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 recently, as it 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, having water just skips off the mind. And when we scrutinizing 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 adequate amount of fluids and 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 has water as their major component.
Water-rich foods comprise mainly of FRUITS & VEGETABLES, which are oozing with antioxidant, vitamin & 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!
WAYS OF INCORPORATING WATER RICH FOODS IN THE DIET
- Having a midmeal snacks like fruits and vegetables like cucumber, carrots.
- Freshly made vegetable juices from bottle gourd, spinach, mint, ginger, and lime.
- Appetiser as salads or soups before main meals.
- Having lime water with Chia seeds
- Including coconut water, bael juice, Aam Panna, Kokum juice in diet.
- Refreshing chilled juices during summers.
The ideal water intake varies among based on their age and the level of activity. An approximate calculation of water intake is estimated as being 1 ltr for every 25kgs of weight. Considering this, it is 2.5 – 3ltrs for people of 60-70kgs leading a sedentary lifestyle. It differs to 3-3.5 ltrs for the same age group, leading a moderately active lifestyle.
OTHER BENEFITS :
- Water rich foods also function as detox agents, which help a lot in cleansing the body of the accumulated toxic loads through various metabolic processes.
- Foods low in water mainly protein & fat rich foods like meat & meat products, cheese, nuts & oilseeds, etc. require high amounts of water to be metabolized & excreted which can be done effectively by incorporating fruits & vegetables in the diet.
- Water rich foods also help a lot in preventing tiredness & fatigue, as they contain good amount of fructose & fiber which maintains a steady flow of sugars in the bloodstream.
- They help a great deal in controlling insulin secretion in diabetics, hence prevents occurrence of hyperinsulinemia.
Refreshing Lemony Melon
Ingredients :(Serves 4)
3 slices watermelon
1 cup cold water
2 teaspoons lime juice
4 sprigs mint leaves
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tbsp honey (optional)
Method :
Place the watermelon& mint leaves into a blender. And puree until smooth. Then strain through a fine mesh/mesh strainer. Transfer this to a pitcher/bowl, add lemon juice, cinnamon powder and cold water stir well to combine and pour into serving glass, top it with ice cubes and garnish with lemon slice. Serve immediately.
