What counts as water

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Replies

  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    I actually talked to my doctor about this and you are correct. Only water counts as water. She said things like crystal light and tea (even with out adding anything to the tea) takes away from the purity of the water and does add things to our bodies that we don't necessarily need.

    I like your doctor.
  • DarkFlutter
    DarkFlutter Posts: 336 Member
    Water = plain or flavored water...0 calories
    Vitamin Water I log as my drink, but don't count as my water tally.

    Coffee and tea I log as normal and do not count as water.
    They generally have 2-5 calories/cup.
  • daryabella
    daryabella Posts: 56
    As long as what you're putting into it is not caffeinated... I like to drink herbal tea for that reason.
  • sunshine2212677
    sunshine2212677 Posts: 88 Member
    i drink black decaff coffee, and i count that as a water.
    it pretty much has nothing in it, and as its decaff it doesnt make you retain water.
    anything else i add to water i count as snacks
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Water counts as water. Otherwise, it's called something else and should be counted that way.
  • sadyel
    sadyel Posts: 250
    I count just water and green tea I dont count normal tea but I always have milk with that so it wouldnt anyway
  • Sox90716
    Sox90716 Posts: 976 Member
    Her side.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
    One oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds
  • _lizzie_
    _lizzie_ Posts: 130
    I personally dont count anything with caffeine like non-herbal teas or coffee as water. Also, if its sugary, not water. So that leafs (teehee) herbal teas, water, and 0 calorie drinks like crystal light and no caffeine sodas. Just my opinion. Do keep in mind the more water you drink though, the better. Some people will tell you only count water as water I think in the end this results in more liquids being consumed which is good too :smile:
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Count what you like, but pretty much anything with h2o content is hydrating. (Coffee, diet soda, a bunch of grapes, teas, water with crystal light in it, milk, blood, whatever.)

    All these rules of thumb like 'only if it has 0 calories' or 'is clear' are just regurgitated meaningless silliness.

    It's all mixed when it hits your stomach anyway.
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    The 8 glasses rule is a gross exaggeration and doesn't follow common sense anyway. Why would the exact same amount of water be necessary for any & every person regardless of size, climate, lifestyle, eating habits, etc. Doesn't make sense. A better rule is to make sure your urine is "clear and copious" at least once a day.

    Too many studies to reference separately, so just go here: http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp
  • rawfull
    rawfull Posts: 178
    I drink homemade limeade, 16oz water, juice of half a lime, and stevia to sweeten...
    This helped me break a 20 year diet soda habit of consuming 3-4 liters a day...
    I grew up in Alaska, the water tasted excellent there, but here in Florida, the water is not tasty... :(
  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
    In my book tea--at least the kind made from scratch with a tea bag--is just flavored water so I count my herbal, decaf teas just so I have some variety from pure water. If I was a fan of flavored mixes or coffee, I might feel differently but as long as it is not adding calories and is mostly water, I say it counts. Bottled and processed stuff...not so sure about those because there are all kinds of additives that could affect your body. But if it's homemade...I say go for it. Whatever helps get those fluids into you.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Everything with liquid in it counts as water. Even the liquid in your fruit. That said, I'm a firm believer in drinking when you're thirsty and don't think everyone necessarily needs "8 glasses" a day.
  • parias1126
    parias1126 Posts: 64 Member
    Water is exactly that....WATER. Those other drinks have artificial sweeteners and caffeine in them which I generally stay far far away from. I will treat myself to a coffee every now and then, but the artificial sweeteners in drinks like Crystal Light...no way. I just couldn't count that as my water intake. There are also fruits and veggies that have a lot of water in them. If you wouldn't count those as water intake, then I don't see why liquids would be counted. Celery for instance has a TON of water in it (yum), but I don't diary that as "water". :)
  • fatmom51
    fatmom51 Posts: 173 Member
    I'm with your wife on this one.

    For hydration, everything counts as water/fluids. As many said, check your pee. It should be mostly pale yellow/clear. You don't have to have 8 cups of pure water in addition to everything else you're drinking/eating.
    The important thing is that if your beverage has calories (as mentioned in the beer example, or could include milk, or other drinks) it's important to count those calories. (Plenty of athletes re-hydrate with beer.)
    And for those who are ready to slam caffeinated beverages, there have been a bunch of studies that say that while they may not be quite as hydrating as non-caffeinated beverages, they are not dehydrating. That's a big difference.

    I once had this "discussion"/argument with a co-worker who insisted water HAD to be water ONLY and didn't count if I mixed in orange juice.
    She said the water only counted if I drank it "pure." So if I drank the 8 oz. of water, and then followed it up with an 8 oz. OJ chaser, it counted. If I mixed them together and THEN drank the 16 oz. as a combined beverage it didn't count as water -- not even the original 8 oz. of water.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    Pure water as water anything else goes in my snacks column. My opinion anyway

    Ditto
  • badmull2
    badmull2 Posts: 4
    Boy am I in big touble ...I drink 2 cups coffee black.. and 4 coke zero's i might get one bottle water down a day...ouch..
  • Love_flowers
    Love_flowers Posts: 365 Member
    For me I always think only water counts as water :-)

    of course in the back of my head I know many foods like watermelon etc. consists of alot of water but I don't think it counts as such.
  • Queen_Adrock
    Queen_Adrock Posts: 130 Member
    Don't worry. Cactus scientists have it all worked out:

    http://www.theonion.com/articles/cactus-scientists-recommend-drinking-8-cups-of-wat,30094/
  • gwicks54
    gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
    The experts disagree, so I don't expect MFP members to agree. What I have read is that the research suggests that it all counts, coffe, tea, juice, ect. It all counts as water. Even your food contributes to your water intake. So someone that eats salad all day has a much higher water intake than someone who doesn't eat much veggies or fruit. So, you can count a lot of that as water. And, therefore, you don't have to drink as much water.

    I count coffee, tea, and water. I don't drink crystal light, but I would count that. I don't drink juice, but if I did, I would count that.

    Read before you make an opinion. There is tons and tons written on this topic. You could take either side. For me, I don't view things as independant from other things. It's one big giant intake valve. Water is contined in those things, and the research suggests that the myth about coffee dehydration is just simply not true. There is a small teeny tiny bit of dehydration, but it
    IS almost so small that it is not detectable. Also, research suggests that if you eat a proper diet, including your veggies and fruits, you don't need 8 glasses of water. That is also a myth.

    But, whatever your opinion is on this, it is not really that important. Do whatever you want.
    [/

    quote]



    The latest research agrees with this. Your stomach pulls water out of whatever you put in it, so it doesn't know if you drink water with your lunch or tea. Also there is a danger of depleting your potassium & other minerals if you overdo the hydration.
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
    If I take a 20 oz bottle of water, and add a packet of Crystal Light or MiO or whatever to it, it is still a bottle of water and I am going to count it as water.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.
  • NeashasJourney
    NeashasJourney Posts: 9 Member
    Hi All - I want to clarify that most of the time, when I drink tea, it's crystallized ginger dipped in boiling water. So I don't think that would count as normal caffeinated tea. Otherwise, I totally see the point now that caffeinated/dehydrating tea might not warrant being water. I have a really tough time drinking water, so I've had to find these alternatives. Thanks Greg for getting the conversation going.
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.

    So how about the water in your veggies or fruit (watermelon comes to mind particularly for some reason) Meat has water in it. How do you count that?
  • mistadj
    mistadj Posts: 43 Member
    My wife and I were having a debate yesterday and I would like to get other opinions.

    My side only water counts as water

    Her side she counts water with crystal light, hot tea with nothing added, black coffee.

    What do you guys count?

    Good luck hommie. My Opinion...See which one is giving you better results and go with that. Everything has water...In the military, you are taught that if you are in a desert, you can drink your own piss once with no problems...drink it again and its toxic. So, with that being said...Might be better to just drink water...unless you have no other choice. Remember, we are talkin about getting in better shape...no survival. ..you can survive off twinkies...but it might not be the best food for getting in better shape.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.

    So how about the water in your veggies or fruit (watermelon comes to mind particularly for some reason) Meat has water in it. How do you count that?

    If you drink it - it probably counts as water. :P

    Thankfully I don't drink my meat or veggies so I've never had to figure out how many cups of water they count as. ;)
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.

    So how about the water in your veggies or fruit (watermelon comes to mind particularly for some reason) Meat has water in it. How do you count that?

    If you drink it - it probably counts as water. :P

    Thankfully I don't drink my meat or veggies so I've never had to figure out how many cups of water they count as. ;)

    So I should count the fruit smoothie I drank for breakfast this morning as water?

    ETA: No ice or anything added...mixed only of berries, banana, and an orange.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.

    So how about the water in your veggies or fruit (watermelon comes to mind particularly for some reason) Meat has water in it. How do you count that?

    If you drink it - it probably counts as water. :P

    Thankfully I don't drink my meat or veggies so I've never had to figure out how many cups of water they count as. ;)

    So I should count the fruit smoothie I drank for breakfast this morning as water?

    ETA: No ice or anything added...mixed only of berries, banana, and an orange.

    YUP!
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Anything with... water in it?

    Soda.
    Crystal Light.
    Tea.
    Coffee.
    Etc.
    Etc.
    Etc.

    So how about the water in your veggies or fruit (watermelon comes to mind particularly for some reason) Meat has water in it. How do you count that?

    If you drink it - it probably counts as water. :P

    Thankfully I don't drink my meat or veggies so I've never had to figure out how many cups of water they count as. ;)

    So I should count the fruit smoothie I drank for breakfast this morning as water?

    ETA: No ice or anything added...mixed only of berries, banana, and an orange.
    Sure. Why not. It's mostly water. Count it towards your water intake, AND book it as calories.
    Water is water.

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