Citrus Fruits Are Some Of The Healthiest Hydrating Foods To Beat The Heat
If you ever played sports as a kid, you've no doubt scarfed down your fair share of orange slices at halftime and post-game. There's no bigger hero than the snack parent who shows up with a giant Tupperware of the wedges cut and ready to go, and the choice of fruit is no accident. While all fruits contain vitamins and minerals, and many of them have lots of water for hydrating, oranges and other citrus fruits have the best of both worlds. Packed with vitamins and filled with water, citrus fruits are a bit of a superfood when it comes to hydration.
When you're sweating it out in the height of the hot season, it's easy to be distracted by all sorts of pre-packed and processed products competing for your attention. However, nature has already perfected the refreshment game with citrus fruits. If you're trying to beat the summer heat, add some lemon slices in your water, start the day with half a grapefruit at breakfast, or make some easy homemade popsicles with fresh-squeezed lime and orange juices. You'll get a big dose of vital electrolytes that will make you feel more energized, and quench your thirst at the same time.
What makes citrus so refreshing?
Whether you're an athlete, work outdoors, or just have to walk a few city blocks in the sweltering summer sun, Mother Nature's got your back if you can get your hands on some citrus. Dehydration is a dangerous rapid loss of body fluids, which can happen in as little as 30 minutes in high heat, according to HuffPost, so it's important to hydrate often if you have to be outside when it's hot. Fruits like grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and limes pack a lot of punch in the fight against dehydration, and they can break up the monotony of chugging water. Depending on which fruit you choose, they can contain anywhere from 80 to 90 percent water, which is why they're so often juiced.
Losing water in your body from heat exposure doesn't just make you thirsty, either. When the temperature rises and you lose moisture, you also lose electrolytes, which your body needs for your cells to function. Adding back essential minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium will help you feel more refreshed and keep your body in motion. In addition to adding water to your daily intake, citrus fruits are rich in many of these minerals, which will make you feel refreshed, as well as vitamin C, vitamin D, and folate, which will increase your energy, according to Florida Citrus.
Get more citrus in your diet
If you're worried about getting dehydrated, there are lots of ways to sneak more citrus into your diet so that you can get those extra nutritional benefits. The easiest way is, of course, tossing a couple of oranges into your backpack or purse before you leave the house to snack on later in the day. Tiny tangerines and mandarin oranges also make great snacks and are a little easier to peel than traditional oranges.
You can also juice your citrus and make your own juice blends or add them to smoothies. Because citrus juice is largely made up of water, you can also get in on the fancy ice cube trend and freeze your fresh-pressed liquids. Pop the ice cubes into your water bottle to keep things cold and add some flavor, or use them to build a cocktail or mocktail.
If you're wilting in the summer heat, you're not alone. In fact, the entire Northern Hemisphere is in the midst of the hottest summer ever recorded, according to PBS, and summers are likely to just keep getting hotter (per Vox). As a silver lining, sweet citrus fruits happen to need a lot of heat in order to ripen, so as the planet warms up, reach for more orange slices to stay cool — just like your soccer coach used to tell you.