Dinner Tonight

Dinner Tonight

Healthy Cooking for a Healthy Texas

Water

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Take a look at some of the amazing vital functions of H20.

A human body is made up of approximately 60% water and is responsible for numerous vital functions in the body.

  • regulate your body temperature
  • helps your body digest food and absorb nutrients
  • helps flush out waste
  • moistens oxygen for breathing
  • lubricates your joints
  • water makes up 75% of your brain, 75% of your muscles, 22% of your bones, and 83% of your blood

 

To prevent dehydration you need to drink an adequate amount of water per day.

For women, the amount of total water is about 11.5 cups per day and, for men, it’s about 15.5 cups. These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water. You typically get about 20% of the water you need from the food you eat. Taking that into account, women need about nine cups of fluid per day and men need about 13 cups in order to help replenish the amount of water that is lost.

If you are not drinking enough water, your body will begin to give you some warning signs. Some of the most common signs of dehydration are feeling tired, overheated, chronic joint pain, and headaches.  Take a look at other signs and keep hydrated, especially during the summer heat.

  • Feel Hungry? Drink Water! It’s easy to confuse being thirsty with being hungry.
  • Children gain heat faster than adults when the outside temperature is higher than their body temperature.
  • Your body is telling you it’s thirsty when you are dehydrated.
  • Check the color of your urine. The ideal color is a very pale yellow. The more transparent, the more hydrated you are.
  • Drink plenty of water before and during physical activity. Sweat = water loss
  • Research suggests drinking water can contribute to a healthy weight loss plan.

Check out our Watermelon & Lime or Cucumber & Lime Aguas Frescas. An exciting way to make water delicious. Find a complete list of our drinks and hydrating recipes to beat the heat this summer!

 

Sources:

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 

U.S. Geological Survey

Aguas Frescas Watermelon and Lime

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Did you know that watermelon is made of 96% water and a great way to hydrate these hot summer days?  The Watermelon and Lime Aguas Frescas recipe is full of natural sweetness and will be a great way to keep hydrated.  Make for your next barbeque or just keep in the fridge for the family to enjoy.


Aguas Frescas Watermelon and Lime
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Aguas Frescas Watermelon and Lime
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Instructions
  1. Combine watermelon, 1 cup of water, and mint leaves into a blender untill liquefied.
  2. Pour the watermelon mixture into a 2 quart pitcher, add 2 cups of water and ice, stir together.
  3. Garnish the drink with thinly sliced lime rings and enjoy.
  4. Serve or store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
  5. Tip: Use a strainer when pouring the liquefied watermelon into the 2 quart pitcher for a thinner consistency.
Recipe Notes

Aguas Frescas Cucumber and Lime

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Have you had aguas frescas before?  Aguas frescas or “fresh waters” are a light refreshing beverage made from blended ripe fruit usually with sugar and water.  The Cucumber and Lime aguas frescas is a light beverage to help hydrate and add more flavor than your usual infused water.  The great thing about this recipe…NO SUGAR only natural freshness!


Aguas Frescas Cucumber and Lime
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Aguas Frescas Cucumber and Lime
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  1. Combine cucumbers with 3 cups of water in blender untill liquefied.
  2. Using a strainer over the mouth of a 2 quart pitcher, pour half of cucumber mixture slowly to strain the liquid.
  3. Add the wedges of a lime to the other half of cucumber mixture in blender. Blend together for a few seconds untill chopped up into medium pieces. **Note: Blending the lime longer or into smaller pieces may give a bitter taste.
  4. Pour the remaining mixture over strainer.
  5. Add 2 cups of water and ice into the pitcher and stir well.
  6. Serve or store in refrigerator up to 2 days.
Recipe Notes

Rethink Your Drink

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Ways to Reduce Liquid Calories

Have you ever wondered how many calories are in your morning cup of coffee, juice, soda, or evening cocktail? We sometimes forget to look at liquids when evaluating our diets. Liquid calories can add up fast.
All foods and drinks can be consumed in a healthy meal plan but one has to be mindful of how much we are consuming at any given time. The biggest rule of thumb when it comes to reducing liquid calories is to DRINK MORE WATER. Water has zero calories and helps hydrate our bodies. Simply replacing some of the beverages with water and choosing lower-calorie options would drastically reduce the intake of empty calories.

Juice? This may be a surprise for some, but too much of a good thing is possible.  The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends a maximum of 4-6 oz of juice a day. Usually when a person orders juice it comes in a 16 oz glass (which is over 200 calories).  A better option would be to eat the actual fruit and you get the benefits of phytonutrients and fiber.

Another sabotager is coffee drinks. One medium frozen frappuccino can range anywhere from 250-450 calories and 15g of fat. That is equivalent to eating 3 1/2 twinkies! You don’t have to completely give up your coffee, choose options of reduced-fat milk or a smaller size. So the next time you are choosing a beverage, look at the nutrition label, or choose a nice cool glass of water. Enjoy!!

Boring Water? No More!

The biggest complaint is that drinking water every day gets boring. If this is the case for you, try infusing your water with fresh or frozen fruit. Manufacturers are now making water bottles that have infusion compartments within the bottle, but you don’t have to have a special water bottle. You can just place the fruit directly in your bottle and drink up, or make one of our Aguas Frescas recipes and check out our Infused Water Basics.

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