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

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  • megmarie2010
    megmarie2010 Posts: 4
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    Have always been a bit lost with this topic. Glad I clicked on this topic! Thanks all!
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 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. I count my water towards my water goal and nothing else.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    Good Grief, this debate just keeps coming up. Try the search function and you will find 100's of threads on the subject.

    I go by what the Mayo clinic says and that is not Eight 8oz glasses of water a day. It is Eight 8oz of fluid. If your pea is not yellow you are getting enough fluid.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 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:

    +1

    Best be safe, plus, water is best for our bodies, so that's pretty much all I drink.

    For those who argue that's too much water and they gag at drinking unflavored water, it CAN be done, it just might take some time to get use to. Part of it is mental as well. If you say you can't do it, then you won't. If you say it's no big deal, then it's no big deal.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    While I only count water as water (I *do* still count it if I've added a Mio-type no-calorie flavoring...I'm still getting the water in that beverage even with the flavoring) it's mostly to make SURE I get plenty of liquids. I agree with the other poster that clearly your only source of water can't be pure plain H2O...there are too many people who never drink it yet fail to die to de-hydration.

    We get water from foods we eat and from other liquids. Unless you're drinking INSANE amounts of it though getting more water isn't going to hurt and tends to help with hunger so I'm trying to get as close to 8 glasses of "just water" a day..in addition to any other H2O I might be getting elsewhere.
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
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    Now that I'm reading more on this thread, i really think someone should do a dissertation on the subject!!! LOL

    As for me.... I'll stick with counting plain ole H2O as water thank you very much. I don't quite care what all the others say. I use to drink DC a LOT and once ended up passing out from dehydration. Was in the hospital with IV bags bringing my fluids back up. Like i said in my previous post, I drink mostly water now and I'll stick to that. You guys & gals do what is right for you! :drinker: I'll do what's right for me! :heart:
  • KeepGoingKylene
    KeepGoingKylene Posts: 432 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. I count my water towards my water goal and nothing else.

    This!
    There is water in pop, do you count pop as water? no, well i certainly hope not anyways...Plain water is the only thing that is water!
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    I've never actually counted either as my water intake [I only count plain water], but on days that I've had most of my water & a couple cups of tea, I usually think in the back of my mind that I've probably reached my water goal. I never think of coffee that way because I always add things to it, like flavored creamer & half & half, and very rarely, sugar.
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    yes it does count , and yes it does have a SLIGHT dehydrating effect, but i was told in my Nutrition classes that for dieting , the real dehydrating effect was perhaps 5-10% certainly not something as extreme as 50

    Web MD has an article thats similar, the "extreme dehydrating" effect once supposed has been for the most part scientificlly debunked ,

    the only reason it tends to persist is that we all think we need more liquid, and for SOME dieters this is true ...
    for some with previous stomach surgeries this is also true , but liquid is liquid ,
    would you eat 6 cups of watermelon and only look at it as fruit? what about Jello ????
    Jello and Broth are both reccomended as part of an "all liquid" diet..
    and thats kind of where i am coming from

    personally I advocate 1/2 oz water per lb body weight, but thats me..
  • Chris_Pierce
    Chris_Pierce Posts: 267 Member
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    I drink about a pot of coffee a day. AND a gallon of water at minimum. So no I don't count my coffee as part of my water intake.

    I think water intake is honestly up to the individual. If you've tried drinking larger amounts of water in the past and don't see a difference then sure count your coffee or tea as water intake. It's all about being healthy and hydrated. I've had days where I drank 3 gallons of water and still been dehydrated, so yeah I'd say it's up to the individual.

    That being said, I suggest to everyone that they try drinking a couple of quarts or water first thing in the morning and see if it doesn't make them feel healthier. I will usually drink 40oz before I do anything in the morning and I feel awesome.

    But wait! Does beer count? :D
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
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    For the "water only" people, (and I never log anything but water as water) what if a person just can't drink that much water by itself, without something like added electrolytes, or something like Mio, or tea? If I drink more then 24 ozs of water across a day where I haven't been working out like crazy, I get nauseous and even vomit. Me drinking 8 glasses of water is enough to have me vomiting up everything I've eaten and dry heaving besides.

    Then drink something else. Just don't log it as water because it isn't.

    I am not saying you can't get hydration from tea, coffee or even food. When it comes to logging if it's water I put it where the water goes. I log the glass of water I put in my smoothie under the water bit and the rest under the time of day I had it.
  • Blossomforth13
    Blossomforth13 Posts: 41
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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:

    +1

    Best be safe, plus, water is best for our bodies, so that's pretty much all I drink.

    For those who argue that's too much water and they gag at drinking unflavored water, it CAN be done, it just might take some time to get use to. Part of it is mental as well. If you say you can't do it, then you won't. If you say it's no big deal, then it's no big deal.

    It's not always necessarily a mental thing. It took my doctors months to figure out why I was vomiting, including a barium scan, endoscopy, an ultrasound, multiple blood tests and putting me on a gluten-free diet. Eventually they figured it out, when I was hydrated via IV and able to keep food down fine. Since then (3 years ago) I monitor how much water I drink during a day, and if I start to get nauseous, I back it off

    When I was vomiting all the time, what did I do? I drank more water, to stay hydrated, because vomiting dehydrates you and my grandmother always said the best way to hydrate was with water. Which led to more vomiting.
  • WVprankster
    WVprankster Posts: 430 Member
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    Both of these are diuretics, meaning they draw water out of your system. Based on this fact, I'd cast my vote for No, they don't count.
  • jennlefore
    jennlefore Posts: 1
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    My husband quit drinking diet soda 3 months ago and now only drinks water with Mio or Dasani drops in it. He's lost 30 pounds without working out or changing his diet! he was a 5-6 sodas per day kind of guy.
  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
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    People actually count water intake?
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    It counts towards hydration. I don't track it but some people might be chronically dehydrated, making it a decent tool.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    Both of these are diuretics, meaning they draw water out of your system. Based on this fact, I'd cast my vote for No, they don't count.

    But you're wrong, mostly.

    If you drink 8 oz of strong black coffee, the diuretic effect might cause your system to eject .25 oz. In the end, you're body is still ahead 7.75 oz of water.

    The myth that WON'T DIE!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I drink enough water but if I was having an off day I would consider it part of my water intake. The point is to hydrate yourself, so if you have a diet soda or juice, I would also count those. Just me though everyone thinks differently on this issue. Now that the weather is warmer I try to make sure I am drinking enough.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Both of these are diuretics, meaning they draw water out of your system. Based on this fact, I'd cast my vote for No, they don't count.

    But you're wrong, mostly.

    If you drink 8 oz of strong black coffee, the diuretic effect might cause your system to eject .25 oz. In the end, you're body is still ahead 7.75 oz of water.

    The myth that WON'T DIE!

    Ive been trying to squash this myth for years...ill try again...

    Here we go again!

    You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

    http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/


    As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    '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.

    the "dehydrating effects are somewhere around 5-10% of the total liquid intake
    its not as bad as all that,
    Personally i never have a problem with counting my coffee as part of my "water"- but i also drink plenty of other fluids too

    while i wouldnt count Watermelon as part of my liquid,even though Scientifically speaking i know its 91% of water and the rest is solids..

    its entirely up to you ...
    same malarky i hear from people saying lemonade or the crystal light stuff do not count as water ... ummm no , even the USDH has said that the 8 glasses of water is a goal not a "hard" minimmum...

    the other thing to rememeber is that this is 8 CUPS of water, not 8 glasses, the average glass in peoples house is between 16-24 ounces, so that would mean 4 GLASSES of water, the Avg coffee cup is now in the us between 10-14 oz ( yes even our coffee cups have grown)... so even to be cautious , is you counted a cup of coffee as one cup of water, that would already account for the dehydrating factor


    my 2 cents,
    and while i am a certified nutrition educator, i do not count myself as one on here.

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