Does coffee count towards your water intake?

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kittycat1116
kittycat1116 Posts: 17 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I drink almost a pot of coffee (straight up coffee... Nothing added but it is a 12 c. pot) in the am but I havent been counting it towards my water intake. But with drinking that much coffee its hard to get in my alotted water intake. Do you guys that drink coffee count it towards your water?
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    Yes :)
  • strshllw84
    strshllw84 Posts: 256 Member
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    My doctor actually told me anything with caffiene is not included in water intake.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    strshllw84 wrote: »
    My doctor actually told me anything with caffiene is not included in water intake.

    Why?
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Your doctor has no peer-reviewed published source for that assertion. Even the 8 cup standard is not from a peer-reviewed published scientific source. It's been of and from the U.S. government since it was first pulled out of their sphincter. There have been a lot of people meeting and exceeding the 8 cup standard and as we haven't observed a massive die-off of these people we continue to credit, falsely, the government with getting something right.

    Caffeine is a bit diuretic, so a medically trained person might reason that caffeinated drinks defeat the purpose of drinking water, but I repeat, they have no science on it.


    I count my coffee. I count the water I add to my protein shake.
  • TheRambler
    TheRambler Posts: 387 Member
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    logic tells me, yes..but I'm not a doctor. It's water that goes in you, and goes out of you. Your body absorbs a good portion of it as well..
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Count anything you drink, except alcohol. Things with caffeine DO have a diuretic effect, but is is minimal and does not negate the hydrating effect of the water
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    If it's black, stick it under water. Black has like 5 calories or something, so I've read. If you put anything in it, log that stuff as food.

    Coffee counts as water. Bean-flavored water, but still water.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I hadn't thought to, but I drink a lot of water naturally (usually 100-120 oz/day) and 32-40 oz/day of coffee, so not as much as you do!
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Take with a figurative grain of salt--years ago I read a study on this where they estimate caffeinated drinks diuretic effect only *at most* cancels 1/3 of the water in the drink. Since I tend to log 10-12 oz tumblers as "a cup" of beverage I don't worry about it to that level of detail.

    I generally don't log tea as food, just as water (a bit of a tea snob, if I did log it as food I'd want a separate entry for each kind and who wants to create all those foods?), but I do log if I add anything to it. I created a food 'tea with cream' rather than just logging cream, so when I look at my record I can tell cream included in tea from cream used to, say, lighten up scrambled eggs.

    add: "Cream, on a weight-loss diet?" I imagine some gasp. I'm not doing Atkins now, but lean that way, and worry more about carbs than fat content. For me, whatever mechanism senses fullness seems blind to carbohydrates--I can eat them all day and never feel satisfied. My food-fat sensors, however, seem to work just fine, so if I lean toward food containing fat my daily calorie intake goes down because I feel full sooner.
  • kittycat1116
    kittycat1116 Posts: 17 Member
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    Thanks for all of the feedback! I will start logging it then as water and in the rare case anything is added, I will log that under food.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    strshllw84 wrote: »
    My doctor actually told me anything with caffiene is not included in water intake.

    The latest research says coffee, while a diuretic, doesn't affect hydration as much as they used to say. My last appointment when this was discussed said coffee was fine in moderation.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.
  • jessef593
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    It's a diuretic so not for me. The only fluid I count towards my water intake is water. Everything ontop of that is just a bonus since our bodies are capable of pulling water out of other sources. Id just rather know Id hit 2-4L of pure water.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.

    Does the nursing staff take that advice with patients on fluid restriction? If so, that's dangerous, since all beverages are water. Even sweet and caffeinated ones.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    jessef593 wrote: »
    It's a diuretic so not for me. The only fluid I count towards my water intake is water. Everything ontop of that is just a bonus since our bodies are capable of pulling water out of other sources. Id just rather know Id hit 2-4L of pure water.

    Yep, same here. I can feel the difference when i have a day when i get my fluid solely from coffee and tea, compared to when i also drink a couple Litres of water.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
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    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.

    Does the nursing staff take that advice with patients on fluid restriction? If so, that's dangerous, since all beverages are water. Even sweet and caffeinated ones.

    My brain also went to the fact that for some people that means that they will just drink twice as many of the sugary or caffeinated drinks.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.

    Does the nursing staff take that advice with patients on fluid restriction? If so, that's dangerous, since all beverages are water. Even sweet and caffeinated ones.

    Of course not, but most patients aren't on fluid restrictions. If you are on fluid restrictions, they consult a nephrologist, not a nutritionist. But for keeping sick people hydrated that's the advice.

    Oh, and milk is not water. It's food.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.

    Does the nursing staff take that advice with patients on fluid restriction? If so, that's dangerous, since all beverages are water. Even sweet and caffeinated ones.

    Of course not, but most patients aren't on fluid restrictions. If you are on fluid restrictions, they consult a nephrologist, not a nutritionist. But for keeping sick people hydrated that's the advice.

    Oh, and milk is not water. It's food.

    Milk is hydrating. You log it under food for the calories and nutrition, but it also counts as water. To log it there or not is up to the individual. I don't log it at all because I don't have issues with dehydration.

    Speaking of issues with dehydration, if I can't use people on fluid restriction as an example, why can you use sick people at risk of dehydration as an example?

    Coffee is water. Tea is water. Milk is water. Juice is water. Soda is water.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited March 2017
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    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    MelissaPhippsFeagins wrote: »
    I drink 5 14 ounce mugs of coffee with half and half or milk every day and usually drink at least 48 ounces of water on top of that.
    The nutritionists at the hospital I work for say count anything with sugar or caffeine (tea, coffee or juice) as half the amount of water. But they also say how much you need depends on lots of factors and the answer is not the same for everyone. I need a lot because I have allergies and I take drugs to control them. My runner kid needs more than I do because she sweats a lot every day. My sedentary college student needs less than either of us.

    Does the nursing staff take that advice with patients on fluid restriction? If so, that's dangerous, since all beverages are water. Even sweet and caffeinated ones.

    Of course not, but most patients aren't on fluid restrictions. If you are on fluid restrictions, they consult a nephrologist, not a nutritionist. But for keeping sick people hydrated that's the advice.

    Oh, and milk is not water. It's food.

    Milk is hydrating. You log it under food for the calories and nutrition, but it also counts as water. To log it there or not is up to the individual. I don't log it at all because I don't have issues with dehydration.

    Speaking of issues with dehydration, if I can't use people on fluid restriction as an example, why can you use sick people at risk of dehydration as an example?

    Coffee is water. Tea is water. Milk is water. Juice is water. Soda is water.
    ^Correct.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/821181/myths-and-facts-about-hydration-requirements

    The simple answer is that you can obtain fluids for hydration from beverages and food. It is not just plain water that hydrates you and caffeine is basically no more a diuretic than water is unless consumed in large quantities, and even then, the diuretic effect is minimal. You do obviously have to count the calories in your beverages/food.

    For the geeks, or if you do not believe me:


    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 - any beverage counts

    "beverages such as milk and juice are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute"

    "What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake."


    http://www.jacn.org/content/22/2/165.short flavored plain water counts

    "Inclusion of plain drinking water compared to exclusion of plain drinking water in the diet did not affect the markers of hydration used in this study."


    http://www.jacn.org/content/19/5/591.short any beverage counts

    "This preliminary study found no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males. Advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results of this study."


    http://bjsportmed.com/content/40/5/406.abstract sports drinks can hydrate more than plain water in some situations

    "Ad libitum consumption of a CHO-E drink may be more effective than water in minimising fluid deficits and mean core temperature responses during tennis and other similar training in adolescent athletes."


    http://www.jacn.org/content/26/suppl_5/592S.short food counts

    "Various reports indicate that humans receive 20–25% of their daily water intake from food. Fruits, vegetables and other high-moisture foods, therefore, make an important contribution to total fluid intake."


    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12834577 the diuretic effect of caffeine is minimal

    "...nor does it cause significant dehydration or electrolyte imbalance during exercise.    "


    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/12187618 the diuretic effect of caffeine is minimal

    "The literature indicates that caffeine consumption stimulates a mild diuresis similar to water, but there is no evidence of a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to exercise performance or health"

    "Investigations comparing caffeine (100-680 mg) to water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume."

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