What is the cucumber diet and does it actually work?

There are a lot of unique diets out there, and if you have heard about the cucumber diet, you might be wondering ‘what is the cucumber diet’ or ‘does the cucumber diet actually work?’

Let’s begin by first going over what the cucumber diet entails.

What is the cucumber diet?

The cucumber diet is a short-term weight loss diet that claims you can lose up to 15 pounds in 7-14 days.

The cucumber diet is as the name suggests. It consists of replacing most foods with cucumbers, including other fresh produce. It does include some protein as well, including lean meat, eggs, nuts and cottage cheese paired with more cucumber. You can also include some carbs such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread as well as olive oil for a source of fat. As there are different versions of the diet,** if one wants to try it out, it is possible to choose which version of the diet seems the best suited.

The idea of the diet is to eat cucumbers whenever hungry with the option to add in small portions of protein-rich foods. D

Does the cucumber diet actually work?

There are no studies that show the efficacy of the cucumber diet.

Since it is a diet that is low in calories, many people who follow it do find that they lose weight while on the cucumber diet. There are only 45 calories in the average 10-ounce cucumber, so even if you ate over 10 a day, you wouldn’t be at your recommended calorie count.

However, many find that the weight comes right back once resuming their normal diet. This is a common result in restrictive diets as they are short-term strict diets that are neither sustainable nor a positive lifestyle change that people feel truly better adhering to. Cucumbers are a great food to include in your day-to-day diet to bulk up salads and snack on when you need something crunchy. However, eating primarily cucumbers for 10 days is not a diet that will provide you with proper nutrients, fat, fiber, etc.

Diets that teach people how to eat healthy and nourish their body are the diets that have a better chance of actually working long-term. It is recommended to speak with your doctor before beginning any restrictive diet such as the cucumber diet. Some people may face more harm than the short-term benefits may be worth with a restrictive diet as such.