Summertime thirst is a “demanding mistress”!

“The body uses water to regulate internal body temperature, lubricate joints, maintain muscle integrity and help ease other bodily functions,” says fitness trainer Franci Cohen, CEO of Fuel Fitness NY. On a daily basis, the body loses water through respiration, perspiration, urination and even digestion.”

If the water bottle gets a little boring, don’t forget that some foods, especially fruits and vegetables, pack in major moisture. Snacks that you can keep at close hand for tasty hydration include:

• Cucumber—tops the list of fruits and vegetables when it comes to water content, plus contains vitamin K.

• Celery—full of water, rich in fiber and also containing potassium, which helps the body to retain water.

• Iceberg lettuce—lacks the high fiber of darker salad greens, but the highest water source of all lettuces.

• Radish—lots of antioxidants, too.  

• Zucchini—a veggie with protein.

• Tomato—whether technically a fruit or vegetable, definitely a leader in water content. 

• Cabbage—green or red, a water winner.

• Cauliflower—also lowers cholesterol.

• Eggplant—another food blessed with antioxidants. 

• Pepper—green leads the colors in water load.

• Mushroom—good fiber content as well.

• Spinach—the folate feeds your brain.

• Broccoli—one of the overall best foods you can eat.

• Carrot—cooked or raw, a root with hydration.

• Many fruits—water accounts for more than 80% of the weight of watermelon, strawberries, grapefruit, cantaloupe, peaches, pineapple, cranberries, orange, raspberries, apricots blueberries, plums, apples, pears, cherries and grapes.