You can eat and chew water in several forms: edible water pods made from seaweed extract, hydration sweets that are 95% water, ice, and everyday fruits and vegetables that are over 90% water by weight. The most novel option is the edible water pod, a bite-sized sphere with a thin gel membrane that bursts with liquid when you chew it.
Edible Water Pods
The best-known chewable water product is the Ooho, developed by London-based company Notpla. It’s a small, flexible sphere of water enclosed in a thin membrane you can pop in your mouth and bite through. The membrane is made from sodium alginate, a natural polymer extracted from seaweed, combined with calcium salts. When these two ingredients meet, they undergo a chemical reaction that forms a gel layer around the liquid, creating a sealed, edible container.
The membrane is tasteless and breaks down naturally within weeks, unlike plastic bottles that persist for centuries. Seaweed, the raw material, grows quickly without freshwater, land, or fertilizer, and it absorbs carbon as it grows. That environmental angle is a big part of why edible water pods exist in the first place: they’re designed as a plastic-free alternative for situations where lots of people need quick hydration.
Right now, you can’t pick up Ooho pods at a grocery store. They’ve been distributed at large events like the London Marathon, Gothenburg Half Marathon, and Tough Mudder races, and they’ve recently appeared in vending machines at the London Aquatics Centre. Availability is still limited to specific venues and events rather than widespread retail.
How to Make Edible Water at Home
You can make your own chewable water spheres using a technique from molecular gastronomy called spherification. The process requires just a few ingredients: sodium alginate, calcium chloride (or calcium lactate), and water. Both sodium alginate and calcium chloride are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe by the FDA and are already used in a wide range of foods from candy to puddings.
The basic method works like this: dissolve about 1 gram of sodium alginate in 500 grams of water and let the solution rest, ideally overnight, to release trapped air bubbles. In a separate bowl, mix calcium chloride into water. Then spoon small amounts of the calcium solution into the alginate bath. Within about two minutes, a gel membrane forms around the liquid. Scoop out the spheres with a slotted spoon and rinse them in clean water to wash away any salty residue.
The spheres are delicate and will stick together if they touch before the membrane fully sets. You can flavor the water inside with fruit juice or other liquids to make them more interesting to eat. Stored in juice or water, they’ll hold their shape for a few hours, though they’re best consumed fresh.
Hydration Sweets
Jelly Drops are a commercial product specifically designed as chewable water. Each sweet is 95% water, sugar-free, and enriched with electrolytes and B-complex vitamins. They come in six flavors including orange, strawberry, and raspberry. Unlike gummy candies, they don’t have a liquid center or burst when bitten. They’re solid with a smooth texture, more like a firm jelly than a gusher.
These were originally developed for people with dementia who often resist drinking from a cup but will happily eat a colorful sweet. They’re a practical solution for anyone who struggles to drink enough water throughout the day. One important note: they’re not recommended for people with swallowing difficulties, since their texture still requires normal chewing and swallowing ability.
Ice Chewing and Iron Deficiency
Ice is the simplest form of water you can chew, and most people who crunch on ice cubes think nothing of it. But compulsive ice chewing, known as pagophagia, is strongly linked to iron deficiency anemia. In one study, 56% of anemic subjects reported compulsive ice chewing compared to just 4% of non-anemic subjects.
The connection appears to be neurological rather than nutritional. Chewing ice likely triggers changes in blood flow that increase circulation to the brain, temporarily improving mental sharpness and processing speed in people whose blood is carrying less oxygen due to low iron. If you find yourself craving ice constantly, it’s worth having your iron levels checked. The craving often resolves once the deficiency is treated.
Fruits and Vegetables Over 90% Water
If you’re looking to “eat your water” in a more everyday sense, plenty of common foods are almost entirely water by weight. Foods in the 90 to 99% water range include watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach, squash, and cucumbers. Nonfat milk also falls in this category.
These foods contribute meaningfully to daily hydration. A two-cup serving of watermelon, for example, delivers nearly as much water as a small glass. The advantage over plain water is that whole foods also provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and the act of chewing slows consumption in a way that can help your body absorb the fluid more steadily. On hot days or during exercise, pairing water-rich fruits with actual drinking water is a practical way to stay hydrated without forcing yourself to chug from a bottle.