Can I stay hydrated without drinking more water?

Staying hydrated might be especially difficult when the temperature rises. Getting adequate water is one of the wisest things you can do for your daily comfort and general health. Water is required by our bodies to transport nutrients to our cells, control body temperature, prevent infection, lubricate our joints, and keep our organs operating smoothly. Hydration also improves mood, sleep, and cognition.

What does dehydration feel like?

Dehydration is the opposite: the body does not have enough water to function correctly. It doesn't take much dehydration to notice the difference. Even losing 1.5 percent of your body's water can trigger headaches, muscle cramps, and a dry or sticky lips. Some less typical signs of dehydration include foul breath (when you don't generate enough saliva, bacteria might overgrow) and food cravings, particularly for sweets. Water is used by our body to liberate glycogen from our energy stores. Dehydration leads to losing salt and potassium, commonly known as electrolytes, which enable your body accomplish everything: talk, walk, breathe, think, and move.

Your body is primarily made up of water. Newborn newborns are approximately 78% water; one-year-olds are approximately 65% water. Mature women are approximately 55% water, while adult men are 60% water. Your muscles and kidneys contain 79% water, your skin is 64% water... Even our bones are 31% water. Water also absorbs trauma for your brain and spinal column.

According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, women should drink 11 cups of water per day and males should drink 16 cups per day. You'll need to add extra if you're active, around a cup for every 20 minutes of physical exercise.

If the prospect of drinking water all day sounds excessive, keep in mind that not all of your water must come from basic cups of water. Numerous foods contain a lot of water, and eating them counts towards your daily water intake. Sugary drinks are not ideal for hydration, since the sugar raises blood glucose and requires water to eliminate. These beverages can be damaging to our health and change our tastes to expect extremely sugary meals and beverages often.

What foods are the most hydrating?

Summer's heat is no match for these thirst-quenching foods! With at least 80% water content, these 20 summer favorites will help keep you hydrated and refreshed all season long. So skip the sugary drinks and load up on these juicy and delicious options. Your body will thank you!

Soup

Summer soups, while somewhat less well-known, are just as delicious and filling as their cooler-weather counterparts, and soup contains nearly 100 percent water. A tomato or watermelon gazpacho, a cool cantaloupe-and-yogurt soup, or the classic French vichyssoise are all good options.

Cucumbers

These newborns are made up of more than 96% water! They also have potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and a trace of calcium. They include cucurbitacins, which may have an anti-diabetic impact, as well as fisetin, an anti-inflammatory chemical that may boost brain health.

Apples

Though best known for their high fiber content (a large apple can contain up to 5 grams), apples are also more than 80% water. Apples are a handy, sweet-tart crunchy snack that is high in potassium, vitamins B6 and C, and magnesium.

Watermelon

This refreshing summer delight contains 92 percent water and is an excellent source of hydration. Watermelon is also high in nutrients. It provides a good source of vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as lycopene and antioxidants. To make a sweet-savory, delicious salad, toss cubed watermelon with a little crumbled feta, olive oil, salt, pepper, and shredded basil.

Natural Yogurt

One cup of plain yogurt contains around 88 percent water. It's also an excellent source of protein, probiotics, calcium, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. Add a handful of berries on top for added fiber, vitamins, and hydration.

Zucchini

When the weather becomes hot, your favorite zoodles serve double duty. Zucchini is 95% water, and there is virtually no limit to what you can do with it. Toss it with pasta, grate it, and bake zucchini bread. Zucchini also contains potassium, vitamins A and C, manganese, and folate.

Peaches

At only 50 calories, one medium peach contains 2 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein, and 15% of your daily vitamin C needs. A delicious, juicy peach tastes like summer. Peaches are also great in salsas and, when grilled, are a fun way to brighten up a salad.

Lettuce

Iceberg lettuce's main nutritional value is its 96 percent water content. It has only 10 calories per cup and can provide vitamins A and C. To increase your hydration, combine a cup of shredded iceberg with your other salad greens, or use iceberg leaves as wraps or buns.

Grapefruit

Grapefruits are low in calories, high in nutrients, delicious, and contain more than 90% water. They are also high in fiber. A whole grapefruit contains 4 grams of fiber, more than 120 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement, and a trace of calcium, magnesium, and protein.

Potatoes

Waxy cultivars contain up to 80% more water. Potatoes also include a high potassium content, 70 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement, roughly five grams of fiber, and a variety of minerals. Eat them baked or roasted with skins on to preserve as much of their potassium intact as possible.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes, which are nearly 95% water, are many people's favorite summer treat. Tomatoes are as flexible as they are healthful and delicious. They can be sliced over sandwiches, sautéed into pasta toppings, or blended into a pleasant, refreshing gazpacho. They're high in the cancer-fighting carotenoid lycopene, as well as vitamins A and C and potassium.

Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe is 90% water and high in beta-carotene (an antioxidant good for the eyes and skin) and vitamin C. It's delicious on its own, in fruit salads or smoothies, or mixed into cold soups. It has 1.6 grams of nutritional fiber per cup and is deliciously sweet.

Strawberries

Strawberries are delicious in any way you can get your hands on them: sweet, plump, and 92 percent water. A cup of fresh strawberries contains only 49 calories, 150 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement, 3 grams of fiber, iron, vitamin B6, folate, and magnesium.

Raspberries

Raspberries are small nutritional powerhouses with an 87 percent water content. One cup contains only 65 calories but contains 8 grams of dietary fiber, 53% of your daily vitamin C, 5% of your iron and vitamin B6, and 6% of your magnesium.

Blueberries

A cup of luscious blueberries, which are 85 percent water, provides a good dose of dietary fiber as well as vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and even a gram of protein. Mix them into smoothies, sprinkle them on salads, or snack on them while watching TV.

Pineapple

Pineapple, which contains 86 percent water, is an excellent hydrator. It also contains vitamins B and C, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme. One cup of fresh pineapple has roughly 2.3 grams of dietary fiber.

Celery

This crispy favorite is 95% water and includes luteolin, a flavonoid that may limit cancer cell proliferation, and apigenin, which can prevent breast cancer cells from spreading and proliferating. Celery has only 15 calories per serving (2 medium stalks) and is high in vitamin K, folate, potassium, fiber, and a mineral called molybdenum.

Broccoli

Broccoli, whether roasted, steamed, sautéed, or raw, is a hydration powerhouse, containing 91 percent water. It's also high in phytonutrients (natural substances that improve health), antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Virtuous and adaptable!

Cauliflower

This versatile vegetable contains 92 percent water and 3.5 grams of fiber per cup. Cauliflower contains iron, calcium, magnesium, and vitamins B6 and C. Rice it, use it to thicken a potato or other creamy soup, or roast it whole with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Carrots

Carrots are healthy for your eyes because they are high in beta carotene, which our bodies need to generate vitamin A. They are high in fiber and 90 percent water. Vitamin A assists our eyes in converting light into a signal that is conveyed to the brain, allowing us to see better in low-light conditions. A half-cup of carrots has 73% of your daily vitamin A, 9% of your daily vitamin K, 8% of your potassium and fiber, and 2 grams of fiber.

Wrap-Up

If you’re interested in the recipe to make the yogurt and fruit popsicles in the image, it’s super simple! Just roughly blend your favorite fruits, like strawberries or mango, with a couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt and just enough dairy or plant milk to get a texture you like, and freeze for a couple of hours in a popsicle mold! Meat enjoyed within 2 weeks for freshest flavor.

There are plenty of ways you can incorporate these hydrating foods into your diet, so get creative with recipes to make sure you maximaze your water and nutrient intake to keep feeling your best!