Nonsweet fruits that are often referred to as vegetables, cucumbers areĀ a vitamin- and mineral-rich foods that make a wonderful chip replacementāas in Cool-As-a-Cucumber Nachosāin a raw fooder’s kitchen along with bringing softness and crunch to salads and pure water to juices. CucumberĀ scores anĀ 80 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fryās āA General Guide to Food Selection.ā
Cucumbers are in peak season in July and August. An average cucumber measures 8¼ inches long, weighs 301 grams and contains 45 calories. Cucumber contains 95 percent water.
Cucumbers come from the family of Cucurbitaceae. The fruit is among the oldest cultivated crops, originating on the plains of India.
Cucumbers, which contain an ample amount of protein and fatĀ for a fruit, areĀ a rich source of Vitamins C and K along with magnesium,Ā manganese and potassium.
ChinaĀ produces the most cucumbers, with 40.7Ā million tonnes in 2010. Iran and TurkeyĀ each produced aboutĀ 1.8 million tonnes in 2010. Russia and the United StatesĀ round out the list of the leading five producers, with 1.16 millionĀ tonnes and 883,000Ā tonnes, respectively, grown in the same year.
Stats for 100 Grams ofĀ Cucumber, with Peel, Raw
- 15Ā calories
Notable Nutrients
Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet
- Vitamin C: 4.7%
- Vitamin K: 20.5%
Carbs/Protein/Fat
- Carbohydrates: 83.8%
- Protein: 10.3%
- Fat: 6%
Food Type
- Nonsweet fruit
Sources
- Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
- http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2994
- http://www.cronometer.com
- http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cucumber.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber