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By Lisa Drayer, CNN
5 minute read
Updated 8:01 AM EDT, Sat November 2, 2019
According to the old rule of thumb, you're supposed to drink eight glasses of water per day (and some experts recommend even more). That can seem like a daunting task on some days, but here's the catch: You don't have to drink all that water. Roughly 20% of our daily H2O intake comes from solid foods, especially fruits and vegetables. It's still important to drink plenty of water -- especially in the summertime -- but you can also quench your thirst with these 15 hugely hydrating foods, all of which are at least 90% water by weight.
Cucumber This summer veggie -- which has the highest water content of any solid food -- is perfect in salads or sliced up and served with some hummus, says Keri Gans, author of "The Small Change Diet: 10 Steps to a Thinner and Healthier You" and a consultant to Mindbloom, a technology company that makes life-improvement apps. Want to pump up cucumber's hydrating power even more? Try blending it with nonfat yogurt, mint and ice cubes to make cucumber soup.
Water content: 96.7%
Iceberg lettuce Iceberg lettuce tends to get a bad rap, nutrition-wise. Health experts often recommend shunning it in favor of darker greens like spinach or romaine lettuce, which contain higher amounts of fiber and nutrients such as folate and vitamin K.
Water content: 95.6%
It's a different story when it comes to water content, though: Crispy iceberg has the highest of any lettuce, followed by butterhead, green leaf and romaine varieties.
So when the temperature rises, pile iceberg onto sandwiches or use it as a bed for a healthy chicken salad. Even better: Ditch the tortillas and hamburger buns and use iceberg leaves as a wrap for tacos and burgers.
Celery That urban legend about celery having negative calories isn't quite true, but it's pretty close. Like all foods that are high in water, celery has very few calories: just 6 calories per stalk. And its one-two punch of fiber and water helps fill you up and curb your appetite. This lightweight veggie isn't short on nutrition, however. Celery contains folate and vitamins A, C and K. And thanks in part to its high water content, celery neutralizes stomach acid and is often recommended as a natural remedy for heartburn and acid reflux.
Water content: 95.4%
Radishes These refreshing root vegetables should be a fixture in your spring and summer salads. They provide a burst of spicy-sweet flavor -- and color! -- in a small package, and more important, they're filled with antioxidants such as catechin (also found in green tea). A crunchy texture also makes radishes a perfect addition to healthy summer coleslaw, with no mayo required. Slice them up with shredded cabbage and carrots, sliced snow peas, and chopped hazelnuts and parsley, and toss with poppy seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Water content: 95.3%
Tomatoes Sliced and diced tomatoes will always be a mainstay of salads, sauces and sandwiches, but don't forget about sweet cherry and grape varieties, which make an excellent hydrating snack, Gans says. "They're great to just pop in your mouth, maybe with some nuts or some low-sodium cheese," she says. "You get this great explosion of flavor when you bite into them." Having friends over? Skewer grape tomatoes, basil leaves and small chunks of mozzarella on toothpicks for a quick and easy appetizer.
Water content: 94.5%
Green peppers Bell peppers of all shades have a high water content, but green peppers lead the pack, just edging out the red and yellow varieties (which are about 92% water). And contrary to popular belief, green peppers contain just as many antioxidants as their slightly sweeter siblings. Peppers are a great pre-dinner or late-night snack, Gans says. "We tell people to munch on veggies when they have a craving, but a lot of people get bored of carrots and celery pretty quickly," she says. "Peppers are great to slice up when you get home from work, while you're making or waiting for dinner."
Water content: 93.9%
Cauliflower Don't let cauliflower's pale complexion fool you: In addition to having lots of water, these unassuming florets are packed with vitamins and phytonutrients that have been shown to help lower cholesterol and fight cancer, including breast cancer. (A 2012 study of breast cancer patients by Vanderbilt University researchers found that eating cruciferous veggies like cauliflower was associated with a lower risk of dying from the disease or seeing a recurrence.) "Break them up and add them to a salad for a satisfying crunch," Gans suggests. "You can even skip the croutons!"
Water content: 92.1%
Watermelon It's fairly obvious that watermelon is full of, well, water, but this juicy melon is also among the richest sources of lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant found in red fruits and vegetables. In fact, watermelon contains more lycopene than raw tomatoes: about 12 milligrams per wedge, versus 3 milligrams per medium tomato. Although this melon is plenty hydrating on its own, Gans loves to mix it with water in the summertime. "Keep a water pitcher in the fridge with watermelon cubes in the bottom," she says. "It's really refreshing and a great incentive to drink more water overall."
Water content: 91.5%
Spinach Iceberg lettuce may have a higher water content, but spinach is usually a better bet overall. Piling raw spinach leaves on your sandwich or salad provides nearly as much built-in hydration, with an added nutritional punch. Spinach is rich in lutein, potassium, fiber and brain-boosting folate, and just one cup of raw leaves contains 15% of your daily intake of vitamin E, an important antioxidant for fighting off the damaging molecules known as free radicals.
Water content: 91.4%
Star fruit This tropical fruit, also known as carambola, comes in sweet and tart varieties and has a juicy texture similar to pineapple. Its eye-catching shape looks great in a fruit salad or as an edible garnish on the rim of a summer co*cktail. As a bonus, it's rich in antioxidants, especially epicatechin, a heart-healthy compound also found in red wine, dark chocolate and green tea. One note of caution: People with kidney problems should avoid star fruit because of its high levels of oxalic acid.
Water content: 91.4%
Strawberries All berries are good foods for hydration, but juicy red strawberries are easily the best of the bunch. Raspberries and blueberries both hover around 85% water, and blackberries are only slightly better at 88.2%. "I love strawberries blended in a smoothie or mixed with plain nonfat yogurt, another hydrating food," Gans says. Strawberries add natural sweetness to the yogurt, she adds, and the combo of carbohydrates, fiber and protein make a great post-workout recovery snack.
Water content: 91.0%
Broccoli Like its cousin cauliflower, raw broccoli adds a satisfying crunch to a salad. But its nutritional profile -- lots of fiber, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin C -- is slightly more impressive. What's more, broccoli is the only cruciferous vegetable (a category that contains cabbage and kale, in addition to cauliflower) with a significant amount of sulforaphane, a potent compound that boosts the body's protective enzymes and flushes out cancer-causing chemicals.
Water content: 90.7%
Grapefruit This juicy, tangy citrus fruit can help lower cholesterol and shrink your waistline, research suggests. In one study, people who ate one grapefruit a day lowered their bad (LDL) cholesterol by 15.5% and their triglycerides by 27%. In another, eating half a grapefruit -- roughly 40 calories -- before each meal helped dieters lose about 3½ pounds over 12 weeks. Researchers say compounds in the fruit help fuel fat burn and stabilize blood sugar, therefore helping to reduce cravings.
Water content: 90.5%
Baby carrots A carrot's a carrot, right? Not when it comes to water content. As it turns out, the baby-size carrots that have become a staple in supermarkets and lunchboxes contain more water than full-size carrots (which are merely 88.3% water). The ready-to-eat convenience factor is hard to top, as well. Snack on them right out of the bag, dip them in hummus or guacamole, or -- for a bit of added crunch and bright orange color -- chop them up and add them to salads or salsas.
Water content: 90.4%
Cantaloupe This succulent melon provides a big nutritional payoff for very few calories. One 6-ounce serving -- about one-quarter of a melon -- contains just 50 calories but delivers a full 100% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A.
Water content: 90.2%
"I love cantaloupe as a dessert," Gans says. "If you've got a sweet tooth, it will definitely satisfy." Tired of plain old raw fruit? Blend cantaloupe with yogurt and freeze it into sherbet, or puree it with orange juice and mint to make a refreshing soup.
Foods that keep you hydrated
Story highlights
When soup is eaten before a meal, it helps you eat fewer calories the entire meal, studies show
Binding water into food slows down gastric emptying, keeping your stomach fuller for longer
CNN —
When I first heard of “souping,” it brought me back to my clinical days working in a hospital, where pureed soups and other easy to digest foods – also known as “full liquids” – would be prescribed for patients recovering from gastrointestinal surgery, or those who had difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Then I reflected upon how much I regularly enjoy soup, especially for the comfort it provides on cold, dreary days – even though, thankfully, I have no health issues that would require such an easily digestible meal. Soup is often my go-to in the winter, especially varieties made with beans or skinless chicken, nutritious veggies, noodles and tasty broth. And I’ve always liked the fact that even though I feel full and satisfied after a bowl of broth, it’s not like the fullness I experience after eating a bowl of pasta.
Among nutritionists, I’m not alone in my feelings about this comforting, filling, yet not-so-high calorie food. “Soup can be a healthy and delicious way to create balance after a season of heavy meals or even a particularly indulgent weekend,” said Robin Foroutan, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It gives your digestive system a chance to reboot and de-bloat.”
Regularly eating soup might help you shed some unwanted pounds, too. Several studies have shown that when soup is eaten before a meal, it fills you up and helps you eat fewer calories for the entire meal. In one study, when people consumed soup for a snack instead of chips and pretzels, they lost 50% more weight – even though both the soup and snacks, as well as the total day’s diet, had the same amount of calories.
What’s the slimming secret of soup? Binding water into food slows down gastric emptying, keeping your stomach fuller for longer, according to Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University who has authored studies on soup and its effects on satiety, and wrote “The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet.” Plus, she added, “the water in soup adds weight and volume so that you can have a satisfying amount without too many calories.”
The ‘souping’ trend
The weight loss benefits of soup have led to soup cleansing – a trend that has become increasingly popular over the last few years. In fact, according to Pinterest, “souping” is one of the top 10 food trends for 2018.
And unlike juicing, which removes fiber from fruit, soup can help to stabilize blood sugar for more sustained energy, especially when it includes tons of fiber-rich veggies, protein and healthy fat, according to Foroutan.
“Soups still contains the whole food, so fiber is still intact, but it’s easier to digest because it’s cooked,” said Foroutan. Juice is high in phytonutrients and antioxidants, but if it’s made from all fruit, it can be very high in sugars (even though they’re natural sugars), and this can cause one’s blood sugar to spike and drop, which can lead to feeling more tired overall, she explained.
Don’t know how to get started? Companies such as Splendid Spoon, Soupure and Los Angeles-serving Soupelina take the guesswork away by offering consumers various soup-based meal plans which can be delivered directly to your doorstep.
For example, a single souping cleanse day on Splendid Spoon includes five soups, such as beet balsamic bisque, fennel consommé, cauliflower coconut, butternut turmeric and red lentil dal. After the cleanse, you continue the week-long plan with the company’s breakfasts and lunches for five days, which include smoothies and bowls. Dinner is your choice. Day 7 is a “wander day” to enjoy eating as you typically would.
The convenience factor of soup delivery is a big draw for those with busy schedules.
“I choose my order, it comes delivered to my apartment and all I need to do is heat it up. I never have to worry about eating or having a bad meal,” said Morgan Hagney, who was in the throes of grad school and working full time when she started souping with Splendid Spoon about a year ago. “The recipes are delicious. They offer a variety of choices no matter the time of year, my mood or hunger level.”
Soupure offers soup only packages, like a three-day soup-only cleanse that includes kale minestrone and pumpkin miso, along with chicken or beef broth. But you can also get soups a la carte. “Many of our regulars have made souping part of their regular diet, and they cleanse on a regular basis or they simply incorporate soup into their regular everyday diet as a meal replacement,” said Soupure founder Vivienne Vella.
Customers of Soupure and Splendid Spoon say the programs have helped them maintain healthier, more nutritious diets, and lose weight, too.
Calorie check
Soup cleanses tend to have fewer calories than what you would eat on a typical day, which helps to explain how pounds may drop quickly for some. For example, calories for the cleanse day on Splendid Spoon range from 800 to 950, and breakfasts and lunches on the following five days contain approximately 300 calories per meal. On Soupure, cleanses range from 1,000 to 1,200 calories per day, depending on the type of cleanse you choose. Such a low amount could leave you irritable and hungry.
“It could be too low in calories for some people, but you can always add more to the soup or have an extra serving,” said Foroutan. “Plus, it’s the quality of the calories that count.” They key, she said, is to include a lot of vegetables, herbs and spices, along with protein such as lentils, beans or tofu for vegetarian options, or chicken, fish and bone broth for omnivores and flexitarians.
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Foroutan said having only soup for a few days or only soup for dinner for a week is fine – she even does it herself – as long as you pay attention to your body and listen to its cues.
She often finds herself souping periodically in the winter, from a variety of soups made in her kitchen.
“I love homemade miso soup with bok choy, napa cabbage, seaweed and shiitake mushrooms; kale and white bean soup with turmeric, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, onion, crushed tomato, celery and carrots, which I sometimes top with organic spicy chicken sausage; my veggie ‘detox’ soup with kale, daikon radish, celery, bok choy, broccoli and turmeric; and even a simple broth with whichever vegetables are in my fridge simmered in organic bone broth. The options are endless.”
Lisa Drayer is a nutritionist, an author and a CNN health and nutrition contributor.
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