We all know it’s important to drink plenty of fluids when it’s hot outside, but what you eat matters too.  When you become dehydrated, your body loses electrolytes in addition to water which can cause you to feel constipated, weak, dizzy, confused, and can cause drastic changes in mood and behavior.

“Our bodies are made up of more than half water and we use it for pretty much every bodily function — from regulating body temperature to removing waste to lubricating joints to carrying oxygen to the cells.” says Rachel Berman, a registered dietician and senior director of content at Verywell.

In addition to these six delicious foods that help meet your every day hydration needs, Shape Magazine adds 25 additional foods that help keep you hydrated when temperatures and humidity rise and you are losing your body’s water stores through a rise in body temperature and increased sweating as your body attempts to cool itself down.

1. Cucumbers:  Primarily made up of water but also contains vitamin C and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling;
2. Mixed Greens: Most lettuce greens contain 94% water, making it a low-energy density food. In other words, you’ll feel fuller on fewer calories and lose weight faster;
3. Tomato Sauce:  Most store-bought tomato sauces are about 90% water. Plus, one 1/2 cup serving of tomato sauce has only 50 calories and 0 grams of fat;
4. Chicken Noodle Soup:  Each cup has about 840 milligrams of sodium to help you retain the broth and 14 grams of carbohydrates to help you absorb it
5. Eggplant:  They’re high in fiber and water but low in calories. Due to sponge-like texture it absorbs oil, so avoid preparations that include frying;
6. Applesauce:  Unsweetened, natural applesauce is the best;
7. Cantaloupe:  Packed with flavor, 90% water but just 56 calories per cup. One cup of cantaloupe also provides 103.2 percent of the daily value for vitamin A;
8. Fruit Juice Popsicles:  They refill your fluids, cool you down, and boost energy;
9. Bell Peppers:  92% water, and rich sources of  vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, beta carotene, and folic acid;
10. Pears:  6 grams of soluble fiber, which helps you feel fuller longer, which means it can help you lose weight;
11. Romaine Lettuce:  Slightly less water content than iceberg lettuce, but 3 times more folate, 6 times more vitamin C, and 8 times the beta-carotene;
12. Carrots:  87% water and more of the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene than any other vegetable or fruit. Studies have found that compounds in carrots help protect against skin, lung and oral cavity cancers;
13. Mangoes:  135 calories and they’re a good source of vitamins A, B6, and C, plus fiber;
14. Apples:  Linked to lower cholesterol levels, weight loss and preventing a host of chronic health woes—cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and even certain cancers;
15. Grapefruit:  According to researchers at Scripps Clinic in California, the chemical properties of grapefruit lower insulin levels and help control appetite, which can lead to weight loss;
16. Yogurt: With a substantial amount of potassium and sodium, it can help replace the lost electrolytes and re-energize your body;
17. Naval Oranges:  Oranges are 87% water and contain more than 100% RDA of Vitamin C;
18. Raw Broccoli: 91% water, Vitamin C, fiber, calcium, and few calories;
19. Raspberries:  More fiber (8 grams per cup) than any other commonly consumed berry. Plus, they’re packed with ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant that is thought to help prevent and fight cancer (particularly skin, breast, lung, bladder and esophagus);
20. Celery:  96% water, but it also provides a combination of mineral salts, amino acids and vitamins that research shows may hydrate your body twice as effectively as a glass of water;
21. Wild Blueberries:  Studies link blueberries to everything from cancer prevention and better heart health, to anti-aging and improved eyesight;
22. Raw Spinach:  At seven calories per cup, hydrating spinach is undeniably a great food to fill up on when you want to lose weight. One cup provides more then 50 percent of your daily vitamin A needs, as well as being high in protein and vitamin C;
23. Red Seedless Grapes:  The skins of red grapes contain resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to reduce risk for heart disease;
24. Sugar Free Jello:  Sugar-free Jell-O is low in calories, sweet, and refreshing;
25. Kiwifruit:  56 calories and 20 percent more vitamin C than an orange.

With all of these tasty choices, many of which that can be found year round (or frozen when bought in season) or at least bought online or frozen from Whole Foods, Sprouts and other organic type grocers when they aren’t, being uninspired by water is no reason to allow yourself to become dehydrated.

If you suffer from an allergy, have a truly impossible reason that you have difficulty finding many of these fruits, or just don’t care for many of these choices, you can always flavor plain water with any one of these items (or a combination) that satisfies your tastebuds like:

• Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Grapefruits or other Citrus;
• Mint
• Cucumber
• Sliced Grapes
• Any type of Berry
• Herbal Tea (Hot or Cold)
• Gatorade or any other sport drink type drink mix packet
• Crystal light or other zero calorie drink flavor additive
• Anything else you can think of that doesn’t add tremendous sweetness or calories and weigh down the refreshment of the water

Cheers to healthy hydration!

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