Having proper hydration is very important. Aside from modulating our body’s temperature, it also helps our organs work properly and even helps to improve our sleep and boost our mood. These important roles that water does for our bodies are continuously cited by Harvard’s School of Public Health. Aside from water, you can eat the best foods for hydration to ensure that you will not be dehydrated.
You may not realize it but you might already be dehydrated. There are some signs and symptoms you can look for. One of the most common indications that you are dehydrated is the color of your urine. If you. notice that your urine looks darker, ranging from dark yellow to amber, you might already be dehydrated.
Look at your skin too, if you notice that your skin is flushed, red, or rough, this could mean that you are dehydrated. There may also be cracks on your skin, especially your lips. If you come from a place where it is hot, it’s important that you always hydrate yourself as you lose water when you sweat. Meanwhile, people who live in colder places also lose moisture as the air is also very dry.
So what happens when you are dehydrated? While mild dehydration may. not be too much of a hassle, it can be very dangerous when you suffer severe dehydration. With the former, you may just experience being thirsty, some headaches, and even muscle cramps. But the latter will lead to serious conditions like rapid heartbeat and breathing, some may even faint and then experience life-threatening heatstrokes, and eventually die.
To hydrate your body, water is always the best choice. But there also some hydrating foods that you can add to your daily diet to avoid dehydration. We have listed down some. of the best foods for hydration to help you.
Best Foods for Hydration
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Cucumber
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Honeydew Melon
- Zucchini
- Spinach
- Skim Milk
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
Watermelon
First on our list is watermelon, which has 92% water content. This is the perfect fruit to keep in your fridge during the hotter months. It’s also perfect for those who are craving something sweet, as it has natural sugars in it. There are several varieties of watermelon, you can find both seeded and seedless, and some even have a yellow or orange color instead of the usual red.
Aside from helping you with hydration, they can also provide other health benefits. A study in 2012 has shown that watermelon extract may help lower blood pressure for middle-aged people who are diagnosed with early hypertension and obesity. Since watermelons are also high in antioxidants, they are also linked to decreasing the risk for conditions like cancer and asthma.
Although they are already good on their own, watermelons can be made into delicious drinks like this Watermelon-Basil Cooler or even savory dishes like a shrimp salad.
Cantaloupe
Imagine a hot summer day and you have a sweet and refreshing cantaloupe on your hand. With around 90% water content, this is definitely. one of the must-haves for hydration. but that is not the only thing you can enjoy from cantaloupe.
It is packed with so many nutrients and minerals. In fact, one cup of cantaloupe will already give you 100% of the vitamin A you will need for the day. Not only that, but you will also get 50% of your vitamin C needs. You will also get fiber and potassium. The good news is that cantaloupe is low in calories, with only 55 calories for that one cup, so you can still enjoy this fruit when you are trying to lose weight.
Strawberries
Despite their small size, strawberries offer a lot of benefits for us. With over 91% water content, it’s one of the best sources of hydration that is not water. It’s one of the most popular varieties of berries because it is naturally sweet.
Aside from the high water content, you can also enjoy lots of vitamin C. So what are the other things beneficial with strawberries? Well, if you are looking to lower your cholesterol levels, and protect against cancer, you can get them from this small but potent fruit. Despite being used as an aphrodisiac since ancient times, strawberries are actually very good for your heart.
They can be enjoyed in both desserts and savory dishes too. You can even make a Sous Vide Strawberry Chili Vinegar in case you want to have a homemade salad dressing that is healthy and tasty.
Peaches
About 90% of the weight in one peach is composed of water, so keep this in hand during hot months. It has lots of nutrients including vitamins C, A, E, K, and potassium. This fruit is also a good source of antioxidants, which offer many advantages such as fighting the free radicals in your body which may cause many diseases like cancer and the like.
If you find yourself having a hard time with your bowel movement lately, peaches contain fiber which may aid in digestion. Finding your skin looking lackluster? Peaches may help improve your skin’s texture due to its water content.
For summer, try this Quick Peach and Raspberry Cobbler to cool you down on hot days. If you want something more filling, these Peachy Pork Ribs would surely satisfy you.
Cucumber
Only 5% of cucumber is not water, making it one of the most hydrating foods you can add to your daily diet. This vegetable is a great choice for those who do not want to gain weight, as it has one of the lowest-calorie content in foods that have a high water percentage.
For one cup of cucumber, you will only be eating around 16 calories, so you can eat a lot in a meal without worrying too much if you are consuming a lot of calories. Most people incorporate cucumbers into their salads or smoothies, but there are more creative ways you can enjoy them in your meals.
Take this recipe for Sesame Cucumber Noodles, for example. Who knew that you can use the cucumber as noodles? This simple dish will only take you ten minutes and can be paired with some protein for a great meal.
Iceberg Lettuce
There are many types of lettuce, but we are including iceberg lettuce on our list because this one has over 96% water content! While it may be low in fiber compared to others (one cup only contains one gram of fiber), it does have some folate, making it good for pregnant women. It also has other nutrients like vitamins A and K, and also has very low-calorie content, with only ten calories in one cup.
Iceberg lettuce is readily available in many groceries, but you need to be careful in buying. Make sure that there are no loose leaves and that the lettuce looks green and fresh, without spots or even brown edges. If you don’t plan on eating it right away, keep it refrigerated to ensure freshness.
Celery
Celery can be eaten raw or cooked. It’s actually very versatile. You see it added as an ingredient in soups and stir-fried but it is also used as a topper in a Bloody Mary. Many might not even be aware that it has around 95% water content, making it one of the best foods for hydration.
Tomatoes
Did you know that some people consider the tomato as a superfood due to the many nutrients you can enjoy from it? This might be a little funny considering that a few hundred years ago, Americans actually thought they were poisonous.
According to Medical News Today, including them in your diet will help you lower your blood pressure and also protect you from serious diseases like cancer and diabetes. One thing you need must make sure to do is to wash your tomatoes properly as they may contain pesticides.
Honeydew Melon
It looks quite similar to cantaloupe, although it does not have as much water content. But still, you can enjoy honeydew melon not just for hydration but also for other nutrients like vitamins K and C, plus folate and potassium. In one cup of a serving, you will already get more than 50% of the vitamin C you will need for the day.
You’ll also enjoy better skin and even a boost to your immune system if you eat this regularly. One thing you need to watch out for is that it may be high in sugar, which may not be advisable to those who are trying to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.
Zucchini
Hydration is not just from water and fruits, there are also many vegetables you can eat to help you hydrate including zucchinis which have over 94% water content. Another versatile ingredient, zucchinis are always found in many keto recipes. It can be used as an alternative for pasta noodles and also as a main ingredient for keto bread.
Other nutrients found in zucchini include lutein and zeaxanthin which can help improve your eye health. Being rich. in vitamin B6, it can also help to maintain healthy blood glucose levels and can even help prevent cancer.
Spinach
Leafy greens also contain a lot of water, particularly spinach and kale, both having over 90% water content. We always see spinach in many salads and as a side dish for main meals. Try to get more creative so that you can enjoy it several ways. Bake into bread, pies, or even in quesadillas to give your baked goods a unique flavor and color.
Skim Milk
Skim milk has over 91% water content and is made up of other minerals like potassium, riboflavin, calcium, and vitamins A and B12. Many people may think that you will not get as much nutrition with skim milk compared to whole milk, but that is not true at all.
it seems that you can get the same nutrients, skim milk might even have more calcium and protein, but you can enjoy it with less the amount of sugar and cholesterol. Did you know that in a cup of skim milk, you will need to consume more than ten servings of spinach or over 63 Brussel sprouts to get the same amount of calcium? Take this when you want the same nutrition but fewer calories.
Make sure to get your fresh skim milk from reliable sources to ensure the safety of the milk.
Carrots
Carrod may not have as much water content as the others on this list, but with around 88% that’s already not bad. It also contains large amounts of vitamin A, which can help improve your eye health.
If you can, try to eat carrots raw so that you can enjoy the full benefit of its nutrients. Sometimes, when vegetables are cooked too much, they already lose a lot of nutrients.
Cauliflower
Another vegetable to add to your meals is cauliflower, which has over 92% water content. Not only that, those who are trying to lose weight or stick to a low carb diet because this has a low-calorie content. You can use it as an alternative for rice or add it to your keto bread recipes. You can even just roast it as a whole and enjoy it as a side dish for your main proteins.
Other Tips for Staying Hydrated
Look for Tools that Can Help You
If you will look through online stores, you will see a lot of products geared towards helping people stay hydrated. There are lots of tumblers that you can buy to help you not forget to drink enough water. There designs where you can see just how much water you are consuming so you can check if you have had enough. Still, some other designs actually have indicated time to show you that you should have drunk that much water already.
There are also apps that you can download to track your water intake and to also give you reminders in case you forget to drink.
Don’t go out of it’s too hot
We have already said that heat may be one of the reasons that you can get dehydrated. If you sweat too much and then do not drink water, you definitely feel the effects of dehydration. If you do not need to go out, just stay indoors during hot days.
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