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Dehydration can trigger headaches and boost levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol.

Of all the food and beverage choices you face every day, what’s calorie-free, virtually cost-free, and, oh yes, essential to keeping you alive? Plain ol’ water. But those aren’t the only reasons to drink it.

“Water drives basic body performance,” says Beth Reardon, director of nutrition for Duke Integrative Medicine, part of the Duke University Health System. “All of the systems in the body require water for proper functioning, and so do 90 percent of all chemical reactions in the body.”

Read more: 5 Surprising Reasons to Drink Water

People who consumed a pint daily reduced their risk of heart disease by 31%, a study finds.

For years, wine drinkers have indulged without guilt, reveling in the news that red wine can help protect against heart disease. Recent research shows that beer can also be good for what ails you, from reducing risk for broken bones to helping warding off diabetes and mental decline. It can even increase longevity, a large study suggests.

However, the key to tapping into beer’s benefits is moderation, meaning just one 12-ounce beer per day for women and two for men. Heavy drinking ups the threat of liver damage, some cancers, and heart problems. Bingeing on brewskis can also make you fat, since a 12-ounce regular beer has about 150 calories, while light beer has about 100.

Read more: 10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer

The sweet veggie contains 300 percent of your daily vitamin C intake and can do wonders for your libido.

Red peppers are the belle of the ball at any buffet table. Crisp and incredibly sweet, these ladies in red are an easy sell to anyone who is not fond of vegetables. The only limiting factor is that they can be costly during winter, but now that it’s July, we can look forward to eating more inexpensive local peppers.

Did you know that green peppers are just unripe red peppers? Because they are not fully mature, they have a bitter after taste, and half the vitamin C and 1/10th the vitamin A compared to their red or orange siblings. Vitamin A has been shown to improve sperm quality, and vitamin C helps build collagen, which ensures beautiful skin – all these combined makes peppers one of nature’s sexiest foods!

Paprika and chili peppers offer the same benefits, but with extra capsaicin, a chemical that can produce a strong burning sensation in the mouth. This stimulating heat has been shown to increase blood flow making it a popular remedy for libido and pain relief.

Read more: Five health benefits of red peppers

There are at least four healthy reasons to consider working the lowly dandelion into your diet.

If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em?

The dandelion, long considered an obnoxious weed deserving nothing more than pesticide-induced death, is no longer seen as evil.

The National Post reports that attitudes nation-wide are shifting. Pesticides are the new bad guys and dandelions are everywhere. In Halifax, a dandelion festival celebrates the bitter green. In Vancouver, dandelions are listed as “agricultural commodities.”

It’s not just tolerance of a harmless weed, either. The early bloomers attract pollinators, and their deep taproots bring up nutrients for shallower-rooted plants nearby, making dandelion-covered lawns healthier ones.

Read more: The good weed: Health benefits of dandelions

Eating “forbidden” foods a few times a week could actually help you lose weight.

Have you decided to cut out your favorite food—say, pizza? It sounded like a great diet strategy—that is, until you caved and ate an entire pie in one sitting.

And, if you’re like some guys, you felt super-guilty about eating the forbidden food—scolding yourself for your lack of control, and vowing to start your diet again tomorrow.

It’s no surprise that this cycle of diet, pig out, feel like crap about yourself, diet again, isn’t good for your psyche or your waistline. But how can you stop—and still have some control over what you eat?

Read more: In Defense of a Daily Doughnut

Peppers add a flavourful kick to your meal, plus they’re loaded with vitamins and disease-fighting properties. Check out these health benefits of peppers

Read more: 5 health benefits of peppers