It’s the first week of August and they’re predicting that it could be one of the hottest summers ever. It’s important to get enough water to keep our bodies healthy and balanced. It’s challenging in the summer, especially when we’re active and spending time in the sun. At the end of our granddaughter’s soccer game the other day, the coach told the girls “If you don’t pee three times before you go to bed tonight, you haven’t had enough fluids!” We chuckled, but also really appreciated the healthy tip.
Our bodies signals that let us know we’re thirsty
-
Thirsty or hungry – Sometimes a food craving is just because we’re thirsty, not really hungry!
-
Fatigue, brain fog – Our brains are 70% water. Even slight dehydration can affect our concentration.
-
Muscle cramps – This can be a serious sign of deficient fluid surrounding muscles.
-
Constipation – Do you know that drinking lots of water is the least expensive & most effective way to keep regular?
You don’t have to drink all that water
The National Academy of Sciences recommends about 11 8-oz glasses for women, and over 15 glasses for men. That can seem like a daunting task, but good news: You don’t have to drink all that water. While drinking water is really important, there are also many healthy foods that can add a large amount of water to our diet, keeping the process tasty and interesting!
Here’s a list of some of the fruits and veggies that help us stay hydrated while also providing healthy nutrients.
-
Strawberries – They’re about 90% water, plus vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants. Great in smoothies, salads or even sandwiches
Put some fresh strawberries in your peanut butter sandwich instead of jam!
-
Cantaloupe – 1 cup of cantaloupe is about 90% water, plus lots of fiber & gives us 120% of our daily Vitamin A.
Have you tried a cantaloupe smoothie?
-
Peaches – Also 90% water! They’re high in fiber to keep us feeling full and eating them with skin provides our bodies with good antioxidants. All this and only 60 calories!
My favorite way to eat a peach is on top of plain, greek yogurt.
-
Oranges – 88% water and full of vitamin C, plus antioxidants and fiber to keep us full
Cold, crisp citrus water is a wonderful refresher
-
Cucumbers – A whopping 95% water, plus full of nutrients and only 16 calories for a 1 cup serving. Great in smoothies, salads, soups, sandwiches and who doesn’t love cucumber water?
Cucumber water is the most popular detox water ever
-
Lettuce – Also almost completely water with lots of nutrients and fiber to keep us full. All for only 10 calories in a 1-cup serving!
More lettuce, less bread
-
Celery – this disease fighter can give a 1/2 cup water in a 1 cup serving. Great snack when dipped in hummus or greek yogurt
Have you’ve seen #celeryjuice across Instagram?
-
Tomatoes – one medium tomato provides 1/2 cup water
Tomatoes grown with love at Dassi Family Farm
This summer, we’ve been infusing our water with fruits and veggies and it’s almost totally replaced drinking anything else at home.
Opening up the refrigerator and seeing a beautiful pitcher of chilled water filled with strawberry or cucumber slices makes drinking enough water a joy, not a duty.
Eating water-rich fruits and veggies every day will help us stay hydrated
Health experts recommend drinking several glasses of water per day, but the water content of foods is often overlooked.
While drinking water is important, we can get a lot of water just by including a variety of water-rich fruits, vegetables in our diet.
One important point – make sure you’re using produce with no pesticides – especially if you’re including the peels.
So the bottom line is that as long as we choose plenty of water-rich foods and drink water when we’re thirsty, we’ll stay more alert, flexible, focused, and regular.
I’ll drink to that!
Enjoying summer with fresh orange water on the patio
Check out all the water-rich foods in our farm box this week! Deadline to order is Sunday for delivery the same week.