Does coffee count?

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/283/5/R993?ijkey=676d9b6f48bee97d80dbfd657981252c7c4694af

A nice read if you are wondering about "water" intake.

According to Grandjean, et al (2000) "There were no significant effects on any of the variables by which hydration was judged.1 The authors concluded that "advising people to disregard caffeinated beverages as part of the daily fluid intake is not substantiated by the results" of their study "

What is coffee? Pretty much just filtered water, same with tea. If you have a decent tolerance to caffiene you won't be affected to the diuretic effect of the caffiene that would lead to dehydration.

The big thing about drinking straight water is it has 0 calories. When people drink coffee you turn a relatively healthy drink into a gut buster adding cream and sugar taking it from 0 cal and 0 fat up to 100+ calories and 2-5 grams of fate depending on what you add to it. Same with tea and soda. I think the water advocates would tell you that drinking 8 or 6 or 4 glasses of water instead of a couple cups of sugar coffee, sugar tea and soda or juice will cost you 0 calories vs. 600+ calories.

There are debates on here about artificial sweeteners and sugar, but that's another topic. Coffee should be fine, if you can drink it black and sugarless even better!