It seems to have from a mild wet spring into a hot dry summer. Really hot and very dry. This summer we have a freshly minted two wheel bike rider, a slew of swim team practices and meets, swim lessons, lots of play time with friends, and trips to the mountains for relaxation, plus we started off our summer break with a trip to Puerto Rico to enjoy some sun, sand and ocean time. In other words we have a lot of activity going on around here. We’ve been active, and having fun. Even though summer was off to a fun start there was still something missing. Water. We’ve been playing in the water but not drinking enough of it. We were missing water as in, proper hydration.
When Sprouts Farmer’s Market invited to partner with them and attend a special event in one of their stores – On the Quest to Quench: Learning to Defeat Dehydration – to learn more about hydration and share some of what I learned here with you I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve been a Sprouts shopper for a long time – raise your hand if you love double ad Wednesday! – and with two active kids, a husband who like to be on the move when he’s not at work, and myself I knew the information could come in handy.
It’s hot and I’ve noticed that while my husband and I are good at drinking water throughout the day, my girls are definitely not. Even making their water bottles prominently displayed items in the kitchen, making sure water bottles make it out with us when we head out for our adventures, and serving up drinks with every meal doesn’t seem to be translating into much actual water intake for them.
My evening walk through Sprouts with a group of Denver area bloggers and Sprouts’ nutrition partner, Suzanne Farrell, tasting some hydrating foods gave me lots of ideas for keeping my family hydrated this summer. As a part of the evening Sprouts sent me home with a bag full of surprising foods that also offer hydration to try out, such as oatmeal, coconut water, coffee, chicken broth, and canned diced tomatoes. I was happily surprised to see these items, because most of the them are in regular rotation in our pantry and I did not realize they were all good sources of water.
Obviously water, fresh pressed juices, seltzer, and coconut water are great hydrating tools. We had the chance to try some of Sprouts Fresh Juice Bends at their juice bar. I tried the “Sweet Beet Blend” with carrot, beet, apple, lemon, and ginger and loved it. I’m a beet lover so I wasn’t too surprised. Usually I avoid juice. It’s just so sugary, but fresh pressed juices are high in lots of nutrients,a and do not have any added sugar. I can definitely see myself grabbing a fresh juice for my girls and I when we are out and about every once and a while as a treat.
Did you know foods can count towards your water intake every day?
I knew that hydration was more than drinks but I didn’t realize how important foods are to staying hydrated. About 20% of water intake comes from food on average. We took a stop in the produce department to chat about how important fruits and vegetables are to hydration.
We all know fruits and veggies are incredibly important to our health in general, but I did not realize how great they are for keeping up with our water needs too. Watermelon and strawberries are 92% water, cucumbers are 97% water, and peppers are 90% water too just to name a few. I keep fresh fruits and veggies in the house, but they are usually planned parts of meals. Standing in the produce section surrounded by all those greens, berries, melons, peppers, corn, carrots, kiwi, tomato, and more, I was inspired. I knew adding more fruits and veggies into our day would be a great way to make sure we’re all better hydrated in this house.
Since my night at Sprouts I’ve worked to make our snacks throughout the day fresh fruits and veggies. My girls are eating more fresh produce than before and I think we’re all feeling better because of it. There is really no downside, we’re getting more nutrients than other snacks, fiber, and hydration. I’m feeling so much on top of taking care of my girl’s – and my own – summertime hydration needs. I think I might even go for the parent gold incorporate more popsicles into our future using our ice pop molds and fresh pureed fruit. So far my kitchen is definitely more of a hydration station.
What are your favorite ways to make sure you keep yourself and your family hydrated during the hot – and very active – summer?
This is a compensated post on behalf of Sprouts Farmer’s Market. All opinions are my own.
