Name: Healthy, hydrating foods to add to the cookout menu this summer | UW Medicine
Uploaded: 2023-07-17T22:01:50.000Z
Duration: 2 min 22 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

A big focus to your summer celebrations should be staying cool and hydrated.

There are healthy foods that can help with both.

Drinking water is very  important when it's hot.

And so electrolytes are sodium, potassium and chloride.

Many of the fruits that grow in hot weather,

tropical fruits, for example, but also fruits that are growing right

now, like the cherries, the apricots  and all the berries and such.

They're all very high in potassium, and that is an electrolyte

that helps us keep our water in our and keep water in our bodies.

Anything that has a rind on it, so watermelons or any type

of melon, cucumbers which have a rind, they are very high in water content.

So these foods will help keep you hydrated.

You might think that's counterintuitive, but spicy foods help

you sweat a little bit and sweating actually helps you to stay cool.

So maybe enjoy some salsas or some, you know, cayenne pepper and

use the wisdom of people who live in those hot climates.

Mint has menthol in it, which is a volatile oil

that when it evaporates, it actually helps has a cooling effect.

Yogurt is also a great  source of potassium.

to add even more potassium or even make it into a smoothie.

Watermelon specifically are  a super side option

for the several health benefits they provide.

Watermelon is a great food for the summer.

But it grows in the summer and it helps us to adapt to the heat really nicely.

The thick rind on here helps keep the water in.

And then if we're looking at more long term benefits, watermelon

has a bunch of antioxidants in it, like lycopene.

that helps to protect our cells  and our heart and our blood vessels.

It's also high in vitamin A, which helps with our eyes.

And then another thing, it's high in is a special type of fiber called prebiotic,

which helps to nourish the  microbiome or the bacteria