Water is the only "water?"

arussell134

I usually only log actual cups of water as my water intake, but I was thinking today - what about the 2-3 cups of tea I have in a day? Or the water that I threw in my protein shake?

Curious if I should stay the course and only enter plain water as water, or if anyone else counts other things like tea as water intake. Thoughts?

EMTFreakGirl

I make a pink lemonade protein shake every day...it's way too sweet for me, mixed as directed in 8 ounces of water, so I mix it into a gallon jug and drink it throughout the day. I count the "extra" as water even tho' it's mixed. I don't count my coffee, tea or other beverages...just the extra mixed with my protein drink and actual water.

Ready2Rock206

How does the water stop being water if you add flavoring? It is still water - go ahead and count it....

arussell134

How does the water stop being water if you add flavoring? It is still water - go ahead and count it....

Yup - that was the realization I had today as I was dumping about 10 oz of water into my protein shake... could I have been counting this all along? DOH.

Still don't think I'd count coffee though...

Sabine_Stroehm

For me....if I drink it like water, it's water. if I added it to cooking or preparing meals (including shakes) I don't. But it's all pretty moot, really. I stay hydrated.

Ang108

I live in Mexico and as all the world knows, we have no clean drinking water from the faucet and I refuse to buy bottled water ( because of all the plastic ) that just has been chlorinated to make it drinkable.
I do this at home and let the water sit for a day so the chlorine dissipates. The water still has an awful flavor, so I only drinks tea......I always count this as my water, especially since I drink plain tea without anything sweet or milk/cream.
I also drink 2 or maybe three cups of coffee a day. I don't count those even thought I drink my coffee black.......I know, it's illogical....:o).

The_Enginerd

I don't even bother to track "water". The requirement for 8 cups of water a day has no scientific basis and seems to be a perpetuation of an old recommendation on total water intake including all sources of water such as the water in solid food

https://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/news/2002_h2/08aug2002_water.shtml

Valtin thinks the notion may have started when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately "1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food," which would amount to roughly two to two-and-a-half quarts per day (64 to 80 ounces). Although in its next sentence, the Board stated "most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods," that last sentence may have been missed, so that the recommendation was erroneously interpreted as how much water one should drink each day.

He found no scientific studies in support of 8 x 8. Rather, surveys of fluid intake on healthy adults of both genders, published as peer-reviewed documents, strongly suggest that such large amounts are not needed. His conclusion is supported by published studies showing that caffeinated drinks, such as most coffee, tea and soft drinks, may indeed be counted toward the daily total. He also points to the quantity of published experiments that attest to the capability of the human body for maintaining proper water balance.

http://www.doctoroz.com/blog/leigh-vinocur-md-facep/how-much-water-do-you-really-need#comments

There are no good scientific studies to support the eight-by-eight rule. The origins of this recommendation date back to 1945. The original guidelines actually came from a misinterpretation of a recommendation from the Food and Nutrition Board. The recommendation stated that a person should have 1 ml (about 1/5 of a teaspoon) of water for each calorie he or she consumes. The average diet at the time was approximately 1900 calories, meaning you needed about 64 ounces of water per day.

Now the Institute of Medicine sets general guidelines for total water intake. It recommends that women consume a total of 91 ounces (that’s about 2.7 liters) per day – from all food and beverages combined. For men, it’s about 125 ounces a day (or 3.7 liters). Depending on your diet, about 25% of the water you consume comes from your food.

Most of us healthy folks get enough water in the foods and liquids we consume. That includes any liquid we drink – even caffeinated beverages like soda, coffee and tea. Our kidneys work to perfectly balance and regulate our water requirements so that we take in and retain as much fluid as we need. Healthy people can let thirst be their guide to their fluid requirements.

SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish

If you insist on logging liquid, I would log all the liquids, unless its alcoholic liquid. This cups per day requirement is made up, there is some evidence four cups per day may show small reduced disease risk for certain people in certain diseases though, and that's including all sources of water, not just "cup of water".

arussell134

Thanks everyone - super helpful.