Eat your water

A lower BMI is associated with water-rich foods

By Kim Carlson

September 30, 2008

A few facts: First, water-bottle usage has risen dramatically in this country, from being an industry that barely existed 30 years ago to a $16 billion business today. (I’m not referring to people packing their own water in Siggs or Nalgenes, but to the prepackaged H2O.)

Second, obesity has risen dramatically in the United States; this awesome animation shows state-by-state numbers of obese adults rising over the last 22 years.

Meanwhile, advice to drink plenty of water has been touted as a way to lose weight.

Lemon cucumbers are a water-rich food.

Which brings us back to the first two facts: If Americans are drinking so much water, why do we still weigh too much?

The journal Nutrition published a study this month that shows people who eat food with a high water content have lower BMIs than people whose fluid intake is mostly from liquids (maybe from such sources as disposable water bottles).

Foods that have high water content? Watermelon, certainly, but most other fruits and vegetables too; grains, pasta, and legumes are also good sources of water.

Which is all a long way of saying that if you want to lose a few pounds, the Vegetable Challenge may be just where you want to be.

Have you found that eating foods with a high water content has helped you lose weight?