This Green Smoothie Recipe Is As Hydrating As 3 Cups Of Water, Says An MD

You heard it here first: "One green smoothie is probably more hydrating than three glasses at the same amount of water," says Dana Cohen, M.D., integrative medicine physician and co-author of Quench, on the mindbodygreen podcast.

While you can chuck any hydrating foods you like into a blender, she does highlight a few star ingredients. We'll start with the obvious: greens. Whether you're partial to kale or spinach, blending up greens helps the smoothie become extra hydrating (also what helps give the drink its gorgeous color). Leafy greens contain tons of fiber, which research has shown helps you hold on to water1 much better. "The fiber is what really acts as a sponge," Cohen adds.

Next, we have cucumber and chia seeds: These contain "structured" or "gel" water2, says Cohen. "When you look at a cucumber seed, you can literally see the gel around it," she explains. Same goes for chia seeds—they have a goopy, jelly texture when you submerge them in water. In both cases, the H₂O molecules layer upon one another to form a gel-like substance, and it's incredibly hydrating for your body. "It is in that form that's found in nature, and it's also in that form that's found within our cells," Cohen says. 

She also throws a juicy apple into the blend. You might not regard apples as the most hydrating fruit (watermelon surely earns the title, no?), but apples actually contain up to 86% water. Perhaps that's why Cohen says, "An apple and a bottle of water is more hydrating than two bottles of water."