The Foods That Keep You Hydrated [View all]

No paywall link to NY Times article below.

I posted this because I listened to a radio program about how people in arid countries get the necessary amount of liquid in their diet. I didn't think too many people would listen to the program, but now the NY Times has an article about it which has essentially the same info.

I have trouble drinking the required 8 glasses a day (article says there is no evidence that we need to drink that much). Turns out you can prevent dehydration with fruits and vegetables, too.


Water doesn’t have to come in eight 8-ounce glasses daily. Fresh fruits and vegetables, and various beverages, are viable sources of hydration.

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Fresh fruits and vegetables are ideal sources because not only do they tend to hold high water content, but they also have fiber, which provides other benefits for your diet and health. Melons, such as watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe, are especially juicy. Strawberries, oranges, grapes, cucumbers and celery are also packed with water.

Beverages of all sorts can be hydrating. Juice, milk, tea and coffee each contain fluids that your body can use. Drinks with high sugar content may not be the best nutritional choice, but research shows that sugar-sweetened beverages are just as good as water at delivering fluids to your system. In the heat of summer, of course, frozen desserts like ice pops and sorbets are handy vessels for liquid consumption.

“You can achieve, and exceed, your daily fluid requirements through the ingestion of beverages and high moisture foods without drinking a single glass of plain water,” Dr. Hew-Butler said in an email.

Caffeinated drinks can be hydrating, too. Though caffeine is often deemed a diuretic, or dehydrating substance, research shows that consuming coffee or other caffeinated beverages has about the same hydrating or dehydrating effects as if you just drank water — especially if you’re a regular caffeine consumer.

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No paywall link.