Well-being

Hydrating Foods

Beyond providing umami flavor in dishes, options like tomato, potato, and carrot are highly hydrating foods. Discover other alternatives.

Water plays an essential role in the body: it powers metabolic reactions, maintains internal temperature, and—most notably—supports hydration. Many people don’t realize that hydration also comes from food.

Several umami-rich options—such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, chicken, and carrots—are high in water content and can help keep the body hydrated, though they don’t replace the vital need for drinking water.

Other non-umami options also help: vegetables like watercress, lettuce, and cucumber contain up to 95% water.

Dehydration causes serious health issues like constipation, memory problems, dizziness, fainting, and kidney stones.

Hydrating Umami Foods (with approximate water content and benefits):

Tomato (≈ 95%): hydrating and umami-rich; contains lycopene, an antioxidant that may help prevent prostate cancer.
Potato (≈ 86%): provides carbs, energy, antioxidants, and helps regulate blood pressure thanks to potassium content.
Raw carrot (≈ 90%): antioxidant; helps prevent heart disease and lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Egg (≈ 75%): helps prevent anemia, ocular degeneration, and breast cancer; essential for proper nervous system function.
Chicken (≈ 70%): an excellent protein source with low saturated fat; rich in niacin (B3), selenium, and B6—nutrients that help prevent cancer.