Do Cups of Tea and Coffee count towards 8 Cups a Day ???

jk_proonps3

Im sure this thread has probaly been done before but im new to this so i thought i would ask anyway?

So i must drink at least 2 litres of water a day which i aim to get but mostly struggle but i do drink alot of tea and coffee!

Does it equal it self out in the end???

tseecka

I can't say for coffee but tea is fine. You do want to try to avoid heavily caffeinated teas, like mate, but on the whole tea is really just flavoured water. Have at 'er!

Ruchell

You'll get conflicting answers, but I go by the rule that if it has caffiene, it doesn't count.

mestacy010

You'll get conflicting answers, but I go by the rule that if it has caffiene, it doesn't count.

I agree!! But I should add that tea should count, it is only flavored ..

Raviiluo

Every time you Drink coffee it dehydrates you further. So you actually need two glasses of water per drink of coffee you drink. I do not know about tea, but I think its the same. Soda also dehydrates you and you need an extra glass of water with it.

Princessa1982

Im sure this thread has probaly been done before but im new to this so i thought i would ask anyway?

So i must drink at least 2 litres of water a day which i aim to get but mostly struggle but i do drink alot of tea and coffee!

Does it equal it self out in the end???

Coffee is a no go when it comes to counting for hydration, and they often suggest 2 glasses of water to counteract the dehydration effect for every caffeinated beverage you have!
Black tea is the same as well.

Green tea or most herbal teas are fine (though there is some caffeine, it is not as much)

cassblue21

My husband drinks alot of caffeinated products and we have done alot of research on the matter. The thing that keeps popping up the most that we find is that Tea and Coffee do not have enough caffeine in them to counter act the amount of water you intake when you drink them. So for what we have found and use I always add in my iced tea when I have it during the day.

Athena413

If it's anything but pure water I don't count it.

MercenaryNoetic26

I count them. I drink my coffee black and same with tea; no sugar. A la naturale. :happy:

NeuroticVirgo

I count my tea...and I seem to stay pretty hydrated.

I think as long as its unaltered (like unsweetened tea...BLACK coffee (no milk, sugar, or creamer) then it counts....

But that's just my opinion.

kwamsat

I have just recently starting adding tea bags to my bottle of ice and water every morning (mint is a great, refreshing flavor of tea that I have been adding). I am a huge coffee drinker (I even have one in my classroom where I work) : (.....trying to cut down! Good luck!

MercenaryNoetic26

Every time you Drink coffee it dehydrates you further. So you actually need two glasses of water per drink of coffee you drink. I do not know about tea.

I do agree with this. Drink even more water when you drink coffee. But really, no need to give up such a great and amazing thing such as coffee. LOVE it!

Dragn77

Considering that coffee is a diuretic, I would have to say not only does it not count, but it counteracts the benefit of drinking water and Id add a glass of it a day to make up for it.

Even though they seems harmless, many teas have more caffeine in it than coffee does.
So Id say, as long as its caffeine free, then tea would count.

The whole point of drinking water though is to flush the system and keep it hydrated.
Adding lemon or lime to it might help, but from what I understand, water is the best way to get your water.

misty5976

I was just coming to post this same question. If i drink 3 glasses of (unsweet) iced tea .... i really struggle to ALSO get in 8-10 glasses of water on top of that. I feel miserably full with that much liquids.

i really only drink about one 6 oz cup of coffee a day ... but i LOVE my unsweet iced tea. ( i stopped drinking sweet tea long ago, the sweetness started making me feel nauseous!!). I only have about 1 soda every 3 or 4 days, and I dont count that in my liquids... but i do tend to count unsweet iced tea as part of my fluid intake.

jarrettd

The "coffee is a diuretic" thing has been debunked for some time, but the truth just isn't catching on for some reason.

KimmieBrie

I am drinking decaff coffee and green tea and I am counting both.

Dragn77

Yeah, as long as its decaffinated you should be fine.

My ex used to drink nothing but unsweetened tea, Ive never seen him drink soda or anything else at all. That was it for him. He decided to give up caffiene and started drinking just water, and for weeks I had to hear him go on about how amazing he felt, that he wasnt nearly as thirsty all the time, etc etc. He noticed the difference so much cause he literally drank nothing else.

Now all he drinks is water. I dont know how he does it to be honest lol

UponThisRock

Caffine is only a mild diruetic, the water still counts.

Dragn77

The "coffee is a diuretic" thing has been debunked for some time, but the truth just isn't catching on for some reason.

Sorry, not coffee, caffiene.

I dont know...it just seems to me the purpose of drinking water was to flush the system and hydrate, and drinking fluids with additives would not be as beneficial to do that.

I guess at the end of the day, if you drink anything at all no matter what it is, then yes you are putting liquid in your system.

Rain_Howard

The "coffee is a diuretic" thing has been debunked for some time, but the truth just isn't catching on for some reason.

This seems to be one of those things you ask 5 people get 6 different answers. From what I can find through such places as the mayoclinics webpages and a few other sources that I trust it depends largely on the caffeine levels in the coffee or tea. Generally speaking most coffee does not contain enough caffeine to have a large diuretic effect. The exception being 100% Kona, but if you're lucky enough to be drinking that, enjoy it and don't worry about how many times you go potty.

What I have been reading about being an issue are most energy drinks. They have such a high concentration of caffeine that not only can they have a sever diuretic effect they can be quite harmful to your system for many other reasons.

Personally I count every two cups of coffee I drink as one cup of water. Or sometimes (most of the time) I just don't count them at all since I drink plenty of water throughout the day.

stanvoodoo

Water = Any No Cafeine, Non Carbonated, No Sugar beverage!!!!

It may still have calories you need to count but yes it is water too!!!

Best of Luck!!!

Rain_Howard

I was just coming to post this same question. If i drink 3 glasses of (unsweet) iced tea .... i really struggle to ALSO get in 8-10 glasses of water on top of that. I feel miserably full with that much liquids.

i really only drink about one 6 oz cup of coffee a day ... but i LOVE my unsweet iced tea. ( i stopped drinking sweet tea long ago, the sweetness started making me feel nauseous!!). I only have about 1 soda every 3 or 4 days, and I dont count that in my liquids... but i do tend to count unsweet iced tea as part of my fluid intake.

A slightly gross question, but how many times a day are you urinating? If you're not doing it enough but feeling water logged, you probably actually need to drink more water.

misty5976

A slightly gross question, but how many times a day are you urinating? If you're not doing it enough but feeling water logged, you probably actually need to drink more water.

Not as many times as I should, honestly. There are days I KNOW I've drank 100 oz of water, but may only pee 3 times. I tend to retain water badly. I dont really know why, but I can drink until I feel sick, without having to use the restroom some days. As an example, I've had a 6oz cup of coffee and about 4 glasses of water so far today... and I've only urinated once since about 6:45 this morning.

I've tried cutting out excess sodium (and sodas containing much sodium) because Id been told that sodium makes u retain water. Im open to any suggestions! Its hard to feel like ur making progress when ur bodys holdin onto extra water.

Rain_Howard

A slightly gross question, but how many times a day are you urinating? If you're not doing it enough but feeling water logged, you probably actually need to drink more water.

Not as many times as I should, honestly. There are days I KNOW I've drank 100 oz of water, but may only pee 3 times. I tend to retain water badly. I dont really know why, but I can drink until I feel sick, without having to use the restroom some days. As an example, I've had a 6oz cup of coffee and about 4 glasses of water so far today... and I've only urinated once since about 6:45 this morning.

I've tried cutting out excess sodium (and sodas containing much sodium) because Id been told that sodium makes u retain water. Im open to any suggestions! Its hard to feel like ur making progress when ur bodys holdin onto extra water.

You may want to think about consulting a doctor about it. Could be medical reasons for the water retention. Bladder or liver problems.

withervein

In the end, you can always just look at your pee. If it's clear, you're in the clear. If it's yellow or darker, you need to buddy up with your kitchen sink.

twirwin

In the end, you can always just look at your pee. If it's clear, you're in the clear. If it's yellow or darker, you need to buddy up with your kitchen sink.

That's silly. So you're telling me those nights that I have a lot of alcohol and have to pee several times in a few hours and the pee is clear that I'm getting enough water?

Thomasm198

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.

Milk, tea, coffee, even some fruits counts towards your intake of water.

mmuzzatti

If it's anything but pure water I don't count it.

^^^^^^This!^^^^^^^

jk_proonps3

You'll get conflicting answers,

After reading them all i really im none the wiser ! lol

Its just i drink coffee 4 times a day and tea twice a day

Aswell as up to 6-8 glass's of water a day

If i could cut down on some of those liquids it would be great!

tseecka

Did some research. Tea and coffee both count. The diuretic effect of an average cup of tea or coffee is nowhere near enough to require you to "make up" for those drinks, especially if you're drinking it plain.

Right now you're getting about 1.5 as much water as you need, according to what you've said. I would keep half of your fluid intake as pure water, just to be on the healthy side, but coffee, tea, alcohol...you can get your fluids from any of those.

Yoopermom13

What about Crystal Light? Does that count?