The only benefit of cucumber water that Malkani can see would be that the flavor is so good that it encourages you to hydrate . "Whatever inspires people to drink more water, and replace sugar-sweetened beverages like sports drinks with water, is good," she says. So, if you have the time and energy to chop up a cucumber to throw in your water, go for it. But if you don't have time for that, plain water is fine, too.