Coffee vs. water

This is true, coffee makers want you to think they run hot water through ground coffee beans, when its actually just a puree of coffee beans grounds to a fine paste, with no water content at all.

Some "experts" claim that caffeinated products actually cause dehydration. The diet I'm on specifies for any caffeinated beverage you drink, you should add twice that amount in additional water to your daily intake.

It's not a claim, it's a fact. Caffeine is a scientifically proven diuretic and it will most certainly dehydrate you if that is the only liquid you drink.


My rule, two glasses of water before one cup of coffee.

Does the diuretic effect of the coffee make your body expel more water than the water in said coffee?

I get most of my water from tea, coffee, coke zero and food. Only the food is decaffeinated!

Just in case you're wondering, I haven't died of dehydration yet!

I don't, but then again i also drink the HIGH OCTANE coffee... Why drink coffee if not for the caffeine in my opinion. But I also drink about 4L of water a day on top of that..

I think that's the basis of my question - I drink decaf 99.9% of the time, only drink caffeinated if there's not an alternative. No sugar, skim milk added (which I measure and count on my daily totals). I know that CAFFEINATED coffee is a diuretic but don't know whether the same effect is true of decaf.

EDIT: Found this on Wikipedia: "Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation (less than five cups a day or 500 to 600 milligrams), and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently from pure water.[43][44][45][46]"

So, I guess it's about quantity. And I am certainly under the five cups a day limit.

One thing's for sure, MFP has made me acutely aware of my lack of water consumption.

The only problem with that is that 5 cups is 40 oz, many people get a 20oz in the morning and that will put you at 300+mg right there and some will have more pop/coffee later in the day. I think it all depends on the person as well, I drink a single cup of coffee in the morning and I'm peeing like a russian race horse shortly after.

I don't, but then again i also drink the HIGH OCTANE coffee... Why drink coffee if not for the caffeine in my opinion. But I also drink about 4L of water a day on top of that..

I think that's the basis of my question - I drink decaf 99.9% of the time, only drink caffeinated if there's not an alternative. No sugar, skim milk added (which I measure and count on my daily totals). I know that CAFFEINATED coffee is a diuretic but don't know whether the same effect is true of decaf.

EDIT: Found this on Wikipedia: "Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation (less than five cups a day or 500 to 600 milligrams), and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently from pure water.[43][44][45][46]"

So, I guess it's about quantity. And I am certainly under the five cups a day limit.

One thing's for sure, MFP has made me acutely aware of my lack of water consumption.

The only problem with that is that 5 cups is 40 oz, many people get a 20oz in the morning and that will put you at 300+mg right there and some will have more pop/coffee later in the day. I think it all depends on the person as well, I drink a single cup of coffee in the morning and I'm peeing like a russian race horse shortly after.

I bet if you drank a glass of water instead, you'd still pee just the same. Caffeine is not a diuretic in moderate amounts. If you drink more than 40 oz of coffee in the am, well then you are well on your way to your liquid goal for the day so I wouldn't even worry about a mild diuretic effect at that level.

Personally, I don't get this fixation some people have with having to drink 8 cups of nothing but pure water. It's a guideline, not a golden rule. Drink when thirsty, and if your pee isn't bright yellow, you're properly hydrated. It's not rocket science.

Now, time for more coffee.

Howdy, all -

Rebooting after three weeks of hedonism in the Grand Canyon. Fortunately I only gained a pound out of the deal, so I'm not too far behind.

Question - do you guys count coffee into your water total? I drink decaf and have a hard time choking down enough water in the day. I've never been a water drinker. I have a SodaStream and make a lot of club soda, which helps a lot with my water total. Counting the coffee would be good, too, if it's fair game.

TIA.

I don't count coffee, considering it's dehydrating whereas water is a diuretic. They're in two totally different classes.

According to my urologist, when counting fluid consumption, *all* liquids count, including those in food. So, if it counts for healthy kidney function, I consider it safe to count as water.

Clearly everyone has differing opinions, but if my kidney doc says everything counts, I trust that it does. Water, soda, coffee, soup, etc. It's all liquid and your body gets the water it needs out of it.