Will you remember to eat your cucumber slices before bed?

From time to time, I receive an interesting e-mail from a friend. And sometimes, I share the information I receive with other friends. This past weekend, a friend (Kim Eckert) sent me the following e-mail and I thought it was filled with information I thought you would enjoy. So, here it is – with some personal comments from me:


1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins (see No. 1) and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. (Of course, I drink decaffeinated sodas – better described as carbonated mop water. Whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, neither gives me a quick pick-me-up. Unfortunately, I probably will not eat a cucumber as a replacement for my decaffeinated soda.)

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance. (Or you could use one of those anti-fog wipes and not waste food.)

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. (The smell of cucumbers can drive me away if they are strong enough.)

5. Are you looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite? Before going out or to the pool, try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. It works great on wrinkles, too. (I have found that when I eat cucumbers that my face tightens up – kind of like when you eat a lemon.)

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache. (In order to get a hangover, you have to be drunk. If you are drunk, do you think you will remember to eat some cucumber slices before going to bed? If you do, you will wake up with cucumber breath.)

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to thwart off starvation. (To thwart off starvation – yep, that’s the time I will eat cucumbers. Or when I’m drunk and can remember No. 6.)

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoes. Its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water. (The smell will also repel anyone you come in contact with over the next few hours.)

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone.

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams. (I will avoid this as I am neither a new mother nor a college student taking a final exam.)

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath. The phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. (The taste would kill me.)

12. Looking for a “green” way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean. (And you eat this vegetable?)

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. It also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls. (I am sure the fragrance it leaves on the paper and walls will also keep the grubs and slugs away, too.)

Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life's everyday problems.

This e-mail is not going to solve life’s everyday problems, but it gives you some things to think about.