According to experts all over the world, one should drink eight glasses of water a day while some others recommend drinking more.
This might seem like an undoable task on some days and that is why nutritionists and experts came up with a trick where you don’t have to drink all that water. Roughly 20 percent of our daily water intake comes from solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables. “It takes a lot more effort to stay hydrated as the weather gets warmer, especially when you spend most of your time sweating outdoors. Summer is all about losing water and you are going to have to make up for it,” said nutritionist Raneem Abdulmajeed.”It’s still important to drink plenty of water, especially when it is hot outside but you can also reduce your thirst with these 15 vastly hydrating foods, all of which are at least 90 percent water by weight,” she added.
Below is a list of foods that contain a rich percentage of water:
1) Cucumber contains 96.7 percent of water. This beautiful light summer vegetable contains the highest water content in any solid food. This vegetable is a perfect ingredient for your summer salad, with a nice dipping sauce or as a snack. If you want to pump up the cucumber’s hydrating power even more, you should try blending it with a mixture of yogurt, ice cube and mint and have it as a snack.
2) Tomatoes contains 94.5 percent of water. Sliced or diced, this red colored fruit is a highlight of all salads and sandwiches for a healthy summer lunch. Sweet cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes make an excellent hydrating snack and your children will love those small bites. Make sure to slice some tomatoes on the side of your cheese plate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A great summer snack is popping some cherry tomatoes on a skewer or a toothpick with some basil leaves, and small chunks of mozzarella with a drizzle of some olive oil on top for a beautiful explosion of flavors.
3) Watermelon contains 91.5 percent of water. This juicy fruit is a perfect summer treat. It is a rich source of lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant found in red fruits and vegetables. In fact, watermelon contains more lycopene than raw tomatoes — about 12 milligrams per wedge, versus 3 milligrams per a medium-sized tomato. It is a refreshing fruit to have by the pool, you can cut it in cubes and mix with feta cheese and mint leaves for a nice cold summer salad.
4) Strawberries contains 91 percent of water. All kinds of berries are good hydration foods, but those small juicy strawberries are easily the best of the bunch. Raspberries and blueberries both hover around 85 percent water, while blackberries are only slightly better at 88.2 percent. Mix a handful of strawberries in a morning smoothie or slice some in your yogurt, which is also a hydrating food. Yogurt and strawberries are a combo of carbohydrates, fiber, and protein, making it a great post-workout recovery snack.
5) Iceberg lettuce contains 95.6 percent of water. Health experts usually recommend dark green leaves over light green leaves like iceberg. Dark green leaves contain higher amounts of fiber and nutrients such as folate and vitamin K. It’s a different story when it comes to water content, as iceberg has the highest water content of any lettuce, followed by green leaf and romaine lettuce. Make sure to pile up some iceberg into a sandwich and some in your salad.
6) Spinach contains 91.4 percent of water. Iceberg lettuce may have a higher water content, but spinach is usually a better bet overall for it offers way more than just water. Add deep green spinach leaves to your summer salad or sandwich as it provides nearly as much built-in hydration, with an added nutritional drive. Spinach leaves are rich in lutein, potassium, fiber, and brain-boosting folate, and just one cup of raw leaves contains 15 percent of your daily intake of vitamin E — an important antioxidant for fighting off the damaging molecules known as free radicals.
7) Cantaloupe contains 90.2 percent of water. This moisture melon provides a big nutritional payoff for little calories. About one-quarter of a melon contains just 50 calories but delivers a full 100 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamins A and C. This fruit is a great dessert, it satisfies your sweet tooth. You can have it in the form of a rich juice or eat it alone, even better blend it with yogurt and freeze it into sherbet. You can also puree it with orange juice and mint to make a refreshing summer juice.
8) Cauliflower contains 92.1 percent of water. Cauliflower is loaded with water in addition to being packed with vitamins and phytonutrients that have been shown to help lower cholesterol and fight cancer, including breast cancer. A 2012 study of breast cancer patients by Vanderbilt University researchers found that eating cruciferous veggies like cauliflower was associated with a lower risk of dying from the disease or seeing a recurrence. You can break them by hands and sauté it with olive oil, garlic and parsley for a nice side dish.
9) Celery contains 95.4 percent of water. Dietitians say that celery offers positive calories. Like all foods that are high in water, celery has very few calories — just six calories per stick. This vegetable also offers fiber and will fill you up in no time. This lightweight veggie is not short on nutrition and it contains folate and vitamins A, C, and K. Add it in your vegetable cold soup or as a snack when dipping it in that delicious hummus.
10) Green peppers contains 93.9 percent of water. Bell peppers of all shapes and colors offer a high water content, but green peppers lead the list. This fruit is great for salads, appetizers and snacks. It is recommended to have this sweet fruit all year long because it is loaded with fiber, water and vitamins. Slice some up for your salad, or even stuff them with rice and red sauce and cook them for dinner.
Happy hydrating!
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Foods that keep you hydrated in summer



