Stay Hydrated and Fresh: Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

by Rebekah Severson, age 15

Almost every kid has been told to eat his or her veggies. Why? Because they are good for you. We all know this, but may not realize that a big benefit of veggies is their water content.

Water makes up at least 90 percent of many vegetables – and fruits. Knowing this, the goal of drinking eight glasses of water per day seems much more attainable.

With the highest water content of any raw fruit or veggie, the cucumber cannot be beat. Containing 96.7 percent water, the vegetable is always refreshing. Keri Gans, a nutrition and health consultant suggests cucumber soup.

“Soup is always hydrating, but you may not want to eat something hot in the summertime. Chilled cucumber soup, on the other hand, is so refreshing and delicious any time of year,” says Gans. It is an excellent way to increase your water intake.

Another high water content veggie is celery, which is 95.4 percent water by weight; but it’s not just the water that makes it so beneficial. Celery also contains folate and vitamins A, C, and at just six calories a stock. It is a great natural antidote for heartburn and acid reflux, due to its ability to neutralize stomach acid before it acts up.

Some other hydrating vegetables include radishes, with 95.3 percent; tomatoes, with 94.5 percent; and green peppers, with 93.9 percent.

Although veggies dominate the field in hydrating power, fruit is another effective way to boost your water intake. Grapefruit is a hydrating fruit, with a water content of 90.5 percent. Eating it can be a great way to lose weight and help lower bad cholesterol.  According to researchers, compounds found in grapefruit help burn fat and stabilize blood sugar, which can then help curtail cravings.

The fruit with the highest water content is watermelon, with 91.5%. One of its major health benefits is its antioxidant, lycopene, which has been linked to the prevention of cancer. Lycopene is found in red fruits and vegetables, and watermelon contains more of it than even raw tomatoes. Overall, eating watermelon is a key way to stay healthy.

Nutrient- filled fruits and veggies have seemingly never-ending benefits for health, and when you add H2O to this equation, there is no way to deny the necessity of eating them more often.


[Source: CNN ]

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