In addition to drinking fluids, eating for hydration will help you meet your daily water intake needs. In this blog post you will learn about hydrating fruits and veggies and get tons of recipes and ideas on how to eat your water! 

 Because of their high-water content, hydrating fruits and vegetables are extremely low in calories yet offer many different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and more!

Just remember that these ingredients must be eaten raw, as cooking will diminish water content.

This blog’s focus: cucumbers, ice-burg lettuce, celery, radishes, oranges, and apricots. 

Tips to add in raw fruits and veggies:

Track: Use a journal or tracking sheet to log which fruits and veggies you have tried or incorporated into your weekly meal plan.  This gives you a reward immediately to log it, and over time helps you stick with the new habit as you see how far you have come in the tracking process.

Reward: Set a reasonable goal as well. If you currently each only cooked veggies, try adding one raw veggie for the week and focus on that for a few meals. Make the goal 90% doable, so that you are rewarded. You need to build the habit by showing up and just eating one. Over time once you have built the habit, you can expand and perfect it.

Cue: To also help adding a raw fruit or veggie to a meal, you need a cue. If you meal plan, you can make it part of that process. Adding it to your grocery list, then stacking it with putting away the groceries by washing and portioning it for the week. That way it is ready to go in the fridge for when you make a meal or pack a lunch for work or take them as a snack on errands.

Cucumber: 96% water

First on our list of water-rich foods is cucumber! This refreshing veggie can be enjoyed in several ways, from salads to snacks, and even in smoothies and beverages!  It’s an easy add to infused waters.

Skinny Me has a 6-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad that is full of hydrating produce, there is also a scrumptious  Cucumber Melon Detox Drink to try. 

Iceberg lettuce: 96% water     (pictured with Bibb lettuce in first recipe - Bibb lettuce has 95.6 % water)                         

Use iceberg lettuce as a base for a Healthy Wedge Salad or as cups for our Asian Chicken and Veggie Lettuce Wraps.   I love it in my Healthy Taco Salads too, it fills the bowl and makes you feel you are eating a lot.  Iceberg lettuce is a good salad filler, not as much nutritional value as spinach or kale, but it adds volume and helps you eat your water!

 Celery: 95% water

This crunchy veggie is a favorite healthy snack on most veggie trays or charcutier boards. Dip it into some creamy nut butter and raisons, Skinny Ranch Dip, or  Simple Red Pepper Dip.

Radish: 95% water

 Add to any sandwich - hot or cold to add color, crunch, and extra water! A Chicken and Crisp Veggie Sandwich is so good or make up your own combos like the avocado spread, asparagus, radish with grilled chicken and lettuce! This is more than a “twofer” – I love twofers! You are packing 4 raw veggeis on the grilled chicken sandwich.

You can also enjoy radishes in a salad, like in our Citrus and Spinach Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing.  Shave them as a garnish or add them to any sandwich.  They also add color to a charcutier board!

Orange: 87% water

Oranges are a great source of vitamin C and calcium and are probably one of the most popular ways to eat your water! Oranges and sunshine just seem to go together. That’s particularly true with this classic summertime Skinny Orange Julius!   Or peel an orange and eat is as is.  They are delicious! Blood oranges are my favorite.

Apricot: 86% water

You can snack on apricots by themselves or enjoy them as a salad topper. They add a chewy sweet texture in a Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Salad. 

 Try to incorporate one or more of these foods and recipes this week!  Or modify to suit your personal tastes and idea.

Make the rest of your life the best of your life!

Janelle