnesium and other important minerals how can it harm you. Instead it will act an anti-aging food if you make it a part of your diet.

Let’s break down the benefits of Cucumber one by one.


Benefits of eating cucumber at night

health benefits of eating cucumber at night

Promotes healthy weight loss

Cucumbers are extremely low in calories. So if you consume lots of cucumber you are rest assured that the calorie content will be kept under check at the same time making you feel full for longer duration.

100 grams of unpeeled cucumber will gives approximately 15 calories, so even if you consume 200 or 300 grams of cucumber, your calorie intake will be around 30 to 45 calories. The best part is, it will make you feel full for longer duration and thereby restricting you from consuming high calorie or junk food.

And it’s a common sense that, if you restrict the calorie intake the positive byproduct is weight loss. Furthermore, this is a healthy weight loss as you are not losing weight by starvation, you give what your body needs.

It’s always recommended that your breakfast should be at 70 – 80% of your total capacity, Lunch should be at 50 – 60 % of your total capacity and dinner should be as low as possible. In such cases cucumber plays a helping hand. So if you really want to lose weight, make cucumbers a part of your diet.


Controls Blood Pressure

Cucumbers contain handsome amount of water and Potassium content. Due to which it has diuretic properties. Meaning it helps to keep the water level of your body in check.

In general, if your body (precisely kidneys) is struggling to flush out water and negative effects of salt, most likely you will have high blood pressure readings.

This is where cucumber plays an excellent role of balancing the water content and sodium content in your body thanks to its diuretic nature and high potassium content.

In short, a healthy body should have both Sodium and Potassium, having said that potassium levels should be much higher than sodium to maintain healthy pressure levels.

An unpeeled 100 grams cucumber provides 150 mg potassium and 2mg Sodium. Potassium to Sodium ratio in this fruit is excellent. Studies conducted on blood pressure shows that potassium and sodium content has a direct correlation with blood pressure levels.

The study later concluded that sodium content must be decreased and Potassium content must be increased in order to keep the High blood pressure levels under check.

And this humble fruit does exactly that. The significance of potassium has now been recognized by American Heart Association, Institute of Medicine and United States Department of Agriculture too, they all acknowledge the fact that one must reduce sodium intake and increase potassium intake to improve the high blood pressure readings.

Improves sleep Quality

Cucumbers are actually helpful to improve the sleep quality. The high magnesium content in Cucumber helps to induce sleep and reduce episodes of insomnia.

Magnesium plays a key role to induce sleep and there are clinical trials on magnesium available to back this claim. Clinical trials on effect of magnesium were conducted on 46 subjects and the results were astounding. Subjects who were supplemented with magnesium had noticeable improvements in sleep efficiency, sleep time and multiple other sleep quality parameters. The study concluded that magnesium plays an important role in improving the sleep quality.

100 grams of unpeeled Cucumber provides approx. 147 mg magnesium. Even though one single cucumber cannot meet your daily magnesium intake quota, it still has good amount of magnesium than your traditional home cooked dinner.

So if you are suffering from insomnia and planning to include cucumber in your diet at night, you are on a right track. Eating cucumbers at night may help you to correct the sleeping pattern and keep insomnia away (Off course this won’t happen in a single day as it takes a while for things to settle down).

Keeps your eyes and skin healthy

Regular consumption of cucumbers can keep your eyes healthy. Key ingredient in cucumber that is responsible for good eye health is Beta-carotene, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and lutein.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin blocks the blue light from reaching the retina thus reducing the light induced oxidative damage, whereas Beta-Carotene is an antioxidant which gets converted into Vitamin A by our body to nourish our Eyes and skin.

Remember, it’s the cucumber peels and seeds that gives Beta-carotene, lutein and Zeaxanthin. So if you want to get ample amount of beta-carotene, lutein and Zeaxanthin from cucumber make sure you don’t unpeel or deseed it.

While a single cucumber may not be able to fulfill the daily requirement of beta carotene in your diet, it’s still good enough than a conventional processed food that you may want to have to get rid of hunger.

Cucumbers are excellent for your eyes and skin and it can be consumed at any time and any weather. So no matter what time it is, i.e. morning, evening or night, the chemical composition of cucumber would still stay intact. Therefore making it a good fruit to eat at night, morning or evening.

Benefits bones, teeth, hair and nails

Cucumber contains a super ingredient called Silica. It’s the Silica in the food that helps to absorb calcium and other important minerals to its optimum best.

If you are suffering from bone related issues such as osteoporosis or other bone degeneration disease then make sure you eat food items such as cucumber.

Likewise silica also helps to keep your teeth hair and nails in top notch condition. Studies conducted to learn the chemistry of Silica found that deficiency of silica in the body may lead to bone disorders, mineral imbalance and poorly formed joints.

Therefore it’s the deficiency of Silica in most cases that may cause bone disorders or hair fall issues.

Apart from this Silica in cucumber has a potent anti-aging properties. Hence, regular consumption of cucumber helps to repair damaged skin and brittle bones.

Excellent for Kidneys

Excess Uric acids in body may lead to painful diseases like gout and other lifestyle related ailments. Hence those suffering from ailments related to high uric acid levels should have foods that are alkaline in nature, thereby flushing the uric acids from the body.

Consuming cucumbers at night may help to remove uric acid crystallization in the joints. It has been found that cucumbers can be extremely helpful for those suffering from gout pains. Consuming cucumber will not only help you to keep stomach acidity and indigestion away but also reduce the overall uric acid levels.

Furthermore, Cucumbers are alkaline by nature so consumption of cucumbers will have an alkalizing effect on your body.

In a study conducted under the framework of Japanese government’s health promotion program, healthy female students were enrolled in 5 days study. These students were given fruits and vegetables throughout, in short alkaline diet.

This study on urine alkalization confirmed that that Uric acids can be removed from your body if you are consuming high alkaline diet. So consume lots of cucumbers, due to it alkaline nature it helps to flush out uric acids and keep your kidneys in good shape.

Lastly, consumption of cucumber helps to flush out toxins even from those suffering from poor kidney function. According to Renal Diseases toxins gets accumulated in kidneys when glomerulus is damaged.  And since cucumber is diuretic in nature it helps to flush out the toxins and restore the disrupted kidney health.

Liver detoxifier

We all know by now, processed foods are not good for liver especially when you are trying to restore back to its normal function.

In mid-90’s cirrhosis of liver due to excess alcohol consumption was normal to hear, but as we advance we hear this less. Instead what we hear now is non-alcoholic fatty liver and non-alcoholic cirrhosis.

The answer is pretty simple, it has to do a lot with modern day diet. While your liver does the hard work of flushing toxins from your body, you can simply boost the function two folds by giving your liver raw and organic food items such as cucumber.

Just give your body organic food for two weeks and you will be surprised how your liver functions. You will see the bowel movement has improved, Stool quality has improved, Sleep quality has improved, appetite has improved and most importantly the energy levels will shoot up.

Cucumbers are diuretic in nature and are loaded with Anti-oxidants, Vitamin K and essential minerals that energizes your liver and boost its function. So eating cucumber at night benefits your liver as it has to work less hard as compared to other home cooked food.

Excellent for heart

Cucumbers are low in fat (Almost zero), cholesterol and Sodium and are high in Potassium, Magnesium and vitamins. Due to these qualities, cucumber acts as a super food for heart.

This humble fruit contains key element called Cucurbitacins. And research on Cucurbitacin has found that it has Anti-atherosclerotic properties that helps to keep atherosclerosis away

While cucumber as a whole is good for heart, the key component that makes it special is the balance of potassium and sodium content.

Study published at journal of America heart association shows that potassium intake is inversely related to the heart health. The study concluded that those who consume potassium up to 3500 mg per day through natural fruits and vegetables are at lowest risk of suffering from stroke.

Consuming cucumber at night will help to keep your electrolyte levels in place, thereby promoting quality sleep and healthy heart rate.

Alkalizes Blood

Cucumbers have high water content and are loaded with Potassium and other electrolytes which makes it an alkaline food. Regular consumption of alkaline food helps to alkalize your blood.

The normal PH level of blood is slightly alkaline i.e. between 7.35 and 7.6. Anything below 7 is acidic and over 7 is alkaline, while 7 being neutral.

To maintain good health the pH level should be around 7.4 and anything that is lower than 7.2 or 7 may make you vulnerable to other lifestyle diseases such as acidosis, cancer and heart problems.

When we go to sleep our body goes into 8 hours fasting, thus making our body slightly acidic when we wake up. In such cases eating cucumbers at night will maintain a heathy pH levels.

A healthy pH levels would mean healthy heart, healthy lungs and healthy kidneys too.

Relieves constipation

Enhances Immunity

Ignites Auto-Phagy mechanism

Raw unpeeled cucumbers contain Nitric Oxide an important element in keeping your Autophagy mechanism active.

For those who don’t know what Autophagy mechanism is let me tell you.

Autophagy mechanism is a metabolic process to destroy damaged or redundant cellular components within the body. When this mechanism gets disrupted, it gives rise to life threatening diseases like cancer and other lifestyle related disorders.

At some point this autophagy mechanism gets switched off for approximately 20% population and then they are eventually diagnosed with cancer.

In a study conducted on Autophagy mechanisms relation with nitric oxide it was found that, the autophagy can be activated by increasing the intake of Nitric Oxide and there are no supplements that can boost Nitric oxide artificially. Coming to the point, regular consumption of cucumber helps to boost nitric oxide and keep your Autophagy mechanism active.

So eat ample cucumbers at night and watch your body transform.

Keeps you hydrated

100 grams cucumber contains approximately 96% water, therefore it becomes an ideal fruit for summer.

If you are someone who doesn’t drink lots of water, it’s important that you include fruits such as cucumber and water melon to keep you hydrated.

Good for Diabetics

Cucumber becomes an excellent food for diabetics, primarily due to 2 major reasons.

  • Cucumber contains important hormones needed by pancreas for producing insulin.
  • Also, silica in cucumber helps to stabilize the release of Insulin.

A study was conducted on mice to understand the effect of cucumber peels. The study started by inducing diabetes in mice and then supplementing them with cucumber peel extracts. After finishing the tests, the results were astounding, in almost all the cases cucumber peels managed to reverse diabetes and reduced the sugar levels in blood.

Even though the research was on mice and not on humans, the medicinal properties of cucumbers are eminent. Further clinical trials on human will give a clearer picture.

 In general, raw unpeeled cucumbers are high on fibers and are easy on your digestive system, furthermore it has extremely low glycemic index score, thus making it a super food for diabetics.

Loaded with Antioxidants

Cucumbers are loaded with antioxidants such as Alpha Carotene, Beta Carotene, Vitamin C, zeaxanthin and lutein. Furthermore the antioxidant properties of cucumbers also contain flavonoids and tannins which are an important compound to block harmful free radicals.

These antioxidants help to keep chronic diseases away and gives antiaging properties to cucumber.

Helps keep bad breath away

Cucumber contains high volume of water and fiber which helps to increase the saliva production. Thus preventing you from dry mouth and washing away the unwanted residue that may be present.

The phytochemicals present in cucumber kills the bacteria that produces bad breath. In fact there is an excellent hack to avoid bad breath using cucumber.

When you have the episodes of bad breath, simply cut one cucumber slice and place it to the roof of your mouth for a minute. You will see bad breath fading away.

In Ayurveda, it is believed that bad breath is often caused due to poor digestion or poor oral hygiene. Therefore, if you have frequent bouts of bad breath, you must focus on correcting either of the two. And so far all the qualities of cucumber that we saw above has the quality to clear the bad breath.

Have couple of cucumbers at night during dinner and see the bad breath going away when you wake up in the morning.

Nutritional Content of Cucumber

Nutritional Content of Cucumber

One 100 grams cucumber unpeeled raw cucumber contains

  • Calories: 15
  • Glycemic Index Load: 1
  • Amino Acid Score: 62
  • Total Fat: 0
  • Protein: 0.7 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g

Vitamins and Minerals per 100 grams unpeeled cucumber

  • Vitamin C: 2.8 mg
  • Vitamin K: 16.4 mcg
  • Retinol Activity Equivalent: 5.0 mcg
  • Alpha Carotene: 11.0 mcg
  • Beta Carotene: 45.0 mcg
  • Beta Cryptoxanthin: 26.0 mcg
  • Lutein and Zeaxanthin: 23.0 mcg
  • Folate: 7.0 mcg
  • Niacin: 0.1 mg
  • Pantothenic Acid: 0.3 mg
  • Food Folate: 7.0 mcg
  • Dietary Folate Equivalents: 7.0 mcg
  • Vitamin B: 120.0 mcg
  • Betaine: 0.1 mg
  • Choline: 6.0mg
  • Potassium: 147 mg
  • Phosphorus: 24.0 mg
  • Magnesium: 13.0 mg
  • Calcium: 16.0 mg
  • Iron: 0.3 mg
  • Sodium: 2.0 mg
  • Manganese: 0.1 mg
  • Zinc: 0.2 mg
  • Selenium: 0.3 mcg
  • Fluoride: 1.3 mcg
Types of commonly used cucumbers

Lemon Cucumbers: As the name suggests, this cucumber looks similar to Lemons and have yellowish skin and are sweet to taste. This cucumber is quite popular across the globe.

Kirby Cucumbers: Cucumbers that are sold for pickling are termed as Kirby Cucumbers. The good thing about this cucumber is that it’s unwaxed.

Japanese Cucumbers: Japanese cucumbers are also known as Kyuri in Japanese. These cucumbers are dark green and slender with thin skin. The taste of Japanese cucumber is sweet and gives crunchy feeling when you eat it.

Persian Cucumbers: These cucumbers are slightly shorter than English cucumber but more or less it has same features like English cucumbers.

English Cucumbers: In general these cucumbers are also known as seedless cucumbers and the size of this cucumber is slightly bigger than the Persian ones.

Quick night time cucumber recipes

Quick Cucumber Recipes for Dinner

Now that we know some key benefits of eating cucumber at night, let’s take a quick look at different ways to implement cucumber in your diet.

To have plain cucumber everyday may be boring, hence I have managed to put 4 quick cucumber recipes that will not only keep you healthy but will also keep your taste buds happy.

Spicy Cucumber Chickpea salad

As the name suggests, Spicy cucumber chickpea salad is super tasty and little bit spicy. So this dish is especially suitable for those who like to have spicy food.

To make this tasty salad you will need below ingredients.

  • One and a half cup boiled chickpeas (You can use brown or white chickpeas, I prefer the black chickpeas)
  • Less than half a tea spoon chaat masala
  • Lemon juice (From half lemon)
  • Red chili powder
  • Half chopped green chili (Optional)
  • Chopped onions – 1/4th
  • One Chopped tomato
  • 1/4th cup chopped coriander leaves
  • Chopped cucumbers

Once you have the above ingredients ready, it’s pretty simple to make.

Simply put all the above ingredients in a bowl and stir it thoroughly.

Have it during night time, 1 – 2 hours before sleep. It will act as a meal replacement food.

Cucumber smoothie with fruits

This is another nutritious cucumber recipe that will not only keep you energized but will al keep you full for longer duration. Which means you don’t need to wake up in middle of night searching for junks.

Just look at the ingredients and you will know exactly why this is a super food that will help restore your health.

Ingredients needed to make this super food are as below.

  • 1 Cucumber
  • 1/4th watermelon
  • 1 Cup Strawberries
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • 7 Mint leaves or 7 Basil Leaves (Tulsi leaves)
  • One Apple

If you have the above ingredients ready in your kitchen, please follow the below steps to make the smoothie.

  • Wash the cucumber and apple thoroughly, do not peel it for best results.
  • Cut the cucumber, strawberries, Watermelon into pieces so it can fit into blender.
  • Put all the above ingredients in the blender and blend it thoroughly.
  • Enjoy the smoothies 1-2 hour before you go to sleep.

This fruit punch cucumber smoothie is enough to keep you energized throughout the night.

Initially, you will have the cravings during night as your body is not used to it. So you need to see through it and after a week you will soon start to love the low calorie diet at night.

Cucumber green smoothie

This recipe tries to give the goodness of cucumber along with the much needed greens. Cucumber green smoothie is an anti-aging drink that can easily replace the junk food or regular high calorie meals for dinner.

To make this high energy and nutrient rich drink you need following ingredients.

  • 2 Cucumbers
  • Half a cup Yogurt
  • One cup Spinach
  • One apple
  • Honey for sweetness (as per your taste)
  • One tablespoon Lemon juice
  • Half a cup Pomegranate
  • 7 Mint leaves

To make this super green smoothie you simply need to follow the below steps.

  • Wash the cucumbers, Spinach, Apples and mint leaves thoroughly.
  • Cut the cucumbers and apple into pieces so that it can fit into the blender.
  • Chop the greens (Mint and spinach).
  • Put all the above ingredients in the bender.
  • Blend it thoroughly, your smoothie is ready

Have this smoothie 1 hour before you go to bed at night, so that you don’t feel hungry in middle of night.

Cucumber Raitha

This dish is extremely common In India. Cucumber Raitha is mainly served as a side dish in India along with other high calorie meals. But if you are smart enough, you can simply consume cucumber raitha at night to keep yourself full and energized.

To make Cucumber raitha you need following ingredients.

  • 100 grams Yogurt
  • 1 Tomato
  • Black pepper powder
  • 2 cucumbers
  • Onions (If you like)
  • Himalayan salt (as per taste)
  • Half finely chopped Capsicum
  • Few Pomegranates (Not conventionally used in raitha, but since this is the only thing that you will eat pomegranate makes it much palatable)
  • And half Carrots

Once you have the above ingredients ready, you simply need to chop the above ingredients in pieces and mix it with curd.

Add some salt and pepper, mix it well and have it for your dinner.

Alternatively, you can add red chili powder if you like it spicy.

Some commonly asked questions about cucumbers

Commonly Asked Questions on cucumber

Can Cucumbers be eaten at night?

Yes, it can surely be eaten at night since it’s easy to digest as compared to normal cooked meals.

What’s the best time to have cucumber?

Cucumbers are low in calories and you can consume cucumber anytime you want. But if you are consuming cucumber at night then follow the principles of Ayurveda.

In Ayurveda it’s said that it’s safe to have high calorie food between 12 PM – 2 PM i.e. when the sun is at its strongest. And one must have extremely low calorie meals when the sun sets, i.e. low calorie meal should be taken between 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM and after 9:00 PM one must stop eating.

So by this logic, you should have cucumber between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM and after that avoid eating anything, by doing this you won’t face any issues with digestion.

Are cucumber poisonous?

Cucumber are not poisonous, having said that one must avoid cucumbers which taste’s bitter. Bitter Cucumbers can have negative side effects such as Nausea, Diarrhea and temporary lack of appetite.

Are cucumber seeds good for health?

Cucumber seeds are loaded with anti-Oxidants especially beta-carotene, which is helpful in boosting the immunity. It not only helps you to optimize the immune system but also helps you to keep your skin and eye healthy.

Is it ok to eat cucumber peels?

Cucumber peels are rich source of potassium, beta-carotene and Vitamin K. It’s recommended to eat cucumber as a whole without peeling it to get maximum benefits.

Can cucumbers give you gas?

If you are suffering from poor digestion, cucumber at times can give you gas and bloating. But these are temporary, when you implement raw food in your diet, it takes a while for your body to adjust.

Can people with PCOS have cucumbers?

100% Yes, people with PCOS can surely have cucumbers in raw form along with Peels as it’s excellent for overall health.

Can Diabetics and heart patients have cucumbers?

Yes, cucumber is a super food for people suffering from diabetes and heart ailments. Cucumbers helps to strengthen the heart muscles, reverse atherosclerosis and reduce the sugar levels too.

Conclusion

There are no clinical studies or evidence that suggest cucumbers are bad at night. Instead there are multiple clinical evidence that suggest cucumbers are super food regardless of the time. You can consume cucumbers anytime you want, the chemical composition of cucumber won’t change based on the time.

Do have any experiences to share with cucumbers? Feel free to comment below.

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