Best Ways to Hydrate

It’s no secret that hydration is essential to optimal health. Although drinking water is a great way to hydrate, did you know that on average, humans get 20% of their water from food?

Often times, eating fruit is the best way of hydrating — even better than drinking water.  The nutrients and vitamins that fruits contain help balance fluid levels within the body and deliver water in an efficient manner.

Healthy Foods for Hydration

For example, after a long workout, one might be better served to eat watermelon as opposed to drinking water. The watermelon has potassium and sodium that aid in replacing the valuable properties that you lost in your workout by sweating.

Many fruits and veggies are made up of primarily water but they bring the extra punch of added nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. For example, celery may seem like a “boring” food but if you look closely, it’s actually amasing (yes, with an “s”). Celery is 96% water and it has dozens of different antioxidants, a high concentration of vitamin K, beta+carotene, and Vitamin C. Consuming celery has significant benefits for the digestive tract, cancer prevention, and reducing inflammation within the body.

Other foods that stand out are papaya and watermelon. Each contains lutein and zeaxanthin which studies have shown can hydrate your body twice as effectively as water.

Conclusion

If you want to hydrate, eat up!

Here are five foods that are great for hydration:

• Cucumbers
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Celery
• Broccoli

What foods do you eat to stay hydrated?