My Top 5 Hydrating Foods!

Health and Beauty

My Top 5 Hydrating Foods!

Snacks & Drinks to Keep you Hydrated

It is officially SUMMER! Which means it’s time to party! Responsibly, of course. This year, it’s my turn to host an annual 4th of July barbecue for friends and family. Since I know we’re gong to be out in the sun, I’ve found some fun snacks and drinks using my top 5 favorite hydrating foods. Eating certain veggies and fruits helps to keep your body hydrated throughout the day!

Elitia Barnes

WATERMELON!

Watermelon is one of my top hydrating foods this summer because it’s over 90% water! Watermelon also packs a healthy punch of vitamin C, A and it’s also a good source of antioxidants. This snack is filling while being fat free and low in calories - only 47 calories per cup!

Check out this Boozy Melon Snack from Delish.com:

Ingredients

1/2 medium watermelon

1/2 small Honeydew melon

1/2 small cantaloupe

2 c. vodka

1 bunch fresh mint

Directions

Using a melon baller, make watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe balls.

In a large bowl, combine fruit and vodka, making sure the fruit is completely submerged. Place in refrigerator to soak for 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator and drain, reserving alcohol if desired. Skewer fruit and mint leaves, alternating types of melon with a mint leaf in between each. Serve.

STRAWBERRIES!

Not only are strawberries a delicious snack on their own, they’re also over 90% water and high in fiber and antioxidants. There are even some studies that suggest eating Strawberries helps lower inflammation.

This Strawberry & Spinach Salad recipe from the one and only Martha Stewart is healthy and delicious.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

4 cups lightly packed baby spinach

6 ounces strawberries (1 1/2 cups), hulled and thinly sliced

1/4 cups almonds (1 1/2 ounces), toasted and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

2 ounces feta, crumbled

Directions

Whisk together oil and vinegar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add spinach, strawberries, almonds, sesame seeds, and feta. Gently toss until spinach is evenly coated with dressing. Serve immediately.

CUCUMBER!

Cucumbers are basically all water and they’re super low in calories! Only 16 calories per cup and around 95% water. I like to much on cucumber sticks between meals.

This cucumber and watermelon salad from The Mediterranean Dish is one of my favorites and combines multiple hydrating foods!

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE HONEY VINAIGRETTE

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

FOR THE SALAD

1 5 lb watermelon, peeled, cut into cubes

1 English (or Hot House) cucumber, cubed (about 2 cupfuls of cubed cucumbers)

15 fresh mint leaves, torn

15 fresh basil leaves, torn

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, more to your liking

INSTRUCTIONS

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, olive oil and pinch of salt. Set aside for a moment.

In a large bowl or serving platter with sides, combine the watermelon, cucumbers, and fresh herbs.

Top the watermelon salad with the honey vinaigrette and gently toss to combine. Top with the feta cheese and serve!

TOMATOES!

Besides being over 90% water, tomatoes are also a good source of vitamin C and A, which support the immune system. Tomatoes also contain antioxidants, fiber and potassium.

it’s hard to go wrong with these staple ingredients, check out this yummy tomato, ricotta & balsamic salad from My Recipes!

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cut crosswise into

1/2-inch slices

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

How to Make It

Combine oil, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine ricotta and 2 tablespoons minced basil in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Arrange tomato slices on a platter; sprinkle with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 cup torn basil leaves. Drizzle oil mixture over salad. Dollop ricotta mixture evenly over tomato slices.

GRAPEFRUIT!

Like oranges, Grapefruits contain a very high amount of vitamin C! They’re around 88% water and some studies support that eating a grapefruit a day helps with weight loss. I personally love to eat grapefruit for breakfast.

Here is another (slightly more fun) way to enjoy grapefruit from Joythebaker.com!

Grapefruit Cucumber Cocktails

makes 2 cocktails

Need:

Lots of ice

2 to 4 ounces gin, depending on how strong you’d like your cocktail

1 cup fresh pink grapefruit juice

1 cup ginger ale soda

fresh grapefruit wedges

fresh cucumber slices

To Make:

Divide ice between two tall drinking glasses. Add gin: as much as you’d like depending on how strong you’d like your drink. Divide the grapefruit juice between the two glasses. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with grapefruit wedges and cucumber slices. Throw some straws in there, cheers, drink up!

INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

We want to be transparent about the data we and our partners collect and how we use it, so you can best exercise control over your personal data. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy.

INFORMATION OUR PARTNERS COLLECT

We use the following partners to better improve your overall web browsing experience. They use cookies and other mechanisms to connect you with your social networks and tailor advertising to better match your interests. You can elect to opt-out of this information collection by unticking the boxes below.

Marketing and Advertising cookies allow us to track what users are looking at and engaging with on our websites. These cookies may be set by the advertising and media partners we work with. In some cases this information may be used by those companies to build a profile of interests and then show relevant advertising on other websites you visit.

Analytics cookies allow us to collect information to analyse how many people are using our websites, how our website is being used and its technical performance. By analysing this data we can then implement changes to our websites to make them more useful and improve the experience we offer.

Health and Beauty