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By Rebecca Fending
Keeping hydrated during summer is a necessity no matter where you are or who you are. However, for seniors in Florida it’s important to monitor and maintain your hydration given the high temperatures and thick humidity. August’s weather is especially ruthless each year and it won’t be any different in 2020. Here are a few key ways you can keep yourself hydrated in the end-of-summer sun.
Eat your fruits
Being told to “drink water!” is the obvious way to keep hydration levels high, but just plain water can get boring. Not only can fruits be a refreshingly light summer snack, but they can also help keep you hydrated with their high percentages of water by volume. Here’s a list of several different summer fruits to keep you healthy and help you keep your water levels high:
- Watermelon: Of all fruits, watermelons contain the largest amount of water by volume at 92 percent. Watermelon is the perfect healthful summer snack due to its water, vitamin A and C and high amounts of fiber. Not to mention buying a whole watermelon and cutting it yourself is inexpensive and offers a light muscle workout.
- Strawberries: These ruby beauties aren’t just a great addition to a fruit salad or smoothie, they’re also 91 percent water and contain a large amount of antioxidants known as polyphenols. Their high water percentage explains why macerating them (soaking with sugar in order to draw out and create watery juices) for strawberry shortcake works so well in just a matter of hours.
- Cucumbers: I know what you’re thinking, but cucumbers are technically a fruit, and an extremely water dense (91 percent) one at that. They’re also very low in calorie, so they make for an excellent light and hydrating snack.
- Peaches: No wonder peaches are one of the messiest fruit to indulge in: they’re 89 percent water. They also contain high amounts of potassium, a great mineral to replenish on a hot summer day so as to avoid any muscle cramps or pulling.
- Oranges: These sweet treats are, of course, a Florida specialty. An orange’s composition is 88 percent water and incredibly high in vitamin C, a vitamin you can (almost) never have too much of, especially now.
For added flavor and hydration, trying infusing your drinking water with these hydration-dense fruits. Lightly muddle your desired fruits (might I recommend cucumber and watermelon for mild but yummy twist) in the bottom of your glass and pour cool water over top for a deliciously healthy pick-me-up.
Work your veggies in, too
Vegetables also contain an abundance of water in their composition. This makes a salad one of the best ways to fill your stomach and hydrate your body. Here are a few vegetables that are worth adding to your daily diet during hot weather:
- Lettuce: As mentioned above, salads are a healthy and wholesome way to satiate hunger and thirst, especially if you don’t want anything remotely warm for lunch. Its water content is a whopping 96 percent! Another food high in fiber and a number of vitamins and minerals, lettuce is a great touch to any sandwich, burger or as the base of a side salad with a larger meal.
- Zucchini: This veggie is 94 percent water and incredibly versatile when it comes for ways you prepare it. Whether you’re looking to substitute “zoodles” for dietary reasons or make a stir fry with smoked sausage, zucchini, squash and onion as a way to get more water into your diet, zucchini is an excellent, mild vegetable for or with any meal.
- Cauliflower: This veggie has risen in fame within recent years due to its mild taste and easy modifications to make it a low-carb substitute for diet-conscious people. At 92 percent water, it makes a great food to help you consume water no matter how you prepare it.
- Celery: A bit less exciting, but a great vegetable to keep on hand. 92 percent water and offering an excellent crunch to any salad or dip, celery is a dirt cheap snack or added component to your diet. Trying dicing it into tuna salad or chicken salad for an undetected benefit.
Undoubtedly harder to snack on by themselves, vegetables are often paired best with a veggie dip. Try out ours listed in this article to help work more veggies into your daily diet.
Hydrate with your own electrolyte drink
Believe it or not, making your own “Gatorade” is an easy way to stay hydrated, get your vitamins and minerals and use up any fruit and other ordinary ingredients you may have on hand. Not to mention it reduces the plastic waste typical of electrolyte drink bottles, omits the colorful dyes used and won’t spike your blood sugar.
One great recipe for a homemade electrolyte drink comes from Tracey at DontMessWithMama.com. Combine a 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons honey and 1/8 teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt to make your own beverage after sweating or spending an extended amount of time in the sun.
Another quick electrolyte drink comes from keto-culture: combine a can of your favorite unsweetened seltzer water, a two tablespoons apple cider vinegar, a packet of Stevia and a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt. This easy and quick drink helps re-hydrate you by balancing any electrolytes you may have lost. It may not taste as great as a typical electrolyte drink, but it will definitely get the job done- and it won’t bring your blood sugar to incredibly high levels!
When it comes to staying hydrated during warmer weather, water isn’t your only option. Be sure to eat your fruits, veggies and re-hydrate with a homemade electrolyte drink of your chosen flavor combination to keep you active and healthy this summer.
