Make Mealtime More Hydrating

Quick Win

We’re more vulnerable to dehydration as we age. Along with drinking plenty of H₂0, infuse your meals with water, too.

Try This Today

• Start with a salad. Green leaf lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes are all about 95 percent water.
• Soup’s on! Broth-based soups contain a lot of water. Try our Classic Chicken Soup, Ribollita Soup, or Bean & Barley Soup.
• Focus on fruits and veggies. Snack on celery and carrots; include broccoli, squash and spinach in your meals; and have fruit like strawberries, grapes and cantaloupe for dessert — these and most other vegetables and fruit contain at least 80 percent water. 
• Hydrate your breakfast. Yogurt is high in water, as is avocado, which you can spread on toast.

Why

Incorporating water into your meals can help to ensure you stay hydrated. More than 65 percent of U.S. adults ages 51 to 70 aren’t sufficiently hydrated, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, published in Nutrients in 2020. A 2023 report in eBioMedicine points to the potential health consequences of chronic underhydration: In analyzing data from more than 11,000 adults ages 45 to 66, researchers found that those who had high serum sodium levels — a marker of poor hydration — aged faster, were more likely to develop chronic illnesses and died younger compared with those who were well-hydrated.