8 Ways to Improve Your Body Hydration WITHOUT Drinking Water

The importance of drinking water shows up on almost every list of things to do for a healthy lifestyle. Many people don’t enjoy how water tastes. Or, if they do like water, they can quickly get bored with it.

If you are one of those people, then here is some good news for you! Guzzling large amounts of water probably isn’t even helping you stay hydrated!

Instead of forcing yourself to drink more water, try one of these ideas to improve your body hydration level!

Electrolyte Dense Foods

Dana Angelo White explained for Food Network that electrolytes help your body’s cells to properly balance hydration levels. Electrolyte-dense foods helps your body to properly absorb water. These same food also contain other important minerals and nutrients that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle.

Many electrolyte dense foods will appear on this list. Some suggestions that are not listed separately include: beans, canned salmon and tuna, raisins, cheese, soups, and yogurt.

Plan to include these items in your weekly meals and snacks. 

Fruit Juice

Fruit juice contains electrolytes, nutrients, and sugar that help your body balance hydration levels. You shouldn’t plan to switch all your daily hydration needs from water to juice. However, if you are not eating food while drinking your water, then fruit juice is a very good option. Orange juice is one of the most recommended fruit juices for body hydration.

Tea

Like fruit juice, tea contains enough nutrients and electrolytes to help your body absorb water as you drink the beverage. There are several varieties of tea that are generally categorized as black tea, green tea, or white tea. Green tea is usually considered the best for hydration purposes.

A bonus? Many green teas have antioxidants and other health benefits.

Milk

Milk contains a rich mixture of nutrients that make it ideal for hydration, especially when you have been sweating during exercise. This is because milk is a source of high quality protein, carbohydrates, calcium, electrolytes, and even sodium.

All these combine to make milk an effective to stop to dehydration. One study has even found it to be more effective than water alone or a sports drink!

Fresh Fruit Snacks

Hungry and need a snack? Eat fresh fruit to fill up your stomach while properly hydrating your body. This is one of those electrolyte-dense foods that is recommended that you plan into your diet to achieve better body hydration. Almost all fruits have this benefit, so stock up on your personal favorites!

Smoothies

Since smoothies use both fruit and yogurt, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they’ve made this list as well. Use Greek yogurt or chia seeds for an extra burst of protein!

Salad

Leafy greens are some of the best vegetables for hydration. This is because they contain so much water inside of them. They are also electrolyte-dense.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal turns out to be a hydrating food choice. This is because it soaks up so much water or milk as it cooks. There are also many ways to prepare oatmeal from the traditional hot meal to baked to overnight oats in the fridge! This makes it a versatile hydration option for many people!

Rice can also be a good option for body hydration for the same reason!

Remember, sometime it is more important that you keep your electrolytes balanced than it is for you to drink a greater amount of water. Instead of forcing yourself to guzzle down your water bottle, instead pick one or two of these food items to add to your menu for this week!