The Genius Hydration-Boosting Ingredient To Add To Healthy Homemade Ice Pops

The heat wave sweeping across North America doesn't seem to be planning on letting up anytime soon. One important way to care for ourselves this summer (and, really, always) is hydration.

While drinking enough water is the most important step for hydrating, there are also a number of hydrating foods we can incorporate into our diet. "While 80% of hydration comes from drinking water, the other 20% comes from food," explains Maya Feller, M.S., R.D., CDN, "so varying your intake of fruits and vegetables throughout the day is important."

You might be more used to adding chia seeds to overnight oats or smoothies, but really what is an ice pop if not just the frozen version of a smoothie? And though you might be inclined to reach for chia seeds for their fiber and protein content, they're also great for supporting hydration: Here's why.

According to neuroscientist Kristen Willeumier, Ph.D., adding chia to your beverages may actually make it more potent for hydration than just water. "It's the chia seeds that are holding on to that hydration much better than just plain bulk water alone," she says.

She further explains that it comes down to the way chia seeds absorb water and gel together. In that structure, the molecules are stacked all together and the seeds become tiny little hydration-boosters: "It is in that form that's found in nature, and it's also in that form that's found within our cells," she explains.