15 Hydrating Foods

Getting enough water every day doesn’t have to come only from liquids. Eating hydrating foods can help you maintain your body’s water balance, which is essential for good health. This article will take a look at how to increase your daily water intake with 15 choices of healthy and tasty foods.

Should You Get Water From Foods?

Nutrition guidelines recommend a total water intake of 11.5 cups for women and 15.5 cups for men. However, this guideline assumes you get about 20% of this water amount from food, or about 18 ounces (2.25 cups) for women and 25 ounces (a little over 3 cups) for men. Food is a great way to increase your hydration levels.

Why Is Hydration Important?

Staying hydrated is essential to health. Adequate hydration has the following benefits:

• Regulates body temperature
• Lubricates joints
• Carries nutrients to the system
• Maintains organ function
• Can help with mood, cognitive function, and sleep

15 Hydrating Foods

Enjoy these foods with high water content.

Cucumber

Cucumbers are 96% water, and pickled cucumbers are not far behind at 95%. They are not a great nutrient source, but the water in cucumbers contributes to your daily hydration needs.

Cucumbers are good for more than just chopping into salads as an afterthought, including:

• Make cucumbers the centerpiece of a salad by adding fresh dill and a creamy dressing (such as ranch).
• Make an Asian-style salad with cucumbers and a dash of sesame oil, soy, and honey dressing, topped with sesame seeds.
• Thinly slice cucumbers to add to a sandwich.
• Add cucumber to bean salad or a Mexican corn salad with cotija cheese, lime, and cilantro.

Iceberg Lettuce

It isn’t called “iceberg” for nothing—this familiar form of salad green is 95.6% water. Though iceberg lettuce is not packed with nutrients. Two cups of chopped lettuce contain 16 calories and 20 milligrams (mg) of calcium, while the recommended daily calcium intake is 1,000 mg for adults before menopause.

For low-calorie, crunchy, fresh-tasting iceberg lettuce options, try:

• Wedge salads with cheese or a protein, iceberg lettuce, and cabbage slaw
• Iceberg lettuce stir-fried with shallots or thin-sliced onions
• In Asian-style wraps with satay chicken or beef, topped with a few chopped peanuts

Celery

Celery is 95% water and full of fiber, which aids digestion. Its satisfying crunch and ease of use make it a great go-to snack with a dip. Sautéed celery, along with carrots and onion, is part of the basic foundation of flavor enhancers for many French dishes, called mirepoix.

Ways to enjoy celery include:

• Sauté or braise celery, or add it to a stir-fry.
• Make a celery soup with garlic and potatoes sautéed in olive oil, broth (also hydrating), and herbs.
• Use celery in cold salads like pasta, kale, or chicken salad.

Radishes

Radishes are a root vegetable (specifically a taproot) full of peppery flavor, vitamin C, and fiber. They are also 95% water.

Some of the ways to use radishes include:

• Slice them paper thin and add them to salads.
• Grate them or use them with carrots for a slaw.
• Make them the centerpiece of a salad topped with sour cream and dill-based dressing to contrast with their sharpness.
• Roast them whole drizzled in butter or olive oil with garlic.

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine lettuce is a mild, slightly earthy lettuce that is 95% water. Despite the similar look, romaine is a different type of lettuce than iceberg, and it’s higher in nutrients. It’s a source of vitamins K and C, plus folate and fiber.

Explore ways to use romaine, such as:

• Romaine can take the heat from cooking better than iceberg can. Slice them lengthwise, baste them with a bit of olive oil, season, and grill them.
• Romaine pairs well in a simple salad with lemon and grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese.
• Romaine is delicious sautéed with lemon and garlic.

Zucchini

Zucchini, a form of summer squash, comes in at 94.8% water. It provides a host of nutrients, including fiber, vitamin A, manganese, and vitamin C. Zucchini also has a low calorie count of 19 calories per cup.

Zucchini can be hearty enough to form a main ingredient, as follows:

• Slice zucchini lengthwise, brush with olive oil, top with panko and grated cheese drizzled with a touch more oil, and bake.
• Make zucchini fritters, and serve them with sour cream or yogurt sauce.
• Consider a zucchini casserole.
• Thinly slice and roll them with spinach and ricotta cheese.
• As a pasta alternative, thinly slice them into zucchini noodles.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a high water content of 94%. They contain a good amount of several nutrients, including potassium, vitamin C, and folate (folate is necessary for fetal brain and spine development in pregnancy). Tomatoes also contain antioxidants (which help prevent cell damage), including lycopene and beta-carotene.

The versatile tomato adds sweetness, umami (meaty or earthy taste), acid, or savory notes to dishes. Consider these options:

• Make a caprese salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.
• Enjoy canned or homemade tomato soup.
• Use a tomato-based sauce for pasta or other dishes.
• Put fresh tomato slices on sandwiches or wedges in salad.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are 94% water and add a fresh, bright taste to many dishes. They contain plenty of fiber, are an excellent source of vitamin C, and offer other vitamins and minerals like vitamins E and K, potassium, and folate.

Bell peppers can be red, orange, yellow, or green. Unripened bell peppers are green and have a somewhat bitter taste. Bell peppers, especially the green ones, go well with roasted meats. You can use them in many ways:

• Bake bell peppers stuffed with spiced ground meat and topped with shredded, mixed cheese.
• Bell peppers are a key addition to fajitas, whether you’re making shrimp, chicken, or beef.
• Top a homemade pizza with bell pepper and sausage.

Asparagus

Asparagus, the young shoots of a perennial plant, is 93% water. The spears are low-calorie and healthy, containing 27 calories per cup when raw, plus fiber, folate, and vitamins K, C, and A. Asparagus is high in antioxidants. Just-cooked, tender fresh asparagus has an earthy or grassy taste.

Asparagus is quick to prepare and goes well with many other foods.

• Add asparagus to a frittata.
• Make asparagus, leek and potato soup.
• Try a pea, farro, and asparagus side dish with a little feta cheese and some mint.
• Roast asparagus with a little lemon and olive oil, and serve with broiled salmon or scallops.

Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms are 92% water. They are very low in fat and calories, with just 19 calories per cup raw and diced. Their nutrients include B vitamins, phosphorus, copper, and potassium. Mushrooms are the only plant food from which you can get vitamin D, but only when they are grown under ultraviolet light rather than in a darkened area.

Think of portobellos as a great meat alternative. Their umami flavor and dense texture are highly satisfying. Try these options:

• A grilled portobello mushroom on ciabatta, with some melted cheese and chopped lettuce, is filling and delicious.
• You can stuff them with a mix of finely diced veggies and goat cheese, top with breadcrumbs, and bake them.
• They hold up well when sliced and sautéed, making a delicious side dish.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a delicious way to hydrate, containing 92% water. It’s a good source of vitamin C and many other antioxidants, including lycopene and carotenoids.

Few treats beat watermelon all on its own on a hot day, but consider these options:

• Try a dish of watermelon, feta, and mint.
• Make watermelon ice or popsicles
• Mix watermelon with other melons and add a dash of lime juice
• Add watermelon to a grain bowl with avocado, veggies, nuts, and fresh herbs.

Spinach

Spinach is 92% water, and it packs a nutrient punch. It’s high in fiber, which promotes healthy digestion, and vitamins A, C, and K, plus folate, calcium, and iron.

Ideas for enjoying spinach include:

• Lightly sauté spinach with a little butter, and sprinkle with Parmesan and lemon for a great side dish.
• Use spinach in a soufflé, quiche, omelet, or scrambled eggs
• Add spinach to soups such as lentil soup.
• Spinach salads are endlessly versatile.

Strawberries

Strawberries, which are 91% water, can make sweet treats something special and contribute to your water intake.

Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, and fiber. They contain antioxidants like anthocyanin, which is associated with heart health, and are high in phenolic antioxidants which may also protect against heart disease, as well as cancer and some inflammatory diseases.

Ways to enjoy strawberries include:

• Strawberries are delicious in cobblers, trifles, and crisps.
• Add them to a fruit salad.
• Top pancakes, oatmeal, or granola with strawberries.
• Go beyond dessert and add them to a salad of arugula with a few walnuts or pecans and feta cheese, drizzled with a honey-mustard dressing.

Nonfat Milk

If you are a milk drinker, nonfat (or skim) milk is 91% water. Nonfat milk contains calcium just like full-fat milk, and 1 cup supplies 23% of the daily recommended amount. It also contains phosphorus. The vitamin D is added back during processing since it is lost when the fat is removed.

Ideas besides simply drinking nonfat milk include:

• You can make ice “cream” with nonfat milk, which has larger ice crystals and a less creamy texture, but plenty of taste.
• Use nonfat milk to make smoothies for breakfast.

Broccoli

Broccoli, which is 90% water, is also packed with nutrients. It supplies vitamins C and K, folate, iron, potassium, and fiber. Among the antioxidants in broccoli are carotenoids and quercetin.

Ways to enjoy broccoli include:

• Roast bite-size pieces of broccoli drizzled with olive oil.
• Add broccoli to a stir-fry or pasta.
• Combine broccoli with fruits like oranges and apples for a bright and satisfying salad.
• Make broccoli and cheddar soup for a hearty winter meal.

When to Boost Your Intake of Hydrating Foods

Staying hydrated every day is important, but some days, it may take a bit more effort than others. Sweating during exercise or on hot days depletes your body’s water supply. Being sick with a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea is also dehydrating.

Boost your intake of water and hydrating foods on those days. Watch for signs of dehydration, which include:

• Dark urine
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Less frequent urination
• Less perspiration
• Persistent thirst

Summary

Staying hydrated is an important part of staying healthy, but you can get some of the water you need through food. Certain fruits and vegetables deliver substantial amounts of water and have the extra benefit of containing nutrients and making your meals delicious and hydrating.