What's The Most Hydrating Fruit?

Before you reach for a sports drink this summer, remember that mother nature already created the ultimate thirst-quenchers for us to enjoy. In fact, one of them may already be sitting in your fruit bowl. To get the lowdown on which fruit packs the biggest hydration punch, Chowhound spoke to Courtney Pelitera, registered dietitian at Top Nutrition Coaching.

"Easily the most hydrating fruit is going to be watermelon," Pelitera revealed. This is probably not a huge shocker, considering water is literally in its name. This gorgeous summer fruit comes in strong with 92% water content, leaving other options in the dust. Watermelons also deliver about 640 milligrams of potassium in just two slices, which could give your cells an extra boost while giving you that much-needed refreshment.

Of course, there's a whole supporting cast of other fruits that are also hydrating, such as strawberries, oranges, peaches, grapefruit, and pineapple. This means that whipping up a fruit salad in the morning could be doing more for you than just filling you up. To make the most of it, make sure you know which fruits to avoid when making a fruit salad if hydration's your goal.

A banana packs about 400 milligrams of potassium, but as Courtney Pelitera points out, that doesn't make them more hydrating than fruit with a high water content. "Fruit, in general, does not have a ton of electrolytes on its own," she said. When it comes to hydration, it really just comes down to water content, not the vitamins, minerals, or electrolytes that a fruit contains.

However, eating fruit (as opposed to drinking its juice) will still provide many benefits besides for hydration. "Typically, if you are eating a whole fruit, you are going to eat less because it is very filling," Pelitera said. The trade-off? "You would likely get less fluids for hydration but significantly more healthy fibers and nutrients from the fruit."

Finally, Pelitera left us with a fact that might make you reconsider that recipe with upgraded grilled pineapple: Cooking fruit actually takes the hydration right out of it. Heat evaporates water content, which then concentrates all those natural sugars (which is why grilled fruit tastes even sweeter) but leaves you with significantly less water. So if hydration is the goal, don't overthink it — grab that juicy watermelon, take a big bite, and let summer's most refreshing snack do what it does best.