Reason # 1: Healthy hydration is about the water you hold in the body, not the water you drink that passes straight through.
As we age, our cells lose water. When we are born approximately 75% of our body is water but by the time we reach middle age, our body’s water content can be as low as 50%. So, hydration is not about how much water you drink, but how much water you hold. There’s a lot more to hydration than drinking 8 glasses of water a day. What’s really important is how much of that water reaches your cells, and how your cells use it.
A common recommendation to ensure hydration is to drink water until your urine runs clear. Unfortunately, even most medical professionals are stuck in this simplified mindset. It’s not unusual to put 5 liters of water into somebody’s vein in a matter of hours in the operating room or the emergency room, but unfortunately, that does not necessarily translate into water inside the cell. That, as it turns out, is really a crux of what we call the aging process. Healthy, hydrated cells are the key to beautiful skin and a healthy body.
Most of the water we drink passes right through our body. Think of it. How many times have you decided to start drinking more water and you wind up running to the bathroom all day because it goes right through you? The medical myth that, if you ingest an amount of water or fluids in your body and the urine is clear that you have hydrated the body. In fact, this just shows you that if the urine is clear it means the water has gone into the bloodstream and flushed out through the kidneys without entering the cells, so, cellular hydration has not been achieved.
And that’s the real difference between drinking and eating your water. The ‘drink more water’ health message might have been somewhat over-played. Actually, puffy eyes, swollen ankles and a bloated stomach are signs of a body that is not handling water efficiently. It floats between our cells, ageing us and making us feel fat and sluggish. So, Improving Hydration Does Not Require Drinking More Water.
Reason # 2: Water in fruits and vegetables contain nutrients and structured water to nourish and hydrate our cells.
There’s another problem with drinking large quantities of water in an effort to be hydrated: it tends to deplete the body of important vitamins and minerals because they get flushed out of the body too quickly.
Structured Water occurs naturally in freshwater streams, glacial melt, and in living bodies. Structured water found in fruits and vegetables contains hydrating salts and minerals. And certain plant chemicals like lutein and zeaxanthin help increase hydration even more. The thing that makes the structured water in fruits and vegetables so fantastic is that it mimics our own body fluid composition and can easily slip into our cells and get to work. Because of this, it can be absorbed easily into our cells, instead of getting flushed almost instantly.
In fact, studies show that fruit and vegetables can hydrate the body twice as effectively as a glass of water.
Fiber, which benefits our gut microbiome (The second Brain) is one of the most important mechanisms by which fruits, vegetables and, ultimately, our body, are going to manage water. High moisture content fruits and vegetables contain hydrating salts, minerals, sugars and even protein. They serve as both a meal and a drink.
Reason # 3: When we EAT water, we absorb water more slowly.
When we eat water-rich foods, we absorb water more slowly because it is trapped in the structure of these foods. Water in fruits and vegetables is surrounded by molecules that facilitate the entry of water into cells, which is why it is referred to as cellular water. Cellular water is absorbed slowly, providing you with lasting hydration, so eating water in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep your body hydrated.
That slow absorption means the water in food stays in our bodies longer, and brings a multitude of additional benefits.
Reason # 4: Water-Rich Foods Help Restore Health
Fruits and vegetables contain bioactive compounds or phytochemicals that help reboot metabolism, prevent disease and make you feel great! Bioactive compounds are mainly comprised of polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids and essential oils, which are all plant-derived chemicals that contain outstanding antioxidant properties and are also alkalizing. This minimises acidity in the body, allowing for better joints, bones and tissue repair, and a system that detoxes itself efficiently. Interestingly many water-rich foods are also high in silica giving skin tissue, collagen and elastin a boost, which means less wrinkling and stronger muscles. They are not required for life, but they make you truly healthy.
Think of it like this: You can live on essential nutrients with a feeding tube but it doesn’t mean you are truly alive. Bioactive compounds add spice to your life!
By the way, substituting water-based foods for high-calorie foods is one clever way to subtract calories and fat from your diet and you can pile your plate without feeling guilty or putting on weight. Furthermore, studies show that watery foods keep you feeling fuller for longer. Our body is 70% water and many of the vitamins and minerals we need are water-soluble, so are absorbed better when in solution.
Conclusion: We should actually be eating more water-rich foods and drinking less. Eat a good daily array of water-rich foods, as water-soluble nutrients are not stored by the body and so need to be replenished regularly. The more you increase your intake of moisture rich natural foods, the less additional water intake you will need and the healthier you will become.
IMPORTANCE OF WATER-RICH FOODS
Water has been identified as a vital nutrient in recent times, the nutritional importance of which has remained elusive among the nutrition fraternity due to its ubiquitous nature. Water intake has been stressed upon of late, as its usage has dropped considerably among urban Indians due to hectic lifestyles and erratic work routines. Decreased water intake has a contributing role to play in increasing incidences of obesity, renal stone disorders, cancers, etc. due to the fact that the busy working Indian opts for sweetened, caffeinated, carbonated or synthetic beverages over plain water.
Plain water has never been too appealing to convince people of increasing its intake, despite its numerous health benefits. It’s often the case with most of us and having it just skips the mind. And when we diligently count the number of glasses we drink per day, we may be amazed to find that most of the times it never exceeds beyond 4-5 glasses!!!
Is there a healthy, appealing alternative to this?? Is there a way by which we can ensure that we can fill ourselves with an adequate amount of fluids at the same time provide nutrition to our body??
There is a novel way to induce people to up their fluid intake, apart from drinking plain water. There are several foods called water-rich foods which have water as the major component.
Water-rich foods comprise mainly of fruits and vegetables, which are oozing with antioxidants, vitamins and mineral-rich juices. Staying hydrated doesn’t just have to mean drinking a lot of water— try eating some of these water-rich fruits and veggies! They are nature’s unique gifts which provide the dual benefit of hydration as well as nutrition to the body, that few of the other foods do.
With summer around the corner, dehydration is not an uncommon Phenomenon in a tropical country like India. The human body is about 66 percent water, so it’s easy to see water and hydration play
such a crucial role in a healthy lifestyle. Hydration is the replacement of body fluids lost through sweating, exhaling, and elimination. It’s just as important at the office or home as it is at the gym. And proper hydration does more than just keep you from getting thirsty. Therefore, it is important to stay hydrated.
The ideal water intake varies based on a person’s age and level of activity. An approximate calculation of water intake is estimated as being 1 litre for every 25 kgs of weight. Considering this, it is 2.5 to 3 litres for people weighing around 60-70 kgs leading a sedentary lifestyle.
Other Benefits
• Water-rich foods also function as detox agents, which help in cleansing the body of the accumulated toxins through various metabolic processes.
• Foods low in water, mainly protein and fat-rich foods like meat and meat products, cheese, nuts and oilseeds, etc. require high amounts of water to be metabolised and excreted which can be done effectively by incorporating fruits and vegetables in the diet.
• Water rich foods also help prevent tiredness and fatigue as they contains a good amount of fructose and fibre which maintains a steady flow of sugar in the bloodstream.
• They help a great deal in controlling insulin secretion diabetics, hence preventing the occurrence of hyperinsulinemia.
Ways of Incorporating Water-Rich Foods In The Diet
• Excellent as a mid-meal snack or as brunch (especially fruits).
• Appetizer as salads or soups before main meals.
• A good ingredient for evening snacks of chaats or bhels.
• As an accompaniment with breakfast or as a bedtime meal.
• Refreshing chilled juices during summers.