What to Know About Hydration
Dehydration is a condition whereby the body lacks enough water. This condition can lead to fatigue, cramps, skin problems, rapid heart rate, headache, and low blood pressure. When you stay for a very long time without drinking enough water, it can result in severe dehydration that may threaten your life. When dehydration becomes prolonged and severe, some vital organs in the body begin to fail and malfunction. This is why medical experts recommend drinking 8 and above glasses of water per day in order to hit the recommended daily intake or drinking of water.
Water alone is not the only way to stay hydrated. Other healthy liquid beverages can also keep you hydrated. In addition, some foods and fruits have been identified to also keep you hydrated due to their high water content. For example, according to research, watermelon is made up of over 90% water. Eating watermelon can also keep you hydrated Al day long due to its water content.
Foods That Keep the Body Hydrated
This article highlights different foods and fruits that have high water contents and can keep you hydrated.
Watermelon
According to research, of all the fruits in the world, watermelon has the highest amount of water content after lettuce and cucumber. It is made up of a whopping 92% of water. Asides from its high water content, it is also healthy and delicious to consume. Watermelon is packed with fiber, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and other essential nutrients. In addition, watermelon is a low-calorie fruit that you can easily incorporate into your low-calorie diet. Watermelon having a low-calorie density makes it a great choice in regulating your appetite, managing your weight, and helping you feel full.
Coupled with all of this high nutritional profile, watermelon is packed with antioxidants like lycopene, which is known to be effective in the prevention of oxidative damage to the cells in the body. Oxidative damage of cells can automatically lead to the damage of vital organs in the body.
Watermelon helps protect the organs of the body by keeping you hydrated and supplying your body with essential antioxidants that can help your cells fight off oxidative damages.
You can enjoy watermelon alone or add it to your fruit salad.
Strawberries
The next on the list of most water-packed fruits in the world is strawberries. According to research, 91% of strawberries are made of water. This makes them capable of keeping you hydrated.
Strawberries are also packed with other essential vitamins and minerals like folate, vitamin C, manganese, antioxidants, and fiber.
Recent studies showed that eating strawberries regularly can help reduce the risks of inflammation, which in turn helps protect the vital organs of your body like your heart and brain against certain diseases. It also helps in the inhibition of other health conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer.
Incorporating strawberries into your diet is quite easy. You can enjoy them alone, add them to your fruit salads or make smoothies out of them.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a fruit that has 90% water content. Research has shown that cantaloupe has a very high nutritional profile. It is packed with compounds that can help improve your health in amazing ways. It is also a low-calorie fruit that helps regulate your appetite and make you feel full. This automatically helps you maintain a healthy weight. Eating 115 grams of cantaloupe fruit can provide you with the same degree of hydration as 118ml of water would provide you.
Cantaloupe is also rich in fiber and vitamin A, which is known to protect your body against infection by boosting the immune system.
You can add cantaloupe by adding it to your salsa, yogurt, smoothies, or salad.
Peach
Just like the aforementioned fruits, peach follows the cantaloupe fruit very closely in terms of water content. Peach is made up of 89% water. Asides from being capable of keeping you hydrated, they are also nutrients dense. They are stuffed with various vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, B, and C and potassium. Research has it that over 80% of its weight is water. This makes it water-rich. Like other fruits on the list, peach has high fiber contents and can give you the satisfying feeling of fullness while regulating your weight and appetite.
Add peach to your smoothies, yogurt, or cottage cheese. You can as well enjoy them alone.
Oranges
Oranges are not taking the back seat on the list. They are giving the aforementioned fruits a hot chase. Oranges have 88% water. They are also packed with fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium, all of which work hand in hand to boost your immune system in order to protect you from being exposed to infections and also prevent your cells from oxidative damage. Its fiber content makes it a great choice for appetite regulation and ensuring a feeling of fullness.
Due to its high water content, experts claim that eating oranges could prevent and help in the treatment of kidney stones. This is because the citric acid content can inhibit the growth or accumulation of stone-forming cells and kick them out of the body.
Skim Milk
Skim milk has a 91% water content. It is a nutritious dairy product that can not only keep you hydrated but also healthy and strong. Skim milk has a wealth of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A and B, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. This can also be a good beverage for sports, as it keeps you re-hydrated even after strong and stressful exercises. This is as a result of its protein and electrolyte contents. These compounds help in the prevention of body fluid loss, especially during and after strenuous exercises.
Milk is quite cheap and can be easily included in your diet.
Cucumber
Cucumber is made up of a whopping 95% of water. Almost every aspect of this vegetable is made of water. It is healthy for consumption and has the ability to keep you hydrated all day long. Despite its massive water contents, it still has small amounts of other nutrients like magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K.
Of all the fruits, foods, and vegetables that made it to this list, cucumber is the lowest in calories. Coupled with these, it can keep you hydrated and healthy.
You can enjoy cucumber by eating it alone or by adding it to salads.
Lettuce
Lettuce has up to 96% of water content and is packed with properties that are health improving. It provides your body with water, thus keeping you hydrated, it provides you with fiber, thus helping you regulate your appetite and feel full, and provides your body with an essential vitamin B, known as folate, the popular pregnancy vitamin that helps in the prevention of birth defects.
It is also stuffed with vitamins K and A, both of which are known to improve immune function. One of the most immeasurable and pleasant ways to eat lettuce or incorporate it into your diet is by adding it to your salad or burger.
Soups and Broth
The water content of some soups and broth can be said to reach 95%. Chicken broth, for example, is made of over 90% of water. Due to their low-calorie content, the daily consumption of broth and soups can help you maintain a healthy weight.
In fact, according to research, consuming low-calorie broths or soups can help people reduce up to 50% of their weight compared to those who take the same amount of calories per day.
In order to heighten the nutritional profile of your broth or soup is necessary to add healthy and natural spices, vegetables, and herbs to them.
Zucchini
Zucchini is a vegetable, just like cucumber. It is made of 94% water. It is stuffed with indispensable nutrients needed by the body to function properly. Coupled with its high water content, it is packed with fiber, an essential ingredient for making you feel full and helping you regulate your appetite. It is also a rich source of vitamin C and can provide your body with up to 31% of the required daily intake value of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that helps protect the immune system, strengthening it well enough to fend off infections and diseases.
You can enjoy zucchini by adding it to your pasta, noodles, or salad.
In conclusion, water is essential to keep you hydrated. However, some fruits, foods, and vegetables have been found to have high water contents, high enough to keep you hydrated as well.
