Don't love drinking water? Foods that hydrate better than water!
Even in the dead of winter I've got hydration on my mind, and my mind on hydration.. Too much indoor heat and not enough water can leave skin feeling crepey and tight. Some foods are actually better at hydrating your body than water, which is great if you find it challenging to drink 8 glasses of plain agua a day.
'To be properly hydrated, you need to replace fluid lost from the body with one that's similar to the body's natural composition,' says Dr Susan Shirreffs, exercise physiologist and hydration expert at Loughborough University.
'Watery fruit and vegetables often contain levels of minerals and sugar that mirror this, so they can hydrate you more effectively than water alone.'
Watermelon is a hydration superstar composed of 92 percent water, eight percent sugar and contains essential rehydration salts calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
Watermelon is rich in Vitamin C as well as beta carotene and lycopene which will give the body some protection from UV light. A University of Naples study found that plant chemicals lutein and zeaxanthin - found in fruit such as watermelon and papaya - help hydrate twice as much as water.
Because chia seeds absorb thirty times their weight in water, they help regulate body fluid levels and retain electrolytes, both imoprtant for staying saucy. During times of high indoor heat, chia seeds are a tasty way to prolong hydration.
Other hydrating veggie snacks include celery & cucumber. A crunchy handful of mineral-rich celery sticks replenish levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. These salts help carry the 96 per cent water in which they are dissolved around the body--making them ideal for maximum hydration.
Stay juicy.
-Karen Corbin
