Top Benefits and Uses of Zucchini for Skin, Hair and Health

Belonging to the family of melons and cucumber, zucchini is a very popular squash. It is generally treated as a vegetable even though it is actually a fruit. Zucchinis are found in different types, like golden zucchini, round varieties, tatume, yellow crooknecks, and so on. Just like the other members of the family, zucchini also has got tender and smooth skin, with small seeds which are edible. They are well known for a wide range of benefits they offer for the human body. Here are a few ways in which this wonder fruit can be sued to your advantage.

Skin Benefits of Zucchinis:

Anti-ageing properties:

Vitamins a and c found in zucchinis are strong antioxidants and are very helpful in maintaining a healthy and youthful skin. Vitamin a provides you a healthy skin and vitamin c fights against free radicals that are harmful and cause ageing of skin like appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, as well as spots on your skin. So have zucchini daily and have a glowing skin and ward off ageing of the skin.

Hydrates your skin:

Water flushes out harmful toxins from your body and is very beneficial for your skin. Zucchini, with high water content,  helps in hydrating your skin and provides you a healthy skin. So take zucchini daily and it will provide you a naturally glowing skin.

Helps in the formation of collagen:

Collagen is necessary for a healthy skin and healing of wounds. Collagen needs the amino acid cholin for its formation, which in turn requires manganese for its production. Zucchini is rich in manganese. So consuming zucchini is very beneficial for the formation of collagen.

Benefits of Zucchini for Hair:

Hair also needs nutrition for its proper growth and to ward off various hair problems. Rich in vitamins a and c, zucchini offers you a lot of benefits for your hair. Vitamin c keeps your hair follicles healthy and vitamin a provides you protection from free radicals. Deficiency of vitamin a may cause dryness of your hair.

Benefits and Uses of Zucchini for Health:

Contains manganese:

Manganese is one of the essential nutrients and very beneficial for the general health of human beings. It helps in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates, production of sex hormones and also helps in the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. It increases the production of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, which provides you protection against oxidative stress.

Cardiovascular health:

Zucchini is rich in magnesium, which lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. A cup of zucchini juice provides more than 10% of the rda. The vitamin folic acid present in zucchini helps to break down homocysteine, which is a dangerous amino acid that may cause heart attack and clotting of blood.

For healthy eyes:

Zucchini is rich in vitamin a, which is excellent for the eyes and improves your vision.  Vitamin c along with beta carotene, manganese and zinc forms a good antioxidant, protecting your eyes. If you have puffy eyes, apply it externally and the puffiness is gone.

Helps to manage weight:

The rich content of fiber and moisture, as well as its low calorie content make zucchini a perfect low energy food. Low energy food keeps your hunger satisfied and controls your appetite by filling your stomach with fiber and water. So they are very useful for weight management. If you are hungry but need to manage your weight, you may consume zucchini and satisfy your hunger, and at the same time get all vital nutrients for your body like antioxidants, vitamin a and c and dietary fiber.

Lowers cholesterol:

Zucchini is rich in dietary fiber, which plays a major role in lowering the cholesterol level in the body. This is because the fiber attaches with the bile acids produced by the liver to digest fat. This slows down the ability of bile acids to digest more fat, leading the liver to produce more bile acid. As a result, more cholesterol is used up to produce bile acids, which in turn lowers the cholesterol level in the body. Vitamins a and c prevent oxidation of cholesterol in blood vessels and lowers the risk of atherosclerosis.

Prevents cancer:

The high fiber content in zucchini regulates bowel movement and prevents carcinogenic toxins from depositing in the colon. Moreover, vitamin a and c are good antioxidants and destroy carcinogens that may cause the onset of various types of malignant cancers.

Promote prostate health:

Benign prostatic hypertrophy (boh) is a condition where enlargement of the prostate gland takes place. This may lead to more complications like problems with urination and sexual functions. By including zucchini in your daily diet, you can reduce the symptoms of boh to a great extent. This is because of the phytonutrients present in it.

Prevents gout:

Gout is caused due to increase in uric acid in your body and is very painful. It is characterized by inflammation of joints. It mainly affects your knees and feet and may cause difficulty in walking. Zucchini is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and anti-inflammatory carotenoids, which can fight against the effects of excessive uric acid.  Strict diet control is needed for the treatment of gout. Vitamin a and c found in zucchini, along with copper, fight against various hyper-inflammatory disorders like asthma, arthritis and osteoarthritis.

To lower the blood pressure:

Potassium and magnesium present in zucchini help to lower the blood pressure, which may cause arteriosclerosis, heart attack, stroke and many other ailments. So those suffering from high blood pressure are greatly benefitted by having zucchini regularly.

Useful for diabetic patients:

Zucchini has a rich content of vitamin b complex, which is very effective in treating type-2 diabetes. In presence of zinc and magnesium, vitamin b complex helps to break down the sugar in your body.

Now that you know the different ways in which you can use zucchini, use them and avail all the benefits to the fullest.