I am a hydration expert. These are the five foods that leave you dehydrated (and a few are sure to surprise you)

Staying hydrated has never been more important – as record high temperatures spread across the United States.

Common foods and drinks — some of which you may not expect — can deplete your water body.

Salty snacks, sugary drinks, and even lunch meats have been shown to draw water from cells in the body, leaving you thirsty and dehydrated.

“Staying hydrated during the summer months is crucial to maintaining good health and avoiding dehydration,” says Nick Hird, hydration expert and co-founder of ViDrate.

“Certain foods, despite being delicious and popular in the summer, can contribute to dehydration if consumed in excessive amounts.”

And nearly half of Americans don’t get enough water as it is.

a poll 2023 found that 47 percent of adults drink far less than the recommended minimum of three 16-ounce glasses per day.

Those who drank four to seven glasses a day, meanwhile, were more likely to report being at least “somewhat healthy.”

A study published earlier this year by the National Health Institutes (NIH) found that adults who stay well hydrated are less likely to develop chronic health problems such as heart and lung disease.

They also live longer.

“Enjoying these foods in moderation shouldn’t cause significant dehydration, but it’s essential to balance them with enough water and hydrating foods, such as fruits and vegetables,” said Mr. Hird.

For example, fruits such as watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes, cantaloupe and peaches are at least 90 percent water.

They are also packed with essential nutrients, such as fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium and antioxidants.

“Always pay attention to your body’s signals and drink water regularly, especially when the weather is hot and humid,” Mr Hird said.

Here are the foods most likely to dehydrate you this summer:

Processed meat

Meats such as turkey and roast beef “can induce thirst and contribute to dehydration,” Hird said.

In addition to being often high in sodium and sugar, they are also full of preservatives, such as sodium nitrate.

Sodium nitrate is a preservative used to keep meat fresh and stop bacteria from growing.

While this preservative is generally harmless on its own, some studies have linked too much of it to certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer, leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

This preservative can also cause dryness, similar to salt.

Consider choosing lean, low-sodium meats like chicken or grass-fed beef instead of processed meats at your next barbecue.

Spicy food

Adding extra spices to your food can improve the taste, but it can also make you thirsty.

“Spicy dishes, as delicious as they are, can tickle your taste buds and make you sweat,” Mr Hird said.

These foods produce extra saliva, which makes you thirsty.

Sweating is the body’s way of keeping itself cool, but it also leads to fluid loss, which causes dehydration. If you’re already sweating in the summer heat, these foods will exacerbate the problem. Mr Hird said to balance these foods with water to avoid losing too much fluid.

Salty Snacks

“Foods like[crisps]salted nuts, and pretzels are very tasty, but they’re also high in sodium,” Hird said.

While the health downsides of salt are well documented, from high cholesterol to diabetes to heart disease, eating too much can also dehydrate you.

“Consuming too much salt can lead to increased thirst and water retention, causing you to lose more water through urination,” Mr Hird added.

A 2022 study in the journal Nutrientsfound, for example, that young adults between the ages of 18 and 23 who had a higher salt intake were more likely to become dehydrated.

This is because when you eat too much sodium, it builds up in the bloodstream, throwing off the salinity or dissolved salt content in water.

To return these levels to normal, the blood draws water from the cells, causing them to dry out.

Consider taking some carrots and hummus to the beach instead of a bag of chips.

Sugary drinks

Sugar is a diuretic or a substance that removes water.

As with sodium, when there is too much sugar in the bloodstream, the blood has to draw water from surrounding cells.

The diuretic effect causes increased urination, which leaves you dehydrated.

Dehydration can also raise blood sugar levels, which can have negative consequences, especially for diabetics.

In addition to dehydration and increased urination, high blood sugar, also known as hyperglycemia, can cause headaches, blurred vision, fatigue, weight loss and slow-healing cuts or sores, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Therefore, soft drinks, fruit juices, and energy drinks can all cause dehydration.

A 2017 study in the journal Nutrition research found that diabetics who had a low water intake for three days had a reduced blood glucose response.

In addition, a study PLOS One suggested that drinking chilled fizzy drinks like soda gives the false impression that it is hydrating when it actually deprives the water.

Alcohol

Like sugary drinks, alcoholic drinks have diuretic effects, which means you have to go to the toilet more often, causing you to lose more fluids.

These drinks remove water from the blood that flows through the kidneys and bladder. Having a few too many can lead to dehydration.

And if you go for a drink on an empty stomach, the liquid and alcohol pass through the stomach and into the bloodstream faster, making you dehydrated more quickly.

Water is also flushed out of your system faster than alcohol is processed, so not drinking water with it will make you feel even more drunk.

“Beer, wine and cocktails need to be supplemented with water to maintain proper hydration,” Mr Hird said.