Cucumber Nutrition Facts

Lets start with a commonly asked question: is a cucumber a fruit or a vegetable? Technically it is a fruit because it contains the seeds to reproduce, but typically cucumbers are grouped with veggies due to their use. The fruit is commonly harvested while still green, and eaten as a vegetable, whether raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers.

Although less nutritious than most fruit and vegetables, the fresh cucumber is still a very good source of the vitamin C and the mineral molybdenum. It is also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium. What you may not know is that this crisp, refreshing fruit also contains compounds called sterols, which have been shown to lower cholesterol in animals. The heaviest concentration of sterols is in the skin of the cucumber, so you shouldn't remove the peel before eating.

Cucumbers are a great digestive aid and have a cleansing effect on the bowel. With just a handful of calories per cup, cucumbers have always been the dieter's dream.