Vitamin K for Nerves and Bones
Vitamin K is essential for making blood clot, which stops the bleeding after you suffer a cut or injury, but that's not its only job.It also helps maintain bone strength by regulating bone metabolism and making sure bones take up plenty of calcium, reports Bastyr University.
Experts have also discovered that vitamin K supports the growth of neurons and contributes to the structure of brain cells, according to a 2012 report in Advances in Nutrition.
While the amount of cucumber you juice will vary depending on the other ingredients you use, it generally takes at least one large cucumber to make a serving. One cucumber supplies 25 percent of the daily value of vitamin K, based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Vitamin C Fights Free Radicals
When you juice one large cucumber, you’ll gain 15 percent of the daily value of vitamin C, according to NutritionValue.org. That means you’ll get three times more vitamin C from a serving of juice than if you ate 10 slices of fresh cucumber.Vitamin C has the ability to interact with molecules called free radicals, stopping them from interacting with -- and damaging -- healthy cells throughout your body. In this role, it helps prevent inflammation and chronic disease, such as heart disease, notes the Office of Dietary Supplements.
Vitamin C must be available for your body to produce collagen. This connective tissue strengthens and supports your skin, bones, tendons and virtually every tissue in your body.
Copper and Manganese Support Metabolism
The trace minerals copper and manganese also support the health of connective tissues and bones. Copper participates in collagen synthesis, while manganese contributes to bone development. One large cucumber provides 10 percent of the daily value of both minerals.These minerals also support one another, because copper helps your body metabolize energy and manganese provides antioxidant protection to the structures inside each cell that produces energy.
Practical Juicing Tips
Cucumber juice doesn’t contain fiber, because most juicers filter it out. You can use psyllium, guar gum or ground flax seed to add fiber to your juice. Otherwise, be sure to get your daily fiber by adding extra whole vegetables, whole grains or beans to your menu.Raw juice that isn’t pasteurized tends to spoil quickly, so make just enough to consume right after it’s juiced, suggests University of Wisconsin Integrative Medicine.
Cucumber juice can be as simple as you want, but thanks to its mellow flavor, you have many options. Try juicing cucumbers with any combination of strawberries, oranges, carrots, apples, ginger, leafy greens, celery, parsley or beets to boost flavor and nutrients.
