Hydration and Your Diet

Summer is here, and while the sun is high in the sky and more time is being spent outdoors, it’s essential to remember the importance of staying hydrated. Dehydration happens when your body doesn’t have enough water to function properly and symptoms of dehydration can be scary and can include extreme thirst, dry mouth, headache, little or no urine, confusion, dizziness or lightheadedness. Recognizing these symptoms is important to preventing major complications. Providing your body with the proper water intake is essential to maintaining your health.

Water serves multiple purposes to assist the body in functioning properly. It is the primary building block of cells and it acts as a shock absorber, insulating the brain, spinal cord, and organs. Water is used to flush waste and toxins from the body and lubricates joints, as well as numerous other purposes.

It’s important to make sure that you are consuming enough water, and the recommended amount of ounces to drink daily is your body weight divided in half. On average, this is usually eight glasses of water per day and remembering to drink water on an empty stomach is important for proper absorption and making sure you have the purest water available is essential.

The human body consists of about 60% water, and drinking enough pure water throughout the day is important, but you can also receive part of your daily water intake by consuming hydrating fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s natural to start desiring more hydrating fruits and vegetables this time of year as they are being harvested fresh from the garden. Eating foods with a high water content can help you stay hydrated as well as provide your body with nutrients.

Here are 10 hydrating foods to consider incorporating:

1. Cucumbers
2. Lettuce
3. Celery
4. Chinese Cabbage
5. Radish
6. Zucchini & Squash
7. Tomatoes
8. Bell Pepper
9. Asparagus
10. Broccoli

Remember to make buying organic fruits and vegetables a priority. Organic foods have more beneficial nutrients and antioxidant properties compared to non-organic foods and organic farming is better for the environment.

One of the easiest ways to buy the freshest fruits and vegetables that are in season is to visit your local farmers market. Get to know the farmers who are growing your food and ask them questions. Many farmers often grow their produce with organic farming methods, but have not been officially “labeled” organic. Making the connection between the foods that you are eating and who is growing them helps people develop a healthy relationship with food, allowing them to appreciate and respect that food is not indispensable and this can improve the way people eat as well as their overall health.

Article by Andrea Nison