When a person thinks of cucumbers, he usually imagines fresh, juicy vegetables that can be added to a salad or eaten on their own.
The tender, juicy and slightly sweet pulp is especially attractive on a hot summer day, when you want to eat something light and containing a lot of juice.
But the whole impression of a fresh salad or snack is spoiled by a bitter cucumber. Some people are even afraid to eat them, believing that bitterness can be harmful to health.
Where does bitterness come from?
The wild ancestors of the cultivated cucumber have bitter fruits. This is necessary to protect them from being eaten by animals. This way the plant increases its chances of reproduction.
In the process of selection, this property was almost eliminated, but in a stressful situation, the cultivated cucumber "remembers" its distant past and uses the same mechanism for preserving fruits. It becomes bitter in order to reproduce, because stress is a threat to the life of the plant. Most often, stress is a lack of water, but it can also be a cold snap, extreme heat, roots undermined or damaged by a pest.
Bitter cucumber is not only possible, but also necessary to eat
The bitter substance in cucumbers is called cucurbitacin. And not only is it harmless, but it is also extremely beneficial to health. Cucumbers with a high content of cucurbitacin have many beneficial properties.
They are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the human body from free radicals that damage healthy cells. They also enhance the immune system.
Bitter cucumbers retain all their beneficial properties, so they contain vitamins and minerals, in particular, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. These nutrients help maintain healthy bones, heart and blood vessels, and also improve digestion and metabolism.
Bitter cucumbers help control blood sugar spikes, which is especially important for people with diabetes. Studies have shown that bitter cucumber extract can reduce blood glucose levels.
Cucurbitacin also has anti-inflammatory properties, therefore reducing the risk of developing inflammatory diseases.
There is no need to be afraid of bitter cucumbers. They can be a great ingredient for a vitamin-rich salad or a healthy sandwich if you are looking for ways to improve your health and reduce the risk of developing various diseases.
