Cucumbers have always been cool. Now, thanks to social media, they are also hot.

Viral cucumber recipes racked up millions of views in the past year, thrusting the salad-bar staple into the spotlight. Which might leave you wondering: healthwise, can “cukes” endure the glare? Or should they be deleted from your diet?

Unlike some online trends, this is one you can, for the most part, go ahead and sink your teeth into, said Dr Matthew Landry, an assistant professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine.

“Anytime we can get folks to eat more fruits and vegetables – I love seeing that,” Landry said.

He calls cucumbers affordable, versatile and a relatively healthy replacement for crisps or other snacks.