Does coffee count as a glass of water?

bightodd
bightodd Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Seriously. :-) It's got 8 ounces in it.
«13

Replies

  • dalila747
    dalila747 Posts: 153 Member
    No. I think coffee is a diuretic, isn't it?
  • laprovocateur
    laprovocateur Posts: 128 Member
    *slap.

    NO! it counts as fiber.
  • lelupa1
    lelupa1 Posts: 11
    A friends nutritionist told her that if you drink coffee you have to cut it in half to count it. So if you drank 8 oz coffee you could log it as 4oz of water (due to diuretic effect)
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    I need coffee :( *snnooooozze*

    but the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee is not nearly enough to dehydrate you
  • tubaman58
    tubaman58 Posts: 151
    It does contain water, and gives almost as much benefit as water....... (You retain a little less of it than you do water, describing that as a diuretic is a stretch)

    Water is better but not by a huge amount....
  • Tom6969
    Tom6969 Posts: 3 Member
    Caffeine is a VERY MILD diuretic, but it's not sufficient to offset the fact that you just drank a cup of coffee.

    Also, you don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water per day, that's pseudoscience - your body is more than capable of telling you when to drink....drink when you're thirsty.
  • rubyautumn4
    rubyautumn4 Posts: 818 Member
    Hoooo boy if it does my water intake will be through the roof!
  • allisonmrn
    allisonmrn Posts: 721 Member
    That would be awesome!!
  • Kirabelly
    Kirabelly Posts: 60
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    Your nutritionist is wrong.
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    Your nutritionist is not very knowledgeable.
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
    Yea, I am not a nutritionist, nor have I spoken to one. My vote is its water.
  • KeiKun
    KeiKun Posts: 51 Member
    Caffeine has been considered a diuretic by experts and consumers for years. Some people believe that drinking caffeinated beverages will cause them to lose fluids so they can't be counted as part of their daily intake. Others say that caffeinated beverages do not increase fluid losses. The best way to flush out the truth is to examine the research.

    The research:
    http://www.medicinenet.com/caffeine/page3.htm

    ;)
  • msmimi
    msmimi Posts: 238 Member
    The only thing I count as water is plain water.:wink:
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
    8 oz of any fluid counts as fluid, simple as that. 8 oz of water, 8 oz of soda, 8 oz of juice, 8 oz of milk, 8 oz of beer, 8 oz of coffee, it's all fluid.
  • FutureMrsWarby
    FutureMrsWarby Posts: 96 Member
    No. Coffee actually DEHYDRATES you. Never count coffee as water, just drink plain water.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    Yes, it does count as water. Some of the latest research I've read says that it counts as water.

    I don't know for a fact, but I drink a lot of coffee. I'd say on average, probably 5 or 6 cups per day. And, I really don't crave water much. I might drink 3 glasses. And, I am very active. i typically workout out twice a day. So, I do have water requirements. And, I'm not dehydrated.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    Your nutritionist is not very knowledgeable.

    Exactly. Old science
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    no

    so, you take WATER, and you run it through some ground up dried out beans to make it turn brown, and suddenly it isn't water anymore?!?!?! What kind of wizardry is this?

    it's still water. and the caffeine isn't going to make it less wet.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
    Caffeine is a VERY MILD diuretic, but it's not sufficient to offset the fact that you just drank a cup of coffee.

    TRUTH.

    Anyone wondering, studies have shown that coffee is no more of a diuretic than - you guessed it - WATER.
    Also, you don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water per day, that's pseudoscience - your body is more than capable of telling you when to drink....drink when you're thirsty.

    Technically by the time you are thirsty you have already needed water for a little while. For the vast majority of people I'm OK with picking a goal number. "8 glasses a day" isn't technically correct (it's different for everyone), but it's a decent general goal.

    Me, I drink 1.5-2 gallons of water a day. I'm also 205lbs and lift heavy weights 3-4 days a week, though.
  • TeresaWash
    TeresaWash Posts: 283
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    Your nutritionist is wrong.

    mine says the same thing. They must have went to the same college :)
  • KeriW626
    KeriW626 Posts: 430
    Caffeine is a VERY MILD diuretic, but it's not sufficient to offset the fact that you just drank a cup of coffee.

    Also, you don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water per day, that's pseudoscience - your body is more than capable of telling you when to drink....drink when you're thirsty.

    if you wait until you are thristy, you are already dehydrated. just fyi.
  • chlorisaann
    chlorisaann Posts: 366 Member
    8 oz of any fluid counts as fluid, simple as that. 8 oz of water, 8 oz of soda, 8 oz of juice, 8 oz of milk, 8 oz of beer, 8 oz of coffee, it's all fluid.


    ^^^ This according to an article I read from the Mayo Clinic...
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    No. Coffee actually DEHYDRATES you. Never count coffee as water, just drink plain water.

    Wrong.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
    No. Coffee actually DEHYDRATES you. Never count coffee as water, just drink plain water.

    Incorrect. Research shows that coffee is fine.
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
    I tend to doubt that coffee or any other liquid can seriously count toward water intake. (Though I'm sure that every liquid counts toward hydration and in moderation coffee can be beneficial for one's body.) I have been counting only water towards the water count and then adding other drinks toward my food diary.
  • WestCoastPhoenix
    WestCoastPhoenix Posts: 802 Member
    Caffeine is a VERY MILD diuretic, but it's not sufficient to offset the fact that you just drank a cup of coffee.

    Also, you don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water per day, that's pseudoscience - your body is more than capable of telling you when to drink....drink when you're thirsty.

    if you wait until you are thristy, you are already dehydrated. just fyi.

    Sounds like some garbage you got off a site telling you that drinking 8 cups a day is necessary.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
    My nutritionist says for each cup of coffee I drink, I need to drink an EXTRA cup of water (above my normal 8) to make up for it because it is a diuretic.

    Your nutritionist is wrong.

    mine says the same thing. They must have went to the same college :)

    Nutritionist or Dietitian?
    Nutritionists can be a joke sometimes. They don't require nearly as much schooling
  • ClaireACoates
    ClaireACoates Posts: 1
    Ok, so if all fluids are classed as part of our water intake then surely that follows to a glass of wine? ;)

    I'm loving this fitness thing!! :)
  • pawoodhull
    pawoodhull Posts: 1,759 Member
    Caffeine is a VERY MILD diuretic, but it's not sufficient to offset the fact that you just drank a cup of coffee.

    Also, you don't HAVE to drink 8 glasses of water per day, that's pseudoscience - your body is more than capable of telling you when to drink....drink when you're thirsty.

    Per the dietician at my bariatric surgeon's office, if you are not getting enough water daily you may feel thirsty but you may also think you are hungry. Your body doesn't care whether it gets water from a glass of or from the food you eat. So staying hydrated actually will act as an appatite suppresant.

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