Coffee as water?

erintumbridge

Regarding the whole "Caffeine is a diuretic" thing - while this is true to a certain extent, it's not like one cup of coffee causes you to lose more water than what you just drank in the coffee. In reality, caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you drink more than 500-600 mg of it in a day. This is more than just a few cups of coffee. (It's about 4-7 cups, depending on the type of coffee.) Tea has even less caffeine than coffee and you'd have to drink quite a bit of tea to hit that threshhold. While I wholeheartedly agree that drinking adequate water is important (I've been known to drink 20 cups in a day), the fact is that water does *not* have to come just from plain water. You get water from almost any beverage you drink, from fruits and vegetables and foods like yogurt. Assuming you keep caffeine at reasonable levels, there's no reason to not count caffeinated beverages as water - just make sure you log the calories if they've got calories!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

Wow this is very informative, one of the best answers i have heard so far. Thank you for sharing, im sure it will help her and others, it did for me : ) :drinker:

HMonsterX

I've missed this.....

The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual fluid in the drink. Don't forget water is a diuretic too. The caffeine myth has been around for so long people just take it as red without actually reading up on it. I've even seen people who say their doctor told them to drink an extra glass of water for each coffee they drink. They need to get up to date with their research...

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

Also, if you are a regular caffeine drinker your body gets used to it, and the diuretic effect is all but eradicated.

Thomasm198

Tea and Coffee will not dehydrate you.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/drinking-enough-water-topic-overview

An extract from that article:

Do you have to drink only water to stay hydrated?
All liquids help you stay hydrated. Water is usually the best choice, because it’s free (if you’re drinking tap water) and has no sugar or calories. But most healthy people can get enough fluid through the beverages they consume every day. These can include water, fruit juices, coffee, sodas, iced tea, and other drinks.

Experts say that it's not true that beverages that have caffeine-such as coffee, tea, and cola drinks-always dehydrate you. Healthy people who consume moderate amounts of caffeine don't lose more fluid than people who don't have any caffeine.1 A moderate amount of caffeine is about 200 to 300 milligrams a day. That's about two to four 8-ounce cups of coffee.

So basically, I would put tea and coffee in my diary as a food to record the few calories that's in them. But tea and coffee do count towards your daily intake of water.

stanvoodoo

Coffee can be counted as water as long as it is decafienated.

Water = No Cafeine, No Carbonation and No Sugar

So decaf coffee and tea are fine, so is Crystal Light, Mio, Propel 0, VitaminWater Zero, Powerade Zero and Sobe Lifewater 0 just to mention a few.

If you drink cafeinated coffee, then you should add a little more water to couter act it!!!

MissMaryMac33

Regarding the whole "Caffeine is a diuretic" thing - while this is true to a certain extent, it's not like one cup of coffee causes you to lose more water than what you just drank in the coffee. In reality, caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you drink more than 500-600 mg of it in a day. This is more than just a few cups of coffee. (It's about 4-7 cups, depending on the type of coffee.) Tea has even less caffeine than coffee and you'd have to drink quite a bit of tea to hit that threshhold. While I wholeheartedly agree that drinking adequate water is important (I've been known to drink 20 cups in a day), the fact is that water does *not* have to come just from plain water. You get water from almost any beverage you drink, from fruits and vegetables and foods like yogurt. Assuming you keep caffeine at reasonable levels, there's no reason to not count caffeinated beverages as water - just make sure you log the calories if they've got calories!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

Wow this is very informative, one of the best answers i have heard so far. Thank you for sharing, im sure it will help her and others, it did for me : ) :drinker:

Whew I'm glad someone actually read that! This argument gets so tiring --- and it amazes me that so many think they can only drink plain water--- its not even common sense. Almost every drink you buy is made of primarily water. Why wouldn't it count? The only different is that if you're drinking something with calories or sodium etc. you need to add it to your food diary too.

MissMaryMac33

I've missed this.....

The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual fluid in the drink. Don't forget water is a diuretic too. The caffeine myth has been around for so long people just take it as red without actually reading up on it. I've even seen people who say their doctor told them to drink an extra glass of water for each coffee they drink. They need to get up to date with their research...

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

Also, if you are a regular caffeine drinker your body gets used to it, and the diuretic effect is all but eradicated.

Another great article -- I'll have to add this one to my growing water vs fluids signature.

SueInAz

Yes, you can count black coffee, unsweetened tea, and other similar beverages as "water." It doesn't matter at all that it has calories. My nutritionist and doctor both told me you can count any liquid that hasn't been significantly altered, and the only difference between black coffee and water is that it the water is heated and strained through ground coffee beans first.

I've seen someone else say this and I thought it fitting... if I ate the coffee beans and drank the water, would the water count? The answer is "yes."

Coffee is made with water, tea is made with water, soda is made with water. Eating a 2000 calorie diet, your body needs 64 ounces of water to effectively process that food, which is where this whole "you must drink at least 8 cups of water every day" has come from. If you're eating less than 2000 calories per day, you need less water to process it, proportionately. In addition, all food has some measure of water in it and that water counts towards the total, too. In reality, you probably only need a couple of cups of fluid every day to effectively process your food. This can vary based on your age, activity level and the climate where you live.

That said, a little more water is only going to do you some good. You can count your coffee towards your water intake, but make sure you're actually getting some plain water every day, too.

MikeSEA

Who wants to sign my petition to stop thread Necromancy?

erintumbridge

Regarding the whole "Caffeine is a diuretic" thing - while this is true to a certain extent, it's not like one cup of coffee causes you to lose more water than what you just drank in the coffee. In reality, caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you drink more than 500-600 mg of it in a day. This is more than just a few cups of coffee. (It's about 4-7 cups, depending on the type of coffee.) Tea has even less caffeine than coffee and you'd have to drink quite a bit of tea to hit that threshhold. While I wholeheartedly agree that drinking adequate water is important (I've been known to drink 20 cups in a day), the fact is that water does *not* have to come just from plain water. You get water from almost any beverage you drink, from fruits and vegetables and foods like yogurt. Assuming you keep caffeine at reasonable levels, there's no reason to not count caffeinated beverages as water - just make sure you log the calories if they've got calories!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

Wow this is very informative, one of the best answers i have heard so far. Thank you for sharing, im sure it will help her and others, it did for me : ) :drinker:

Whew I'm glad someone actually read that! This argument gets so tiring --- and it amazes me that so many think they can only drink plain water--- its not even common sense. Almost every drink you buy is made of primarily water. Why wouldn't it count? The only different is that if you're drinking something with calories or sodium etc. you need to add it to your food diary too.

Yes it is indeed. We all have our own opinion based on what information has been given to us in the past. But out of all i wholly agree with your opinion,cit makes a great deal of sense and is based on given facts too. :happy: