Eat Your Water: Why We’ve All Been Doing H2O All Wrong
Eat your water: Experts believe we should get our water fix from food. [Photo: Rex Features]
Are you constantly attached to your water bottle? Do you spend more time in the office loo than you do actually working? Do you panic if the water cooler runs dangerously low? You’re not alone as so-called ‘aquaholicism’ is on the rise, hardly surprising when we’re constantly being drilled that we need to Drink. More. Water. But it seems, we may have been getting our H2O fix all wrong, as some experts believe we should stop drinking our water and start eating it instead. Eh?
We know the drill, we need water to function properly. Not only does it make up 66% of the human body, it also serves to help with everything from smoothing wrinkles to warding off headaches, regulating body temperature to flushing out toxins. So there’s good reason for sticking to the age-old recommendation of drinking eight glasses of water a day.
Have we been doing water all wrong? [Photo: Rex Features]
But lately, researchers have been questioning this tried-and-tested rule, and wondering whether merely drinking enough of the clear stuff is enough. According to the Institute of Medicine, on average people get around 20 percent of their water from food, but you can get even more water to help you stay hydrated by choosing fruits and vegetables with a high water content. Almost all food has some water in it (even a slice of bread can be as much as 33 per cent H2O), but fruit and vegetables are the most water-laden, and health experts are pondering whether we should be eating more of these water-rich foods and drinking less.
‘Healthy hydration is about the water you hold in the body, not the water you drink that passes straight through,’ Dr Howard Murad, associate clinic professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Water Secret told Mail Online.
Time to ditch the clear stuff? [Photo: Rex Features]
His point is though you can drink the recommended amount of water, if you run straight to the bathroom it might not actually reach your cells which means the whole thing could have been a bit of a waste of time.
But according to experts the water you eat is different because water in food is surrounded by other molecules that help it get into our cells more easily and stay in our system for longer.
And science backs up this revelation with studies showing that fruit and vegetables can hydrate the body twice as effectively as a glass of water. Research carried out at the University of Aberdeen Medical School found the hydrating salts, minerals and sugars found in water-rich fruit and vegetables work in a similar way to isotonic drinks replacing the salts, amino acids and vitamins that are lost in exercise. Additionally a University of Naples study found that plant chemicals lutein and zeaxanthin - found in fruit such as watermelon and papaya - help boost hydration even further.
Some of the foods that can up your hydration levels [Photo: Rex Features]
So which foods should we be eating to up the water intake anti? Top of the list are watermelons, which are 92 per cent water, eight per cent sugar and contain essential rehydration salts calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.
Not far behind in the aqua- delivering stakes is the cucumber due to its 96 per cent water content and mineral balance. Two or three mineral-rich celery sticks replenish levels of sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. These salts help carry the 96 per cent water in which they are dissolved around the body. And radishes, cauliflower, broccoli and even strawberries are also useful in upping your H2O levels. Plus high water content foods tend to be low in calories while still making you feel full. Winning!
But before you chuck out your water bottle and stock the fridge with cucumbers, heed a warning from the experts to make the switch to food-based hydration slowly. Do it too quickly and your body could be given an unfamiliar fibre boost, which may see you running to the loo for another reason altogether.
Would you get your water fix from food? Let us know @YahooStyleUK.
