Water keeps your body functional — it regulates your body temperature, delivers nutrients to cells, and eliminates waste. Staying hydrated also supports your mental wellness, improves your sleep, and improves your mood. So, maintaining a normal body water percentage is crucial, especially in summer. But you don’t have to rely solely on drinks to hydrate. Many fruits and vegetables are rich water sources that can boost your hydration.
Foods to Increase Body Water Percentage
You get 80% of your daily water from beverages like coffee, juices, and teas. The other 20% comes from food. Below, we’ll share the top eight water-rich foods you can include in your diet to achieve the ideal body water percentage.
Lettuce (Water Content: 96%)
With 96% water, raw lettuce is our top hydrating food. A cup of lettuce has only 10 calories, but it is high in vitamins K and A, contains fiber and folate, and helps with sleep, vision, and bone strength. You can consume it as a salad or as a wrap instead of a tortilla.
Cucumber (Water Content: 95%)
Cucumbers likely spring to mind as a water-rich food. No surprise — they’re mostly water, with only 8 calories per cup. You can eat large portions of this vegetable and maintain weight and a normal body water percentage.
Cucumbers are also nutrient-rich. They contain potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and an anti-inflammatory substance, fisetin. You can add them to your salads and cooked dishes or snack on cucumber sticks with hummus.
Celery (Water Content: 95%)
This crunchy vegetable is a healthy, hydrating addition to your diet. It’s mostly made of water, and one cup contains 16 calories, making it a great choice if you plan to shed some weight. Celery’s luteolin and apigenin stop certain types of cancer cells from multiplying.
It also provides a significant amount of the micronutrient molybdenum and is high in fiber, vitamin K, potassium, and folate. You can reap most of its benefits if you consume it raw in smoothies, soups, and salads or munch on celery sticks dipped in yogurt or hummus.
Watermelon (Water Content: 92%)
With 92% water, this juicy fruit is a perfect hydration snack. It is one of the most hydrating foods you can find, so consuming it frequently will help you maintain a healthy water weight percentage. This sweet summer treat is also packed with nutrients. It is an excellent source of antioxidants and brings a nice dose of lycopene, vitamin A, magnesium, and vitamin C to the table.
You can use it as a snack, side dish, in salads, or smoothies without stressing about the calorie intake, as large portions of watermelon contain very few calories.
Tomatoes (Water Content: 94%)
While often treated as vegetables in culinary contexts, botanically, tomatoes are fruits with 94% water content. One cup of sliced raw tomatoes is estimated to contain 6 ounces/ 170 grams of water. They are probably the most famous for containing lycopene — a powerful antioxidant that prevents cell damage.
Tomatoes are also rich in fiber and vitamins A and C, and they can potentially lower the risk of heart disease and prostate cancer. You can enjoy them in a sandwich, salad, scrambled eggs, or homemade pasta sauce.
Mushrooms (Water Content: 92%)
It may not look like it, but mushrooms are mostly made up of water. They are also a great source of B vitamins, phosphorus, vitamin D, and selenium. Vitamin B is crucial for your nervous system and skin and reduces tiredness. Portobello mushrooms boast the highest water content, and they’re best eaten raw to get the most water.
Plain Yogurt (Water Content: 88%)
Consuming plain yogurt is beneficial to your health for multiple reasons. Regular intake can help you stay hydrated since yogurt contains 88% water. Plain whole-milk yogurt also abounds in protein and is rich in calcium, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and potassium.
Aside from the hydrating effects, this food promotes weight loss as it suppresses appetite and keeps you full longer. Just make sure you always consume the plain variant since flavored yogurt can contain added sugar.
Cottage Cheese (Water Content: 80%)
Aside from its ability to make you feel full quickly, cottage cheese contains 80% water. Cottage cheese is also a good source of protein, calcium, and selenium, but many people consume it because it is rich in B vitamins essential for bone and brain health. If you are not into eating plain cottage cheese, try mixing it with fruits, eat it with an omelet, or use it as a spread.
Conclusion
So, how much water should you drink daily? Doctors, healthcare advisors, and nutritionists recommend you drink eight glasses per day, which is around 64 ounces/ 1.8 liters. Others think an adult woman must drink 92 ounces/2.7 liters, while men must consume 125 ounces/3.6 liters. Although this seems like a lot, we have explained above that it doesn’t all have to come from drinking plain water.
Water-rich foods improve hydration. Try incorporating as many of them as possible in your diet, put them into smoothies, or even try fruit- and vegetable-infused water.
This journey doesn’t have to be difficult, and you can easily measure your body water weight percentage with the help of the Eros Smart Scale. It is super easy to use, comes with a free app, and can track 12 other body metrics. Order it today, and you’ll never lose track of your optimal hydration level again.
