Debate: Does Tea and Coffee count towards your water intake?

245

Replies

  • wiltl
    wiltl Posts: 188 Member
    Recent studies show that the amount of caffeine someone has to drink to have a diretic effect is pretty high. So, one or two cups won't do it and will end up being the same of "output" as if you drank plain water.
    I found these two articles when googling this after the thread yesterday.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661


    I could them towards my liquid intake (but only end up logging my coffee, drinking enough water hasn't been a big problem for me), but would also consider water dense foods as part of my intake too. Water is basically molecules that can be added to other molecules to create something else like coffee. We humans don't drink pure H2O anyway, our water sources are usually full of chemicals, minerals and whatnot.
  • o2bADyer
    o2bADyer Posts: 208
    I only include my actual plain water in my water count.

    I do put coffee and tea in my regular journal though.

    Ditto for me!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    'course it does.

    It's like saying a piece of chicken doesn't count towards your protein intake because you put it in a bun.
  • theresmynapkin
    theresmynapkin Posts: 183 Member
    water is water. Tasteless, clear, calorieless. if you call it anything other than water it doesn't count towards your WATER intake. It might count toward your coffee or tea intake, but not your WATER intake. Just because it is a fluid doesn't mean it's Water. If you'd shower in it, then it counts... on second thought that rule's not very good cuz I'd shower in chocolate.....
  • cruisinskier
    cruisinskier Posts: 63 Member
    Looks like we are still at about 50/50 as to whether to count it. Personally, I drink 2-3 cups of black tea daily (sometimes more). Since joining MFP I also drink 7-9 cups of water daily. I do not typically count the tea but I consider it a bonus in addition to the water intake......but I don't have any real reason I don't count it other than it does not come directly out of the tap /Brita......
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
    water is water. Tasteless, clear, calorieless. if you call it anything other than water it doesn't count towards your WATER intake. It might count toward your coffee or tea intake, but not your WATER intake. Just because it is a fluid doesn't mean it's Water. If you'd shower in it, then it counts... on second thought that rule's not very good cuz I'd shower in chocolate.....

    The first ingredient on all sodas is water. Diet coke (which I have a bottle near me right now) has the second ingredient listed as caramel coloring. Knowing that these products are listed in biggest to smallest order, diet coke is colored, flavored water. Your body doesn't ****ing care.
  • tlblood
    tlblood Posts: 473 Member
    if its liquid, then i count it.

    Me too. I don't like coffe, tea, and don't drink much soda anyway, so the caffeine issues isn't really one for me, but I've just come off of WW where they count any liquids toward the water count.
  • takehimaway
    takehimaway Posts: 499 Member
    I had a health instructor in college that taught us this:

    Once you add ANYTHING to water, it stops being water. Count only H20 as water. Coffee and tea (which I love and drink a lot of) should not be included in your water intake goals. At least that's my belief....:smile:

    This! The other day.. I tried to add the cup I drink of Metamucil to my water count, and I felt so guilty.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Tea and coffee are NOT dehydrators the just hydrate less effectively.
    I had always counted 1 cup as 3/4 of a cup.

    BUT recently read and article about a study that was done about the effective hydration of water vs. coffee... the bottom line was that there was a difference, but it was a very MINIMAL DIFFERENCE and basically it's okay to count a cup of coffee as a cup of water.


    Googling now to see If I can find a link for that article.
  • reojames
    reojames Posts: 96
    water is water. Tasteless, clear, calorieless. if you call it anything other than water it doesn't count towards your WATER intake. It might count toward your coffee or tea intake, but not your WATER intake. Just because it is a fluid doesn't mean it's Water. If you'd shower in it, then it counts... on second thought that rule's not very good cuz I'd shower in chocolate.....

    The first ingredient on all sodas is water. Diet coke (which I have a bottle near me right now) has the second ingredient listed as caramel coloring. Knowing that these products are listed in biggest to smallest order, diet coke is colored, flavored water. Your body doesn't ****ing care.

    Oh funkyspunky.... you couldn't be more wrong. Don't get me started on the tumor juice... diet coke....
  • anothermop
    anothermop Posts: 187 Member
    Yes. All water-based liquids should count including sodas and flavored waters. Do not give me this complete BULL**** about dehydrators. The recommended 8 glasses of day counts water intake that you get from food substances, so why shouldn't a bottle of diet coke? I still like to shoot for 8-12 glasses of plain water though throughout the day no matter what else I've had to drink. That's a personal preference and challenge, because I'm absolutely horrible at remembering to drink. (I've been hospitalized several times for not drinking for days and then being severely dehydrated.) If I'm having a bad day at it, then hell yes I'm at least proud that I got ANY form of liquid in.

    When I was young, I drank the equivalent of 4-5 cans of diet coke a day, maybe only a couple glasses of water. I couldn't figure out why my sides ached all the time. My mom pointed out that I was probably dehydrated and my kidneys were rebelling. I tend to think she was right, as I cut back significantly and no more side aches. Of course I drank waaaay too much, but still, be careful :) Also, when my brother had kidney stones, the doctor told him to drink two glasses of water for every glass of soda. If you're drinking 8-12 glasses of water a day, sounds like you're doing that anyway.
    I still drink too much diet coke. So I make myself drink 2-3 glasses of water in order to earn another diet coke. (I typically still drink 3 diet cokes/day.)
  • mistigoodwin
    mistigoodwin Posts: 411 Member
    I will log water w/ Crystal Light in it as water, but coffee and tea to me is not water. I only drink water with Crystal Light occassionally. I love plain, clear, fresh water so it's easy to drink a lot already. :)
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    There has been some debate about how much water one should drink each day, and whether or not beverages like coffee and tea count towards that amount. As most of us know, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, and diuretics do the opposite of hydrating you.


    A cup of coffee has about 200mg of caffeine. A cup of tea has quite a bit less (40-100mg), depending on the strength of the tea. However, the general consensus as of late is that, despite the caffeine, these beverages still count towards your fluid intake for the day. The reason is that, although caffeine is a diuretic, the amount in a strong cup of coffee or tea is simply not enough to dehydrate, and there will still be a net gain of fluid.


    Although coffee and tea may be equal in their hydration factor, tea still gets the upper hand for your health. A recent sutdy in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that drinking tea is not only as good as drinking water, but possibly better, as it may carry extra health benefits in protecting against heart disease and some cancers.


    The beneficial ingredients in tea are flavinoids, polyphenol antioxidants that are found in many plants (including tea leaves) that protect against oxidative cell damage. Other benefits were found to be bone strengthening and protection against tooth plaque, due to the flouride content. Researchers from this study recommend 3-4 cups of tea per day to help reduce the risk of heart attack.


    One thing not mentioned in this article is the difference between types of tea. Different teas have different amounts of processing and, therefore, have different degrees of health benefits, with green tea found to be the strongest. More on that in another post...


    *This particular study was funded by the Tea Council, which usually leaves me extremely skeptical of a study's results. However, this is not new evidence nor is it the first time these findings have been reported.*

    http://www.factorfictionnutritionblog.com/2009/03/tea-and-coffee-vs-water.html

    Great post. The amount of people who hear a myth and just believe it on face value is amusing. :smile:

    All take your bait...

    Ill give you real practice. 2 years of 98% water only...I always drink 12-15 8oz glasses of water ( no additives) sometimes Ill have coffee or tea but my daily intake is 98% water only.

    Over the course of 2 years I know that when my intake deviates and I ingest things that aren't pure water or dont get at least 80 oz I feel like crap I can tell my body is not preforming at 100%.

    So you may think you are feeling OK but I can tell you from real experience you can feel better and be better. the studies are just that studies. Take some real world advice. Drink the water and stop cheating yourself.
  • natalianogueira
    natalianogueira Posts: 76 Member
    I had a health instructor in college that taught us this:

    Once you add ANYTHING to water, it stops being water. Count only H20 as water. Coffee and tea (which I love and drink a lot of) should not be included in your water intake goals. At least that's my belief....:smile:


    ˆˆ
    This! Water and only water. I drink lots of it and I really miss it if I don't do it.
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    [Great post. The amount of people who hear a myth and just believe it on face value is amusing. :smile:
    [/quote]
    So you may think you are feeling OK but I can tell you from real experience you can feel better and be better. the studies are just that studies. Take some real world advice. Drink the water and stop cheating yourself.
    [/quote]

    Your belief is actually based on your experience which is really a study in which n=1.
    I'll take Mayo Clinic data over that any time.
    But go ahead and drink your water:flowerforyou:
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    I drink lots of teas. I don't know much about coffee, but it's probably the same. It's a liquid. It adds water to your body. It hydrates you. It does not dehydrate you. This is the scientific truth. The rest is myth. You should certainly still drink regular water as well. Even milk has water in it as well.
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
    Count your water as water and nothing else. I don't track down how much water I drink but it is about 15-16 cups a day or something like that.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3009971/table/T2/ is interesting. The biggest source of water in the two diets was ......


    FOOD !

    by a mile.

    The average consumption of "table water" was under a pint a day. I assume the subjects are all dead and the researchers locked up. Not.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Tea and coffee are NOT dehydrators the just hydrate less effectively.
    I had always counted 1 cup as 3/4 of a cup.

    BUT recently read and article about a study that was done about the effective hydration of water vs. coffee... the bottom line was that there was a difference, but it was a very MINIMAL DIFFERENCE and basically it's okay to count a cup of coffee as a cup of water.


    Googling now to see If I can find a link for that article.

    MAYO CLINIC SAYS: (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661)
    Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine has a diuretic effect only if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (the equivalent of 5 to 7 cups of coffee) a day.

    HUFFINGTON POST SITES PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY & LA TROBE UNIVERSITY STUDIES
    http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/06/07/hydration-tea-coffee-lettuce-hydration-better-water_n_1577105.html
  • fletchleg
    fletchleg Posts: 116 Member
    I don't count normal tea and coffee mainly cos of the caffeine just my own way of counting.I include non caffeinated teas, fruit and herbal etc.
    I also include if I put squash or something with water and always have. I've never been a fan of plain water and only drink it during and after working out. Not sure if I should be but its 90% water.
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I count herbal tea as part of my water intake and that's it. I drink plenty of plain water at work so I guess any tea or latte is just extra fluid. :)
  • whitefang66
    whitefang66 Posts: 38 Member
    Drinking water is a myth. If you eat a normal healthy balanced diet, your body will get all the water it needs!!
  • SkinnyChemicals
    SkinnyChemicals Posts: 86
    I had a health instructor in college that taught us this:

    Once you add ANYTHING to water, it stops being water. Count only H20 as water. Coffee and tea (which I love and drink a lot of) should not be included in your water intake goals. At least that's my belief....:smile:

    He was sadly misinformed. The molecules from coffee and water are mixed but don't bond together to create a new type of molecule. Your still getting H20.
  • lizzynewm
    lizzynewm Posts: 199 Member
    Drinking water is a myth.

    :laugh:
  • SkinnyChemicals
    SkinnyChemicals Posts: 86
    I definitely don't consider it part of my water consumption. Another question: I drink my coffee black most days and don't log it because it has no nutritional/caloric value. Do other people who drink just black coffee log it? If so, why?

    It does have calories, minimal but still has them. The calories come from the coffee bean oils.
  • jenmarie2012
    jenmarie2012 Posts: 180 Member
    I don't count another drinks as water I just count pure water intake. I know people have said they have counted just black coffee and just plain tea with no sugar/creamer. So guess its up to your desicion. :happy:
  • epmck11
    epmck11 Posts: 159 Member
    I don't track water. I drink when I'm thirsty. Everything I drink is either water or contains water. I manage to stay plenty hydrated without needing to track my water, even though I drink a ton of coffee. I'm also not sure that there's any scientific evidence that proves you actually need 8 cups of water a day.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Personally, I only log plain water as water. But, if I have other beverages throughout the day, I don't worry about forcing myself to get 8 full glasses.
  • Jasonkellykinn
    Jasonkellykinn Posts: 2
    Don't count the coffee as water and don't count creamer against my calories. Coffee is neutral...... life has to be worth living.
  • Weightlossangel
    Weightlossangel Posts: 9
    I count herbal tea only, as water - nothing with caffeine in it and especially not coffee with milk

    I would have to agree there.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories