Feeling parched? Yes, you could reach for a glass of water, but you can also bite into a juicy piece of fruit to help get your hydration fix.
“Consuming fruit can be a sweet way to boost nutrition and help contribute to your body’s overall fluid needs,” says Kara Lydon, RD, a nutrition blogger and owner of Kara Lydon Nutrition in Boston.
After all, making sure you stay hydrated is good for your body. “We all know that we need to stay hydrated for our health overall,” says Miami-based Amy Kimberlain, RDN, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics media spokesperson. During warmer months of the year, Kimberlain adds, “it’s even that much more important, since it’s so hot and easy to become dehydrated.”
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, staying hydrated helps regulate your body temperature, prevents developing infections, keeps your joints lubricated, allows nutrients to get delivered to your cells, and improves your sleep and mood. So there are a number of reasons why you’ll want to eat hydrating fruit.
Fruits also come with other hydrating perks. “The naturally occurring electrolytes found in some fruits, such as potassium, may help usher water into your body’s cells faster,” adds Lydon, and University of Michigan Health notes this as well.
Fun fact: About 20 percent of your overall water intake comes from the foods you eat, including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, says Lydon. The Mayo Clinic also notes the stat, saying that the other 80 percent comes from what you drink.
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Just know that there’s not a “one size fits all” hydration recommendation. “Everyone’s fluid needs are individualized and may vary if you are exercising or working outside,” says Kimberlain. The Mayo Clinic also notes that if you rehydrate when you feel thirsty, that should get you to where you need to be for the day.
Ready to help hydrate with fruit? Find some top sources and their water content, below, and then add them to your grocery list ASAP.
Watermelon Quenches Your Thirst and Is Jam-Packed With Potassium
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It’s no surprise that watermelon is hydrating — heck, the word “water” is even in the name! “Watermelon is 91 percent water, so it is super hydrating,” says Kimberlain.
“Additionally, it’s one of those fruits that doesn’t have as much fiber as other fruits — so it can be a source of quick energy, too,” says Kimberlain. One medium-sized slice of watermelon contains 1.3 grams (g) of fiber for about 4 percent of your daily value (DV), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Watermelon also comes bursting with vitamin C — 26.3 milligrams (mg) per medium slice, which is almost 30 percent your DV, making it an excellent source. Plus, watermelon is a source of vitamin A, with 91 micrograms (mcg) in each medium slice, for 10 percent of your DV, as well as 364 mg of potassium, which totals 8 percent of your DV.
According to the Mayo Clinic, vitamin A is crucial for eye and skin health, while vitamin C helps with the immune system and nerve function. Meanwhile, potassium lowers blood pressure and also helps your nerves function properly.
And potassium has more perks: “Potassium has been shown to play a role in helping to maintain water balance as well as helping to offset muscle cramping,” says Kimberlain, and University of Michigan Health concurs.
Enjoy a watermelon slice as-is, or add cubed watermelon to feta cheese and fresh mint as a side dish for a refreshing treat, suggests Lydon.
Strawberries Are Both Hydration and Vitamin C Superstars
Berry lovers, rejoice! Strawberries come brimming with water — 91 percent — as well as other nutrients, making them the perfect fruit to snack on or add to your smoothie.
Here’s the lowdown: A cup of halved strawberries has 3.3 g of fiber, according to the USDA, giving you about 11 percent of your DV, which makes it a good source. And that’s good news for you, because fiber helps keep your hunger and blood sugar under control, Harvard notes, and may even reduce the risk of developing conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Strawberries are also vitamin C stars — 1 cup has a whopping 97.6 mg of the vitamin, according to the USDA, which fully covers your DV, making them (obviously) an excellent source.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these hydrating berries also provide heart health perks, too — eating 1 cup daily may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Plus, the Mayo Clinic says they may also lower the odds of developing certain cancers and even support how your brain functions.
For example, in one small study, participants ate 500 g of strawberries a day for a month. (That’s a lot of strawberries!) At the end of the period, their blood was tested and the researchers found that their bad cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly lowered.
But you can get benefits just by eating a regular serving of strawberries as well. Enjoy them raw — they’re delicious as-is — or add them to salads or your a.m. meal. “One of my favorite ways to add fruit to a meal is adding strawberries to yogurt and granola for a parfait,” says Lydon.
Grapefruit Is Refreshing and Impressively Low-Calorie
Oranges often steal the show when it comes to “most popular” citrus fruits, but grapefruit comes packed with even more water. (They’re 91 percent water, to be exact, according to the USDA.)
In addition, a small grapefruit has 2.2 g of fiber, according to the USDA, which is about 8 percent of your DV. And like other citrus fruits in the family, you’re getting plenty of vitamin C — you score about 69 mg of the vitamin, notes the USDA, which is 76 percent your DV, making it an excellent source.
Grapefruit is also touted as a low-calorie fruit that fills you up thanks to its fiber. One grapefruit has a mere 74 calories, according to the USDA. Research has even shown that eating grapefruit, along with other fruits like blueberries, grapes, and apples, may lower your odds of developing type 2 diabetes.
One randomized controlled trial involving 74 overweight adults found that while eating one-half a grapefruit daily with meals for six weeks didn’t necessarily help them with weight loss, it did improve their blood pressure results.
Like many other fruits, you also score potassium — a small grapefruit has 278 mg of potassium, which is about 6 percent of your DV, according to the USDA.
Consider serving yourself up a grapefruit after exercising. “In addition to its water content, the naturally occurring sugars and electrolytes found in citrus fruits make them a great postworkout recovery snack, when paired with a source of protein,” says Lydon. Try teaming up your grapefruit with Greek yogurt — according to the USDA, a 7-ounce container of low-fat Greek yogurt contains nearly 20 g of protein, which is 40 percent of your DV, making it an excellent source. Protein is great postexercise, notes the Mayo Clinic, because it gives you the nutrients you need to repair your muscles.
Another one of Lydon’s favorite ways to enjoy grapefruit? “Broil grapefruit and serve it over oatmeal,” she suggests.
RELATED: The 7 Top Fruits for Weight Loss (and How to Enjoy Them)
Cantaloupe Comes Loaded With Beta-Carotene and H2O
While watermelon gets much of the melon hydration hype, cantaloupe’s water content is nothing to take for granted.
Not only will cantaloupe hydrate you on a hot day (or a cold day, for that matter) due to its 90 percent water content — you’ll also score other impressive nutrients with each slice.
For example, one large wedge of cantaloupe delivers about 1 g of fiber and 11 mg of vitamin C packed into just 39 calories, according to the USDA — and hey, maybe it’s an excuse to have more than one slice.
Cantaloupe also delivers on vitamin A — with each large slice you score 237 mcg of the vitamin, notes the USDA, which is 26 percent your DV, making it a good source. You’re also getting an impressive amount of beta-carotene — 2,780 mcg, according to the USDA. Beta-carotene is what gives cantaloupe its orange hue, and is a “provitamin,” according to the University of Rochester Medical Center, which means your body uses it to make vitamin A.
Other than eating cantaloupe by the slice, try adding cubes to a salad, serve it as an appetizer along with prosciutto, or even throw some slices into your glass of sparkling water to naturally sweeten it up.
Peaches, a Juicy Stone Fruit, Pack Way More Than Just Water
Stone fruit, such as peaches and plums, have a water content of 88 percent, making them a sweet way to stay hydrated, says Lydon.
According to the USDA, one medium peach contains 7 mg of vitamin C, which is 8 percent of your DV, as well as 42 mcg of vitamin A, which gives you a decent 5 percent of your DV.
Plus, you also score 2.6 g of fiber in each medium peach, according to the USDA, which is almost 10 percent of your DV.
Lydon suggests adding fresh peaches to a salad with mozzarella.
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Raspberries Are Equal Parts Hydrating and Fiber-Filled
Along with providing major hydration perks, these little red gems come loaded with other good-for-you bonuses.
In addition to being 86 percent water, raspberries are fiber phenoms — 1 cup provides a whopping 8 g of fiber, according to the USDA, which is almost 30 percent of your DV, making them an excellent source. The berries also deliver big on vitamin C — in each cup you get 32 mg, which is about 36 percent of your DV, making them another excellent source.
You also score ample antioxidants with raspberries; according to the Mayo Clinic, raspberries are one of the top fruit sources of these disease-fighting compounds. The Mayo Clinic notes that antioxidants offer protection against free radicals, which are molecules that your body creates when it’s exposed to harmful things like tobacco smoke or radiation, and increase the risk for chronic diseases.
Raspberries also give you 0.8 mg of manganese, too, according to the USDA. That might not seem like a lot, but it’s about 36 percent of your DV, making them an excellent source. Manganese helps protect your cells from getting damaged, notes the National Institutes of Health, and keeps your bones strong, helps your immune system, and aids in the process of blood clotting.
While you can always eat raspberries on their own, try throwing some in your cereal, yogurt, or oatmeal, or making a raspberry-filled (healthy!) dessert, like this Mini Raspberry Keto Cheesecake.
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Pineapple Is a Sweet Way to Eat Your Water
Time to pack your shopping cart with pineapples. Not only do they provide natural sweetness and some serious hydration perks — they contain 85 percent water — they come with additional sizable health benefits, as well.
You’ll score 79 mg of vitamin C with 1 cup of pineapple chunks, according to the USDA, which covers almost 88 percent of your DV, making it an excellent source. Pineapple also gives you 4.6 g of fiber, which is more than 16 percent of your DV.
And the perks of pineapple continue: “Pineapple also contains an enzyme called bromelain, that helps break down proteins and aid in digestion,” says Kimberlain. According to Mount Sinai, pineapple has been used for hundreds of years in Central and South America for easing indigestion, and research is currently exploring whether it may also help improve inflammation, swelling, and sinusitis.
Other than eating a delicious slice of pineapple as-is, Lydon suggests throwing pineapple and mango into a smoothie with Greek yogurt or avocado.
Cranberries Are Surprisingly Thirst-Quenching and Bursting With Fiber
You may think of cranberries as strictly a Thanksgiving food — and a measly side dish, no less — but it might be worth eating more of these tiny red fruits to reap their hydration and health perks.
Raw cranberries not only contain 87 percent water (hello hydration), they also pack 14 mg of vitamin C per cup, according to the USDA, which is about 16 percent of your DV, making them a good source.
You also score ample fiber with cranberries — one cup gives you 3.6 g, notes the USDA, which is about 13 percent your DV, making them a good source as well.
If you think cranberries may be too bitter for your tastebuds to eat by the handful, consider slicing them up and adding them to your next grain bowl or salad, or use them as a garnish on your next meat or fish dish.
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Oranges Are Known for Vitamin C, But They’re Ultra-Hydrators, Too
If you ever played soccer as a child, there was nothing more refreshing than biting into a few orange slices at halftime.
Not only will eating oranges help quench your thirst with 87 percent water, but they offer nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants, says Kimberlain.
Take vitamin C, which oranges are renowned for containing. One regular orange contains about 97 mg of the vitamin, according to the USDA, which covers your DV. Not only that, it also packs 274 mg of potassium, per the USDA, which is 6 percent of your DV.
Picking a whole fruit, not the liquid form, is key, though. This way you get that nutritious fiber that oranges boast. For a little perspective, a 4-ounce cup of 100 percent OJ gives you a mere 0.3 g of fiber per the USDA. On the other hand, a medium orange has more than 3 g of fiber, notes the USDA, which is 11 percent of your DV, making it a good source.
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Apricots Have Plenty of H2O and Antioxidants
Tangy and tart, apricots — another stone fruit — can hit the spot when it comes to keeping you hydrated, with 86 percent water. They also deliver when it comes to nutrition.
One regular apricot packs a mere 17 calories, and provides almost 1 g of fiber, according to the USDA, for almost 3 percent of your DV. A small apricot also gives you vitamin A — 34 mcg, per to the USDA, which is about 4 percent of your DV, as well as 382 mcg of beta-carotene.
Plus, just one apricot gives you 3.5 mg of vitamin C, according to the USDA, which is 4 percent your DV (and if you have two — which is easy to do — you double that).
Research has also shown that apricots come jam-packed with antioxidants, as well.
Bite into a juicy apricot as a snack. Or when cooking with apricots, you can swap them in whenever a recipe calls for peaches. You can also add apricots to savory dishes (like a Moroccan tagine).
Kayli Anderson, RDN
Medical Reviewer
Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.
Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.
Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.
She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.
