Eat Your Water: Design your Diet for Natural Radiance in 4 Simple Steps

Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. Our system needs water to flush out toxins and waste products, lubricate tissues and joints, support normal body temperature, regulate digestion, and so much more. As a bonus, good hydration keeps the skin young and radiant — and who doesn’t want a gorgeous glow?

While water is undoubtedly the best drink to prevent dehydration, drinking eight glasses of it daily may seem like a daunting task to some of us.

The good news?

It doesn’t have to be all about drinking water. Read on and find out how to eat your water instead!

1. Load up on fruits and veggies

Next time you’re feeling thirsty, pile water-rich fruits and vegetables on your plate. Since the water content is as high as 90% in some of them, a significant amount of your daily water intake can come from a variety of fruits and veggies. Aim for hugely hydrating produce such as cucumber, watermelon, celery, grapefruit, radish, spinach, iceberg lettuce, and berries.

If you add more fruits and veggies to your diet, you can enjoy all the health benefits of fibers, vitamins and minerals along with the proper hydration. Your 5-a-day can be good for you in so many ways!

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2. Some of your meals count, too

Surprisingly, fruits, vegetables, and berries are far from the only hydrating foods. Soups and broths are made almost entirely of water and therefore have the potential to be very hydrating. The broths are actually boosting not one, but several aspects of your health since they pack a lot of nutrients while having a low calorie content.

Dairy products can also help you meet your daily hydration needs, being high in both water and nutrients. Plain yogurt is made up of up to 88% water and packs a ton of probiotics to benefit your digestive health! Meat, fish, and poultry dishes can be quite fluid-filled too, and your morning oatmeal is about one-third water. There are plenty of hidden sources of water in your diet!

3. If your skin is still dry, indulge in healthy fats

Everybody knows we need to drink enough water to stay healthy but when it comes to skin health, water alone falls short. Oils come in handy when cooking, but added to your diet they also help the skin cells stay hydrated, making your skin soft and radiant. Among the best oils which help your skin retain moisture are extra virgin olive oil, linseed oil, and walnut oil.

Foods rich in the essential fatty acids such as nuts, seeds, fatty fish, and avocados also help your skin remain hydrated. They also offer some game-changing health benefits!

4. Beverages count!

The water we need daily to maintain our health comes from a number of sources, largely from the beverages we drink.

Water is undoubtedly the best drink to hydrate. But on the other hand, healthy beverages have essential nutrients that water does not, from probiotics to vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Healthy (and more nourishing) alternatives to water are fruit juices, smoothies, milk, tea, coffee, and soft drinks. Each of these drinks has some health benefits to offer!

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Tea and coffee are no longer considered to be dehydrating; they can both tame your thirst and boost your health. Milk is actually a perfect post-workout drink, proven to be better at keeping you hydrated after a workout than both water and sports drinks. And, although low-sugar sodas lack nutritional value compared to natural drinks and infused water, they can still be hydrating.

There are only a few beverages which do more harm than good, namely alcohol (hugely dehydrating) and sports drinks (loaded with sugar and artificial flavors you never asked for).

Ready to Munch on Some Super-Hydrating Foods?

Health experts often recommend drinking eight glasses of water daily to meet your hydration needs, but you can consume a significant part of that water by including a variety of water-rich products in your diet.

If you don’t like the taste of plain water, no problem! Add more watery foods to your regimen and meet your daily hydration needs with less effort… and more delicious foods!