List of Fruits & Vegetable With a High Water Content

Your body cannot function properly without enough water, which comprises 60 percent of your body weight. Water helps transport oxygen, fat and glucose to your working muscles, regulate your body temperature, digest food and eliminate waste products. Besides water, certain fruits and vegetables also fulfill your fluid requirements in addition to providing healthful nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein.

High Water Content Fruits

Watermelon and strawberries contain about 92 percent water per volume. Other fruits with high water content include grapefruit with 91 percent, cantaloupe with 90 percent and peaches with 88 percent water. Fruits containing 87 percent water by weight include pineapple, cranberries, orange and raspberries. Apricots hold 86 percent water, while blueberries and plums contain 85 percent water. The water content for apples and pears is 84 percent. Cherries and grapes contain an average of 81 percent water. And, a banana’s composition includes 74 percent water.

High Water Content Vegetables

On top of the vegetables list are cucumber and lettuce, consisting of 96 percent water. Zucchini, radish and celery are comprised of 95 percent water. Ninety-four percent of tomato's weight is water, and green cabbage is 93 percent water. Vegetables that contain 92 percent water include cauliflower, eggplant, red cabbage, peppers and spinach. Broccoli is 91 percent water by weight. Additional healthy hydrating foods include carrots with 87 percent water and green peas and white potatoes with 79 percent water.

Benefits

Reaching for a watermelon or cucumber after finishing an intense workout may hydrate your body twice as effectively as a glass of water, claims a 2009 study by researchers at the University of Aberdeen Medical School. This is so because water-rich fruits and vegetables also provide you with natural sugars, amino acids, mineral salts and vitamins that are lost in exercise. The study found that this combination helps hydrate you more effectively than water or sports drinks. Eating fruits and vegetables high in water content can replenish your body without all the artificial colors and flavors commonly found in sports drinks. The biggest advantage of consuming high water content foods is that they contain minimal calories and provide a feeling of fullness.

Suggestions

Eat four servings of fruits and five servings of vegetables per day as they may help reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases in addition to providing your body with fluids, reports Rush University Medical Center. Substitute water-based foods for high-calorie foods to subtract calories and fat from your diet. But take care not to consume too many fruits as they do contain calories.