Everyone has heard, “drink your water”. In fact, we are told to drink at least eight glasses of Clean Water For Your Health daily. Sometimes just thinking about that much water will fill you up. While it is not always easy or enjoyable to drink all that water, there are other ways to infuse water into your diet and body.
Pure Water
The best possible way to have the cleanest water for you and your family is using a water purification system,there are several types one is reverse osmoses or the traditional water softener they both work using city or well water.The size of your home will be a factor in deciding what size unit you need to provide you with the cleanest water possible.
Now that we know why water especially clean water is important to your health the proper foods can also help fill the role of getting hydrated so let’s go over those.
Water soluble foods are a great way to get moisture into our bodies as well as nutrients. It is estimated that approximately 20% of daily water intake comes from the foods we eat. This is mainly through fruits and vegetables.
You may be wondering, what does all this have to do with dieting and losing weight? Water is needed to hydrate our bodies in order for the muscles and organs to function properly. When all parts are well lubed, our metabolism works better. It is estimated that a well-hydrated body burns calories 3% faster, which in turn aids in weight loss. No matter how hydrated our bodies are, we still need to pay attention to the number of calories we intake.
Healthy water rich foods
Most water soluble foods are also lower in calories. This means we can enjoy these foods while hydrating our body. Eight glasses of water has been the rule of thumb for hydration and we still need to drink water. If you have trouble drinking that much water, supplement with these foods.
Cucumbers have one of the highest water contents of all foods at 96.7%. Think about that, you are basically drinking your snack. Sliced they are great for dipping, maybe with hummus or other vegetable spreads. Chilled cucumber soup is one way to cool off and hydrate during the hot summer months.
Over the last few years, iceberg lettuce has been pushed aside for the hipper spinach, kale, romaine, or other dark greens. One thing iceberg has that the others don’t is plenty water. Iceberg lettuce is 95.6% water. Use it as a bed for salads or combine with those other trendier dark greens. Iceberg can be used for wraps instead of tortillas, one way to cut calories.
How about a dual action food – celery. While celery is 95.4% water, it is also high in fiber with a stalk approximately six calories. It is crunchy and takes some chewing so you feel like you are eating a manly food. Add it to salads, as a dipping veggie, or grab a stalk for a snack.
A fruit high in water and one that can also satisfy your sweet tooth is strawberries. While all berries contain large amounts of water, strawberries have the highest percent at 91. This fruit is versatile and can be eaten whole as a snack, combined in a smoothie, or added to a salad.
There are many other high water soluble fruits and vegetables that can be eaten alone or combined with other foods. One thing to remember, when using these fruits and vegetables as a dipping agent make sure your dip is not calorie laden. You want the moisture but not be overloaded with caloric intake.
If you are having trouble drinking your eight glasses of water each day, don’t fret. Drink some of your water by eating high water soluble low calorie foods and watch the results.