Cucumber nutrition

17:09:20 5th September 2008

It was reported in the newspapers this week that supermarkets are risking the health of their customers by offering cut price deals on unhealthy foods.

One way around this could be to grow your own fruit and vegetables in the garden and greenhouse.

This is a cheap way of making sure the family are well nourished and get their five pieces of fruit and veg a day.

Website cucumbergrowingtips.com recommends including cucumbers on the list of foods to grow.

"Cucumbers are a wonderfully rewarding crop to grow in your home garden," it says.

"You can use cucumbers to pickle or to eat raw in salads. Cucumbers are highly nutritious and are a good source of sulphur, silicon, chlorine potassium, sodium, magnesium, and fluorine.

"They are also said to help aid digestion and constipation. Many people use cucumbers on the skin as a beauty aid as well."

Cucumbers have been grown widely in Europe since the 6th century and are believed to have originated in India.