I tried the viral cucumber salad recipe – is it actually healthy?

There are many different versions of cucumber salad now. The original was inspired by Asian cuisine and is pretty simple. Here's everything Logan uses in the original cucumber salad:

How to prepare the original cucumber salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• Soy sauce
• Fish sauce
• sesame oil
• MSG
• Rice vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Sugar
• Chili oil
• Spring onions

Proceedings

Simply put all the ingredients in a container, shake it and your salad is ready.

The other version of cucumber salad that people – well, 34.7 million people and counting – particularly like is Logan’s Salmon avocado bagel cucumber salad.

How to make salmon, cream cheese and cucumber salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber
• Cream cheese
• Smoked salmon
• Ranch dressing
• 1 red onion
• ½ lemon
• MSG
• Everything Bagel Seasoning

Proceedings

Chop the cucumber, put all the ingredients in a container, shake everything and voilà.

According to TikTok, the cucumber salad is delicious. But is the urge to eat a whole cucumber actually healthy? “It's absolutely fine to eat a whole cucumber in one meal if you can and want to. It's not harmful and cucumbers are mostly made up of water and fiber, so they will certainly do you good,” says Sophie Medlin, registered dietitian and director of Nutritionist in the city.

Cucumber salad is a great, easy lunch option. However, the original version may not give you energy throughout the day as it lacks protein and carbohydrates.

However, the version with salmon and cream cheese is rich in nutrients and vitamins as well as proteins, says Medlin.

However, you can make some changes to make it even more nutritious. “Watch the salt content if you eat this regularly,” advises Medlin.

Logan's recipe contains MSG, also known as monosodium glutamate, an additive designed to make food taste more palatable.

“MSG isn't necessarily dangerous or a cause for concern in and of itself, but some people can be sensitive to it,” says Medlin. “If you simply add a little salt, that works just as well and you can control your sodium intake so you don't get problems like high blood pressure.”

Medlin also points out that all versions of cucumber salad are low-carb, meaning it may not give you energy if it's the only thing you eat for lunch or dinner.

“It's important to pair it with something that gives you some carbs,” she says. “Try some sourdough toast on the side or rye bread with seeds to make this meal more balanced.”

After seeing so many videos of people raving about this salad, I had to try it. I opted for the cream cheese and lox version – since that's a topping I usually like on a bagel, and it was a better choice for hitting my protein goals.

I decided to replace the MSG with salt and substituted pepper and garlic powder for the Everything Bagel seasoning, but otherwise I tried to follow the recipe as closely as possible.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to prepare—it took about five minutes to prepare—and shaking the plastic container was a very satisfying way to assemble my meal.

And I have to admit, the cucumber salad isn't just a fad – it was delicious. Medlin was right to note that it's quite salty, and it actually got a little gross towards the end. Not to mention, it took me quite a while to finish the whole cucumber.

Top tip: Chop/cut everything really finely so that every bite contains all the ingredients.

But the cucumber works well as a salad substitute if you want to add variety to your typical lunch. And paired with a slice of sourdough toast, I felt full and energized all afternoon after eating it, and had no cravings for snacks.

The end result? All in all, I would say that you probably won’t need eating a whole cucumber, but there's absolutely no harm in doing so, and you might discover a new favorite lunch that will make your WFH days a little more exciting (because as delicious as smoked salmon is, it might not be suitable for the office fridge unless you want The Person).

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Alice Porter is a freelance journalist who covers a range of topics including health, fitness and relationships. You're just as likely to find her lifting weights in a sweaty CrossFit class as you are at a relaxing yoga retreat, and her writing covers an equally wide range, whether it's investigating new discoveries in the world of women's health or examining a new TikTok diet trend. As well as Women's Health, Alice writes for titles such as Stylist, Cosmopolitan, Grazia and TimeOut.