Coffee = water?????

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Hannesfit
Hannesfit Posts: 18 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i saw a lot of posts about coffee creamer and sugar substitutes but I'm not finding my answer..........should i be counting my morning coffee as my eight in eight (eight ounces, 8 times a day) water intake? I've been drinking one liter of water per day but now I'm wondering if the diuretic process from the coffee means i should be consuming more water that just the one liter.....

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  • LainMac
    LainMac Posts: 412 Member
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    No, I would not count the coffee in your water count because of the diuretic effects. I don't personally and I have two cups of coffee a day.
  • ssmom
    ssmom Posts: 128 Member
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    I LOVE my coffee...but I limit myself to 2 cups in the morning and try to drink 2 glasses of water to offset it. So, yes, I up my water intake to cover my coffee. But I don't really keep track of my water. I have my coffee in the morning and the rest of the day is water. Some have said if your pee is very light/almost clear that you are getting plenty. If it's dark you need to drink more.
  • elizw5
    elizw5 Posts: 17 Member
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    I agree. I have 2 cups and do not count it either.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    I don't count coffee towards my water intake. I don't count tea either since both have caffeine. For evering serving of caffeine you should have an extra cup of water due to the diuretic effect.
  • rslavens
    rslavens Posts: 9 Member
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    I was always told that for each cup of coffee or tea, drink one extra glass of water (from a family physician) because the caffeine dehydrates your body, so an extra glass of water will help rehydrate.
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    First off, 8 ounces x 8 = about 2 litres of water, not one. I don't count coffee as my water, because of the caffeine, you should actually be drinking more water. I typically drink an extra 2 glasses of water for every coffee I have.

    On an average day, I aim for 10-12 glasses (I have a 24 ounce water bottle, so I fill it up 3-4x). If I exercise heavily, drink a lot of caffeine, go over my sodium, if I notice that my urine isn't a light lemony colour or if it's hot out, I'll add another bottle (so another 3). There was a post on here a while back - do a search on hydration calculator. My husband realized that 8 is just not enough for him. He's supposed to be drinking 13 glasses plus add if any of the other conditions apply. Since he started doing it he noticed the energy go way up!
  • Samantharose8akaDebbie
    Samantharose8akaDebbie Posts: 407 Member
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    Hello................I swear by answers from the Mayo Clinic and this is what I found on their site ( I count coffee and tea as water): Beyond the tap:

    Other sources of water

    Although it's a great idea to keep water within reach at all times, you don't need to rely only on what you drink to meet your fluid needs. What you eat also provides a significant portion of your fluid needs. On average, food provides about 20 percent of total water intake. For example, many fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon and tomatoes, are 90 percent or more water by weight.

    In addition, beverages such as milk and juice are composed mostly of water. Even beer, wine and caffeinated beverages — such as coffee, tea or soda — can contribute, but these should not be a major portion of your daily total fluid intake. Water is still your best bet because it's calorie-free, inexpensive and readily available.
  • chichi1967
    chichi1967 Posts: 54
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    I dont count coffee as my water...but I drink alot more tea than coffee. I do count my decaffeinated tea as my water. My tea cup equeals 16 oz. Some days I drink 8 glasses of water with my tea, but on the days I dont I dont worry about it. Do you like tea? Theres many natural flavors that counts as 0 in your food diary.
  • jvjlpenn
    jvjlpenn Posts: 14
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    I am going to say that I agree with previous posters. Caffeine does work as a diuretic in the body, hence the reason they say that if you are working out and sweating you shouldn't drink caffeine because it does not hydrate you. I do agree that you get some water from the food you eat but you should still get the recommended 64oz of water a day, and it is true that if you drink caffeine you should drink that much more water. But keep in mind this is for HYDRATING your body. If you are just drinking to be drinking then you can count everything you drink as water. But if you want your body to use it to hydrate you, you should stick with water.
  • TabiHerbalifeCoach
    TabiHerbalifeCoach Posts: 691 Member
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    General rule of thumb if it "clear" you can count it as water, if its not you can't.
  • browneyedgirl82
    browneyedgirl82 Posts: 1
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    don't cheat yourself...coffee still has some calories in it even if it's only 2 per serving. coffee is not water even if it is a diuretic. if you add creamer whether it be dairy or non-dairy, liquid or powder, you should count all that you intake.
  • Equilibrium
    Equilibrium Posts: 37 Member
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    I know that 'people always say' that you shouldn't count anything other than 'water' as fluid intake, but the Mayo Clinic (quoted above and link here) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283 indicates that other liquids should count if you're tracking your consumption. Here's a link to the British Dietetic Association's commentson fluids: http://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/fluid.pdf. Until there's a reliable source that indicates that I shouldn't consider drinks to count towards my water intake goals, I'll keep counting my 2 morning cups of tea!

    The only issue, as far as I'm concerned, is that you have to count the calories if you're drinking something other than water.

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