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

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  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
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    I used to track coffee as water, but after hearing the advice of half the people in this thread and their old professors, I will now just chew up a handful of coffee beans and wash it down with a cup of plain, pure water. BAM, WORKAROUND.
  • ellieranc
    ellieranc Posts: 32 Member
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    Besides logging my portions/calories on MFP, I'm also under a weight management program with a local hospital. Per the doctor, I am to drink 64 oz of water daily, which is easy for me because I was drinking that on a daily basis anyway. I do not count my coffee because I add creamer to it. I do track my coffee because I'm staying true to my calorie count. I don't count tea if I drink it, nor do I track it because I don't add sugar or creamer to it, but it's also not water.

    But that's just my personal preference.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    I used to track coffee as water, but after hearing the advice of half the people in this thread and their old professors, I will now just chew up a handful of coffee beans and wash it down with a cup of plain, pure water. BAM, WORKAROUND.

    Hahaha, awesome!! This illustrates the point very well. I'm going to chew up my tea leaves, then drink the water.

    p.s. milk has water in it too, so you don't need to not count coffee just because it has milk in it.
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
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    I log my plain coffee. I usually have 4 cups and that adds the following to my totals: 4 to calories, 1 to protein and 2 to calcium.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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    I don't count anything but water towards my water, but I don't log my water ever either, lol. If I drink coffee, tea, juice, whatever, I log it if only for the purposes of calorie-counting.
  • mrskatie80
    mrskatie80 Posts: 133 Member
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    YES they count!
    Too easy - there's your answer :wink:
    Do I log my coffees as water? No.

    I drink my water in 600mL bottles with one teaspoon of honey (I absolutely log this)
    Is it pure water? No.
    Could I have separated them and consumed them separately? Yes.
    Therefore....my 600mL of water counts in that drink!

    Do I log my glasses of 'water'? Nope....not a chance ;)
  • reyopo
    reyopo Posts: 210 Member
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    Drinking water is a myth. If you eat a normal healthy balanced diet, your body will get all the water it needs!!

    Wow. One of my best friends just ended up in the hospital last week when he passed out from dehydration, fell flat on his face, biting through his lip until his teeth poked out the other side. Stitches, an IV and a night in the hospital. As long as I've known him (23 years) he's always said, "I get all the water I need from food, beer and coffee.". When I spoke to him Friday he said, "Dehydration is no joke!".

    As for the question at hand, my method is: I drink lots of green tea and log about 1/3 of it as water. I do log herbal (non-caffeinated) tea as water, and I drink about 5-6 pints of plain water a day as well. Only drink coffee once in a blue moon, decaf, and only log the coconut milk I put in it as calories.
  • bfenoglio
    bfenoglio Posts: 1
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    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.

    Diet coke is quite a bit different than tea or coffee
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I do not count it. I have no medial research to back this.. only my own life experiences.

    I live in high altitude.. If I don't drink 10-12 glasses a day I feel bad.. I have to increase that when I drink coffee or any form of alcohol. I rarely ever even drink juice because I have to drink so much water. It was hard at first to get over that 8 cup mark, then I bought a bigger cup and it's easier. Plus.. i don't get headaches or nosebleeds anymore.. (and no.. i don't log it properly.. I get tired of clicking that little arrow LOL)

    So yea.. don't count it.

    Water is King!
  • specialk1177
    specialk1177 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thank God the consensus seems to be that coffee & tea count because I've been having one hell of a time trying to add 6 more glasses of water to my 4 cups of coffee, 2 cups of water & 1 can of Diet Coke everyday...I would have to be drinking every minute I'm awake to be able to consume all of that! Personally I don't care much for water so I use Crystal Light Liquid to make it easier & I've been able to add an extra 1-2 cups so that puts me in the right spot.

    I definitely don't count the Diet Coke as a water...and to the people talking about not counting coffee because it has calories...find another coffee...my coffee has 0 calories & yours should too!
  • lindameeds
    lindameeds Posts: 5 Member
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    Gaah!!!! Coffee and Tea are listed on FitnessPal as SNACKS NOT WATER!!! So they're NOT WATER!!! And for you that said that black coffee has no calories, can you please explain why my daily Starbucks Venti no sugar, no milk (ie BLACK) coffee is listed as 6 calories???
  • Trebeck_Z
    Trebeck_Z Posts: 2 Member
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    I know this is an old thread that got revived, but whatever, here's my opinion.

    I find these debates frustrating. As many people have mentioned in this thread already, the whole 8 cups of water is a rule of thumb to keep you hydrated. Your body doesn’t care if the fluids come water, tea, coffee, juice, whatever. Also, many people in this thread have posted great links of scientific studies done by people who know 100 times as much about biochemistry and biology than any of the posters here.

    What frustrates me is the people who post here with their own personal opinion, always saying “water is water, tea is tea, juice is juice, horse crap is horse crap, JUST DRINK WATER PEOPLE!”. I really don’t care about your opinion, and do whatever you want to do. I don’t care if you believe in ghost or aliens, you are allowed to think and do whatever you want.

    HOWEVER, there are many people who search these forums looking for advice on their road to becoming healthier, and comments by ignorant people who push their opinion as though it is 100% fact can easily lead to these people being misinformed, and you are, therefore, sabotaging their efforts.

    How you really think that you stomach can tell the difference between someone drinking a cup of crystal light between someone who drinks a cup of ‘pure’ water followed by eating some crystal light powder is way beyond me.
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/mfp-101-water-water-everywhere-609347
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    It would be miraculous if the alleged diuretic effect of a cup of tea or coffee or a can of diet soda happened to precisely match and thereby cancel out the water content of said item, don't you think ? So the idea of not counting water in food and other drinks dies there for me. About half the water in some diets comes from the food you eat.

    There are a lot of people that never drink any water, just tea, coffee or soda. They would just dry up and blow away if the diuretic effect cancelled out the water.

    Counting your water glasses is something they'll be laughing at us for 100 years from now. Or 20.

    Or today. Right now actually.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    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:

    I'd get a refund.


    Unless it was Clown College.




    Or maybe Barber College. That would probably be okay.
  • DavidHusky
    DavidHusky Posts: 112 Member
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    Don't log it, just make sure sure my urine is clear/lightly colored. Tuesday I was on the road all day and my liquid intake was 48 oz of gas station coffee (with h&h + liquid splenda flavor) and 20oz of diet coke and that was it. No hydration problems according to my criteria ;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    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:
    Lol, the problem is that water is extracted through digestion process, even through solid foods. Now I wouldn't count solid foods as water intake goals, but basically anything you drink you could.

    A good rule of thumb is to just drink some water that's close to the goal you're shooting for. If it's 64oz, then drink at least 550z.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    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.

    Did you tell the priest when you went to confession?
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
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    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.

    Do you fast for 48 hours prior to drinking that water so that it doesn't mix with whatever may be in your digestive system and stop being water?
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    You're asking the wrong question, OP. You should be asking whether it's important to log your water/liquid intake, and the answer is "no." If you're thirsty or your urine color is indicating that you need more fluids then drink something. Otherwise, don't worry about it. Protein, fats, fiber, and overall caloric intake are enough to worry over.

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