diet soda count towards water intake?

bwilenius1
bwilenius1 Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone, I drink a couple of cans of diet soda \ pop each day. And I also drink 6 cups of water. Do you think I could count the soda as part of my water intake? It does have caffeine in it. Thank you in advance for any advice. :smile:

Replies

  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    Depends how you look at it. The soda is technically water + a bunch of other stuff. But mostly water. It certainly counts toward your hydration, but whether you consider it "water" in your log or not is the ethical dilemma :)
  • SummerLovesPhil
    SummerLovesPhil Posts: 242 Member
    No, because the caffeine will pull water out of your body instead of keeping you hydrated. Plus it just isn't good for you. Try switching to plain sparkling water or unsweetened/naturally sweetened iced tea, maybe, and add two more cups of H2O. Cheers!
  • mdraper60
    mdraper60 Posts: 101 Member
    Caffeine is actually a diuretic. I wouldn't count it towards your water intake. If I have a pop, I actually drink 2 extra glasses for every can I drink so that I know my body is still hydrated.
  • anbrim
    anbrim Posts: 5 Member
    It depends how much soda you drink. If you are drinking caffeine below a certain threshold, it does not affect hydration however if you drink a large amount of it, the caffeine can act as a diuretic and work against hydration by causing you to lose fluid.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    The diuretic effect of caffeine is usually severely overstated. There is basically no difference in retention between water and moderate caffeine consumption. If you are drinking a lot of caffeine, then it might become a factor.
  • bwilenius1
    bwilenius1 Posts: 7
    Thank you for replying. I figure 2 cans a day isn't enough to cause too much of a diuretic effect. But I am going to strive to get those 8 cups of plain water every day.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    It counts. Just drink more water on top of it if you're worried. I have yet to figure out or understand people's adversion to water. I find it not a problem to drink 17-19 cups of water daily along with 3-4 diet soda's and 4-6 cups of coffee.
  • TheAverageDan
    TheAverageDan Posts: 10 Member
    magerum.... that is 13 + oz. of liquid per hour for 16 hours each day (on the low end).... subtract the time it takes for 13 bathroom breaks you would need to take (based on the average bladder capicity). That is quite a feat. Seems to be workin for ya though!
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
    Diet soda is diet soda. Water is water. One is not like the other.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
    I never count it as my water intake when I drink it. I count my green tea toward my water intake and that's about it and only because it's plain with no added anything.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    I saw this documentary about the future where they watered the plants with a sports drink. Needless to say, the crops died. I'll just leave it at that.
  • willboywonder
    willboywonder Posts: 137 Member
    I concur with those who say that soda shouldn't count toward your water intake. One of the benefits of water is to cleanse your body of toxins...to flush out your system. Soda can help hydrate you to a point but not fully satisfy your body's need for water. The caffeine counters the effectiveness.
  • willboywonder
    willboywonder Posts: 137 Member
    I think if you strive toward the 8 for water, then the 2 cans of soda won't be that significant.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Yes, you can count it as fluid intake. Don't worry about the caffeine, it's only a mild diuretic and will not be strong enough to remove even a 10th of the water you ingested with the soda. In other words, you'll net more water after it's all said and done.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I only log water as water. I also log black coffee, unsweetened tea, sodas, and many other things that have water IN them, but I don't log them as water. I may look back over my diary and see those things as part of my overall fluid intake, but I don't up my water count because of them.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    Soda contains water and adds far more hydration value than the diuretic effect removes. Studies have shown this. Count a cup of soda as .80 cups of water if it makes you feel better. Below is a doc saying the same. If you count water but not soda you're tracking something other than your hydration level--

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965

    Now, is water healthier than soda? Usually! It doesn't contain that extra caffeine and sugar. :)
  • kwantlen2051
    kwantlen2051 Posts: 455 Member
    Caffeine is actually a diuretic. I wouldn't count it towards your water intake. If I have a pop, I actually drink 2 extra glasses for every can I drink so that I know my body is still hydrated.

    Yes, I agree...:smile:
  • Christizzzle
    Christizzzle Posts: 454 Member
    If you wouldn't water your plants or pets with it, then it isnt water.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
    It counts. Just drink more water on top of it if you're worried. I have yet to figure out or understand people's adversion to water. I find it not a problem to drink 17-19 cups of water daily along with 3-4 diet soda's and 4-6 cups of coffee.

    Holy Waterworks Batman!
    That's a hellofalot of liquid!!!
  • sarainiowa
    sarainiowa Posts: 287 Member
    No. Soda does not count.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Just went through some outdoor first aid training this weekend. If someone drinks a 12oz Pop, you need 32oz of water to get their hydration back to where it was. This is a rule of thumb, I guess you could debate the different caffeine contents of different kinds of pop. But, this is designed to make sure people are staying hydrated when spending several days in hot temperatures.

    If you work in an A/C office and you're not doing extended cardio (>hr). Probably not much to worry about.
  • RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle
    RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle Posts: 1,349 Member
    If you use the search feature here and search water, or what counts as water? You will find hours of reading material!
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    I find it not a problem to drink 17-19 cups of water daily along with 3-4 diet soda's and 4-6 cups of coffee.

    Holy Waterworks Batman!
    That's a hellofalot of liquid!!!
    Yup! Some folks have actually died of over-hydration in that range. I'm glad it works for the person who posted it, but exercise caution if you're drinking so much your pee is clear instead of straw-colored. ;)
  • sillyduckmoose
    sillyduckmoose Posts: 18 Member
    If I drink as much water/liquid as magerum, I would stay in the bathroom. That's my biggest problem with water. I can drink it but if I'm at work (I work in customer service retail.) I don't have the luxury of going to the bathroom whenever I want to.
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    Caffeine is actually a diuretic. I wouldn't count it towards your water intake. If I have a pop, I actually drink 2 extra glasses for every can I drink so that I know my body is still hydrated.

    Yes, I agree...:smile:

    You shouldn't be cause it's incorrect.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Yes b/c you aren't drinking a million of them.
  • TheAverageDan
    TheAverageDan Posts: 10 Member
    Research seem to prove that soda and coffee do count towards hydration, and that the diuretic effect is negligible.... even food counts. Personally its just easier for me to strive for 8 cups of actual water but its nice to know if I fall short I'm not necessarily dehydrated.
  • snarlingcoyote
    snarlingcoyote Posts: 399 Member
    I am getting the distinct feeling from this thread that very few of the posters have ever actually been dehydrated. . .some of the things said here sound a little bit. . .well. . .silly.
  • wannakimmy
    wannakimmy Posts: 488 Member
    You will get many different answers to this one... personally, water is water. Everything else is logged appropriately.

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