Not only fluids but also food play an important role in hydration.
Even though we know that adequate hydration is essential to avoid dehydration, especially in the hot summer months, most of us don’t drink enough. Fortunately, we can help to hydrate our bodies not only with the drinks but also with food we consume. In addition, food contains not only water but also valuable vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, which should be replenished anyway, as we lose these when we sweat.
What to eat in the heat?
Certain vegetables and fruits are particularly high in water. Cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, English celery, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon and cantaloupe – all of which have a water content of over 90 per cent – stand out in this respect. You can easily incorporate them into your diet: have a salad for lunch or dinner, serve it with roast meat, have a melon for breakfast or dessert, and for snacking make chopped celery, cucumber or an ice lollipop.
Ice lollipops made from fruit and juice are very easy to make at home, as the basic recipe is just to transfer the fruit, blended until thick, into a freezer dish and then into the freezer, and within a few hours you can be enjoying your ice lollipops. There are many variations to try, and you can change the ingredients to your liking: you can use yoghurt or coconut milk as well as water or juice.
Cooling cream soups
The most popular soup in Spanish gastronomy is gazpacho, a chilled vegetable cream soup with tomatoes and cucumber as key ingredients. You can also try other soups cold, such as cold sour cherry soup with sour cream, or even make a cream soup with pickled cucumbers.
Drinking yoghurt and kefir can also be a good choice against dehydration, because their sour taste can refresh you even more. Yoghurt and kefir also protect the health of the gut flora and help to restore its balance, for example after taking antibiotics. Buttermilk can also be a refreshing, pleasant drink.
You don’t have to stick to sweet flavors either: ayran, a savory yoghurt drink diluted with water and flavored with pepper, mint, dill or parsley, is very popular in Middle Eastern countries.