When is water...water?

jonesey65244
jonesey65244 Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
Maybe I am in the wrong category, but I'll try anyway. Short a story as possible...

My water system is rain water into my cistern. It is great for washing, cooking, bathing...even drinking; IF you like the taste of ULTRA soft water. Which I do not.

I drink mostly herbal tea and Diet Mt. Dew. I fill my 32 oz cup with ice and fill it with Dew as needed. By mid day, the ice is gone. Here is my question. Did I just drink 20 oz of water? (I let it melt once just to see) In a way, I think not, but then, I ask myself "why not?"

Next question is my herbal tea. I use one bag of Stash's Peppermint to 16 oz hot water, 2 for a full cup of 32 oz. Did I just drink 16 or 32 oz of water? This one, I really lean to the "yes" column.

As I type this and proof it, it all looks rather silly. But believe me, I AM serious. It really irks me at the end of the day to not have anything racked up in the water consumption check-off. Frankly, I doubt I will change any of my habits based on any responses here, but I would like to have a few opinions.

And please, don't preach to me about Aspartame, or the Splenda I use in my tea. That is another can of worms that can be handled elsewhere. As an aside for those of you who just want to preach anyway, let me tell you this. I have a friend who is a hardcore alcoholic...1/2 gallon whiskey or more a week, and over pack a day smokes. One day he looked me straight in the eye and told me he and his wife were really concerned about red dye #40 or some such thing. It took me all I had to not fall out of my chair laughing at him.

Everybody has their poisons. Aspartame and Splenda are a couple of mine.

Thanks in advance.

jonesey65244
Clifton Hill, Missouri

Replies

  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    Your body thinks a lot more things are "water" than what you'll get as replies.

    You'd likely stay hydrated eating fruit for a lot of your calories just as an example...
  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
    It's water.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    In before all the "only water is water" people.

    The diuretic effect of caffeinated drinks does not negate the liquid intake - somebody posted a PubMed study in one of the three or four similar threads in the last 2 days, but I'm not going to go look it back up. Putting something in water does not negate the fact that it's water, just like putting peanut butter on fried chicken doesn't negate the fact that it's fried chicken.

    If your urine is pale yellow in color, you're hydrated; if it's orange, you need to drink something. 8 glasses is not a magic number for everybody, there are too many variables to make it that simple.
  • kwest_4_fitness
    kwest_4_fitness Posts: 820 Member
    " How to Get More Water into Your Diet Tip #5: Add Flavor

    If you don't like the taste of water, it will be hard to get more of it into your diet. The good thing is there are several calorie free ways to add flavor to your water. You could add lemon juice, make tea, coffee, or add a product like Crystal Light. If you do decide to add more tea and coffee to your diet, sweeten these drinks with Splenda and choose decaffeinated versions."

    I'm unsure about the ice, though. When added to diet pop, it may not be as beneficial due to the caffeine and sodium in the Dew, meaning that the dehydrating properties of the pop may counter the hydrating properties of the water. Too much science makes my brain hurt.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Any fluid will keep you hydrated. Doesn't have to be water. Milk, juice, tea, coffee, soda, soup, and even an apple is made up of 85% water. If your pee is lightly yellow to clear then you're fine. Drinking excessive amounts of liquids just strains your kidneys and can flush minerals out of your system that you need.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
    Yes all beverages with the exception of some alcohol have water in them and count towards your water intake. Most foods contain water with some having very high water content.

    If you really wanted water you could get it. If your buying pop you could buy bottled water. Just saying...
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Do you pee clear? If so you're getting enough water. If not, you're not.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    Do you pee clear? If so you're getting enough water. If not, you're not.

    I do, and I drank a lot of soda today.

    Signed,
    I P Freely.
  • jonesey65244
    jonesey65244 Posts: 16
    Thanks folks.

    My urine is clear. I'm not concerned with my hydration, I know I am. I was just curious about the check off box at the bottom of journal.

    As far as bottled water, to me, it tastes as bad as rain water. gimme some good old hard water with iron right of a farm pump.

    My Nurse/Prac at VA also mentioned the sodium in my pop. So I looked. Diet Mt Dew has less sodium in a whole GALLON of the stuff than a piece of whole wheat bread...at least the kind I get.

    Anyway, thanks for the input. I'll feel honest now when i click the H2O counter.

    jonesey65244

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