Tea and Coffee

levittrh53

Can you count tea and coffee as part of your water intake for the day?

Carnivor0us

I personally don't, but many do. You can if you want.

ShannonKirton

I find that when I do, it's really not that many calories, but I guess it depends on how you take your tea or coffee. Milk, sugar, etc. If I was to have a "coffee" like a frappachino from a coffee bar then yes I would definitely put it in due to the calories and sugars in that drink.

bzign

I wouldn't count them in your water intake as they are diuretics and alter your hydration, your body needs .30ml per kg of bodyweight as a starting point for intercellular hydration (good hydration) and to help with getting rid of any extracellular hydration (toxic water retention) more if you exercise and drink caffeine which dehydrates you.

avskk

I count my iced tea as water (um, in my head -- too lazy to log as I drink between 10 and 18 glasses a day, on top of actual water, coffee, the occasional diet soda, etc.). I don't count coffee or diet sodas. I don't really know why I make that distinction -- the caffeine doesn't trouble me, as the so-called "diuretic effect" only kicks in at doses so massive they'd essentially give you a heart attack. I guess I just feel like iced tea is water and other stuff isn't.

In other news, I eat enormous quantities of ice and also don't "count" that as water in my head. Why? No idea. It IS water. I am an insane person.

explosivedonut

I drink my coffee black, and it's like 5 calories for a large amount, so I don't really bother. 5 calories is like nothing.

EDIT: because I misunderstood, I only count WATER for my water intake. Even if it is made primarily with water, if it doesn't come directly from a tap, it isn't water, IMHO.

aquarabbit

Tea yes, coffee no. I like a STRONG black coffee so I figure all that caffeine isn't helping my hydration. But I love it!

rml_16

Yes.

And, no, there is not nearly enough caffeine to dehydrate you and water does not cease to be water because you add flavoring to it.

sullus

I wouldn't count them in your water intake as they are diuretics and alter your hydration, your body needs .30ml per kg of bodyweight as a starting point for intercellular hydration (good hydration) and to help with getting rid of any extracellular hydration (toxic water retention) more if you exercise and drink caffeine which dehydrates you.

Coffee and tea hydrate you just the same as water.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15467100
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21450118

quiltlovinlisa

I keep a tab of fluid intake. I count most liquids I drink, as long as I keep track of any additional calories. It' s personal preference on whether you count them or not.

rainunrefined

I personally don't, but I just look at it as bonus liquid consumed. I still try to get my 8 glasses of plain ol' water on top of whatever coffee or tea I drink. If I don't get 8 glasses in, I'm not too hard on myself because I know I consumed other liquids.

HotAshMess

I never used to because of the caffeine being a diuretic, but then I read an article about the caffeine not being as dehydrating as you think. So I count it.

wanderlustlover

I count all water I drink -- whether plain in a cup, tossed in my smoothie, or making my brewed tea at home.

rml_16

if it doesn't come directly from a tap, it isn't water, IMHO.

That's why everyone died of dehydration before they invented plumbing.

djshari

It's up to you. I drink a lot of iced tea so I count it (though I don't actually count how much I drink in a day).

bobf279

I don't count it as water but I do count the calories in my 10 mugs of tea

EDollah

I wouldn't count them in your water intake as they are diuretics and alter your hydration, your body needs .30ml per kg of bodyweight as a starting point for intercellular hydration (good hydration) and to help with getting rid of any extracellular hydration (toxic water retention) more if you exercise and drink caffeine which dehydrates you.

Coffee and tea hydrate you just the same as water.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15467100
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21450118

That second study may be my favorite bit of science from the last 100 years. Off to brew a pot now...

MarineCodie

Nah. I count water as water for hydration purposes.

_Zardoz_

I wouldn't count them in your water intake as they are diuretics and alter your hydration,

You would need to drink stupid and impossible amounts of caffiene fir diuretic effect that it has to have any significant or noticable effect.


As for the 8 glasses of water a day

http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/22/you-need-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day-a-history-lesson/

Unknown

This content has been removed.

quiltlovinlisa

I drink herbal tea, iced in the summer, hot in the winter. It's fabulous.

thisismeraw

Yup! I count it. I count the calories for the drink plus mark it as water intake.

Coffee is not dehydrating in normal amounts.. neither is tea.

MsDrJuris

I only count water when I'm tabulating my liquids in. Better to err on the side of caution.

herblackwings39

I count any liquid as water. I also log anything that has calories which includes my coffee. If I drank a cup of almond milk I'd log it and tick the little glass up one as well.

rml_16

I only count water when I'm tabulating my liquids in. Better to err on the side of caution.

What caution? That's one of the oddest things I've read here, and that's saying something.