- If you're like me, you tend to hit a mid-afternoon slump. The normal reaction to this seems to be to grab a cup of coffee or a caffeinated soda or fill up on some unhealthy carbs. In many cultures, the solution is a nap, and I must admit, that's what I opt for from time to time. Well, it seems the cucumber might be the answer we're all looking for. Since they're packed with B vitamins and good carbs, a cucumber snack can carry you well into the evening. Munching on cucumbers will also stave off an unhealthy snacking binge.
- Suffering from a nasty headache from some more unhealthy binging -- this time with alcohol? Eat some cucumber slices right before going to bed and you'll find yourself waking up headache, and hangover, free! Here's the secret: In addition to the vitamin B, cucumbers are a great source of natural sugar and electrolytes...enough to zap you full of the vital nutrients you lost while imbibing.
- Don't you hate it when you hop out of the shower to a totally fogged up mirror? Grab a cucumber slice (yeah, I know, they're always handy in the bathroom) and rub it along the mirror. Two benefits here -- the fog clears up and a nice refreshing spa-like aroma will fill the room.
- Here's another gardening tip (like I haven't been loading you down with enough of them lately)...Keep grubs and slugs away from your gardens by placing some cucumber slices in a small aluminum pie tin. There will be a chemical reaction between the cucumber and the aluminum which will transmit a scent you won't smell, but the garden pests sure will...and they'll steer clear. This should be affective for the entire season!
- While gum and/or mints may be more convenience to carry in your purse or pocket, a cucumber slice pressed between your tongue and the roof of your mouth for a half minute or so, will freshen your breath naturally (there's no aspartame in cucumbers, after all). The phytochemicals in the cuc will off the bacteria in your mouth and voila, no more bad breath!
- Writing something in pen and wishing you'd used a pencil with an eraser instead? No problem, grab that every handy cucumber and gently rub the area that needs erasing. Marker and crayon marks in errant places, like the dining room wall, will respond as well to this cucumber erasor.
- No need to reach for the WD 40 to eliminate that irritating squeak. Rub the hinge with a cucumer slice and the annoyance is gone.
- Now here's a tip I tried yesterday. I sliced a cucumber for a salad (oh yeah, they're good for that, too) and I had the rounded edge I'd cut off. I used it to shine up my stainless steel sink and it worked like a charm. How awesome is that. It will shine up your faucets and porcelain sinks as well. And it doesn't get any greener than that!
- Steam the stress out of your day by placing a cut up cucumber in a pot of boiling water. This natural aromatherapy will relax you and calm frayed nerves. I've heard this has been valuable to new moms and college students during finals week.
- Cucumbers are handy for providing a water repellant shine to your shoes.
- Of course, you don't just want your shoes looking good. After all, it is getting close to bathing suit season in much of the country. Before heading in public dressed in next to nothing, grab some cucumber slices and rub them over your cellulite-prone areas for a few minutes. Again, it's the phytochemicals in the veggie that go to work here; in this case, causing your skin's collagen to tighten, which gives a natural firming to your skin and lessens the appearance of cellulite. Using a slice or two on your facial, neck and chest wrinkles can improve your above-the-waist appearance as well.
Keeping it green as I munch on a cucumber,
Hana
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