28 Feb 10 Foods That Will Help You Keep Hydrated This Summer
Summer is right around the corner, and by the looks of it, the next few months are going to be some hot ones! You’re most likely going to be outside to soak up the sun a lot, but don’t forget to hydrate. Leaving your body without one of its most important components can leave you tired, your skin dry, and at worst, give you heatstroke.
Since water can be a bit boring, here are some tasty foods that will keep you hydrated all summer long.
Cucumber
Cucumber is almost all water—only 2.3% of it is solid food! It’s perfect in everything from salads, to sandwiches, to smoothies. Refreshing and light, it’s a perfect summertime snack, and can even be added to your boring ol’ water for some elevation.
Lettuce
Lettuce, with 95.6% water content, is another great food to keep you hydrated. It’s the basis of a number of salads, making it a no-brainer for your summertime diet. It may not be most the most nutrient-dense food, but added to a sandwich or acting as a hamburger bun in place of bread, lettuce will cool your body right down.
Eggplants
Not only delicious, but eggplants are high in both water content and fibre, and low in calories, which makes it one of the best weight-loss foods if you’re looking to eat a bit lighter over the warmer months. Be sure to avoid any recipes that involve pan-frying or deep-frying, though; eggplants will soak all of that oil right up!
Pineapples
Pineapples just feel right when it comes to eating them in the summertime. Sweet, refreshing, and yummy, they are totally representative of tropical weather! Not only is it high in water content, but pineapples also carry an anti-inflammatory property, bromelain. As if you needed another reason for eating more pineapple!
Zucchini
Zucchini is one of the most hydrating foods you can eat, being 95% water weight. Beyond that, it’s also an excellent source of folate, potassium, as well as vitamins A and C.
Celery
Alright, so celery don’t exactly have negative calories (it’s an urban legend!), but they are very low in calories, averaging to about seven calories per stalk. Celery is also vey high in water, which can help fill you up without filling you out. In addition to that, celery is packed with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, and can help neutralize your stomach if you’re experiencing and heartburn or acid reflux.
Tomatoes
There’s nothing like a ripe, juicy tomato in the summer, whether it’s in a salad, in a sandwich, in a burger, or just on their own (can we get an “amen!” for cherry and grape tomatoes?). They’re perfect as snacks on their own, and with 94.5% water content, they will be sure to keep your body well hydrated, no matter how you eat them.
Watermelon
Another delicious food that we probably won’t need to convince you to eat: watermelon! Watermelon has shown to hydrate individuals more effectively than water or sports drinks thanks to the fruit’s combination of salts, natural sugars, and minerals. Also 92% in water content, it’s the perfect summertime snack.
Peas
Peas add a delightful crunch to any meal, and they’re also a terrific hydrating food that’s up to 79% in water content. They’re also a rich source of calcium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, vitamins A and K, thiamin, vitamin A, and folate. Talk about a perfect superfood!
Strawberries
You already know berries are high in antioxidants, but did you know that strawberries contain the highest water content amongst all the berries. Whether it’s mixed in a smoothie, added to your salads, or presented as a little snack on its own, strawberries are one of our favorite summer snacks!
This summer, our challenge to you is to eat as many as the above hydrating foods as possible, in addition to drinking the recommended eight cups of water. Get out there and enjoy the sun—but be sure to take care of your body, too!
When you grow in an Urban Cultivator, it’s even easier to incorporate those hydrating foods into your diet. From pea to lettuce, you can grow an enormous variety of microgreens and herbs that will keep you and your body happy, healthy, and hydrated.
What’s your favorite hydrating food? Let us know in the comments section!