Hydrate with These Watery Fruits and Vegetables

By Helen

Summer may be over, but as the air gets cooler, it also gets drier. Hydration is as important as ever! In fifth grade, we learned that the human body is primarily made up of fluids. Yet, here we are, adults, and we still don't fully understand what that means. If we truly did understand it, we'd all be following a much different diet, and processed foods and fast food restaurants would be a thing of the past.

The Human Body

The human body is made up of between 70 and 80 percent water. Naturally, if our bodies are composed of mostly liquids, in order to properly maintain the correct liquid levels within the body, we should feed our bodies plenty of liquids, right? Notice the emphasis is on liquids, not necessarily water. While a woman requires approximately nine glasses of liquid per day to replenish liquids lost through natural bodily functions, men require approximately 12. But if we're being honest, we'd probably have to admit that it's a rare day, indeed, when we put that same amount of liquid back into the body through water or other liquids.

That's where food comes into play. The magic eight glass of water per day takes care of the majority of it. The rest must come from the foods we eat. In order to get the remaining two to four cups of liquid, it's important to hydrate with foods that are high in water content as well as antioxidants and nutrition.

Fruits and Vegetables

We require fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Because not all fruits and vegetables have the same liquid or water content, it's important to know your foods inside and out. The food with the highest water content is the tomato. Ninety-seven percent of this vegetable is water. The rest is filled with antioxidants, vitamins and delicious nutrition. In comparison, red juicy watermelon is about 93 percent water.

Food and % Water Content:

Tomatoes - 97

Cucumber - 96

Lemon - 96

Zucchini - 95

Celery - 95

Watermelon - 93

Green Cabbage - 93

Cauliflower - 92

Carrots - 92

Red Bell Pepper - 91

Strawberry - 91

Broccoli - 91

Lime - 91

Grapefruit - 90

Peach - 89

Cranberry - 89

Cantaloupe - 89

Tangerine - 88

Apricot - 87

Blackberry - 85

Apple - 84

Food is the building block upon which the body operates. Fruit and vegetables are high in potassium, as well as high in fiber and water, and yet low in calories. If you want to feel even better every day and have even more energy, buy organic fruits and vegetables.

Sources: http://www.thefruitpages.com/contents.shtml http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NAH/is_7_35/ai_n6116720/ http://www.theallineed.com/health/06030906.htm