Coffee

Anatta1964
Anatta1964 Posts: 2
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Quick question: Does the water in cups of coffee count toward your recommended 8 daily cups of water?

Thanks in advance

Anatta

Replies

  • ashnm88
    ashnm88 Posts: 748
    No, because there is caffeine in coffee. Caffeine free herbal teas can be counted though. Caffeine dehydrates you. Which then you need to drink even more water. Approximately 2 cups of water per one cup of coffee.
  • nadiB
    nadiB Posts: 283 Member
    I wish LOL if it did, I would have no problem at all making my water limit :laugh:
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    Im gonna say most people will say no because of the caffeine factor
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    I count it, but it doesn't matter cause I drink a gallon of water a day.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Quick question: Does the water in cups of coffee count toward your recommended 8 daily cups of water?

    Thanks in advance

    Anatta

    Quick question?? You must be new. :laugh:

    It should, whether you choose to is your choice. There is not enough caffeine in coffee to cause even slight dehydration.
  • virginiejaubin
    virginiejaubin Posts: 497 Member
    Just like the others, I don't count my coffee (unfortunatly) but I do count my helbal tea...
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    No, because there is caffeine in coffee. Caffeine free herbal teas can be counted though. Caffeine dehydrates you.

    Show me something that proves caffeine dehydrates you?


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    If you consume caffeinated beverages on a regular basis your body gets more adept at extracting the water to the point where there is virtually no difference between coffee and neat water.
  • LillysGranny
    LillysGranny Posts: 431
    I only count water as water. If it was correct to count other stuff, it would say "water and stuff."
  • sfhildeb
    sfhildeb Posts: 1 Member
    It depends on how much caffeine you normally intake. If your body has become adjusted to a certain level of caffeine intake it will not cause your kidneys to re-uptake less water. More importantly, as the person above me mentioned, caffeine will only have a diuretic effect if you intake extremely high amounts of it like over 500 mg/day, which would be over 5 cups of coffee a day. So keep drinking those couple of cups of coffee a day, but it definitely wouldn't hurt to keep that water bottle handy all day too :)
  • snobuny032
    snobuny032 Posts: 82
    I completely agree with this article...

    Do coffee and soda count as water intake? There are two thoughts on this subject - obviously, the 'yes, they count as water' thought, and the 'no, they do not count as water' thought.

    Water is, of course, essential to survival for human being. The only thing more important for the body is oxygen. In other words, a person could survive longer without water than he could survive without oxygen. The average human body is about 60% water. The brain is roughly 85% water, and our bones are 10-15% water. I won't go into all of the wonderful things that such a simple substance as water does for our bodies because it is boring and can best be summed up by "water is good".

    So here is my take on the issue of whether or not coffee, tea and soda count as water intake. Some feel that coffee, tea and soda do not count as water intake because all of these drinks contain caffeine - which is a natural diuretic. Diuretics, of course, increase the dehydration process. In layman's terms - if you get diarrhea you will dehydrate faster because you are losing more than the normal amount of water from your system. Some go so far as to recommend that for every glass (or cup) of one of these caffeinated beverages that you consume, you should add an extra glass of water to your diet. This is on top of the recommended eight glasses of water per day. Whew. That is a lot of water.

    Another school of thought is that anything that is more than 50% water is counted as water in the diet.

    I, personally, have gone years without drinking pure water. Coffee and soda are my primary source of liquid. And, clearly, I am not dead therefore - coffee and soda must count as water. Duh. So why the heck should I drink boring old water
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I only count water as water. If it was correct to count other stuff, it would say "water and stuff."

    This ^^ OR they think we're smart enough to know that all drinks contain water.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo


    Is this actually getting through to anyone?
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
    Is this actually getting through to anyone?

    I didn't read the links, but that's only because I already agree with you. :P

    Bottom line: if you can pour it, it counts as water.

    The only question left is whether what you're drinking is healthy for you. (And if it's coffee, then heck yes. If diet soda, then heck no.) Unnecessarily complicating the basic principles of health, nutrition, and weight loss is only going to lead to frustration and eventual failure.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Approximately 2 cups of water per one cup of coffee.

    Where did you get this statistic?
  • Matttdvg
    Matttdvg Posts: 133 Member
    A cup of coffee is 99% water. Yes, it counts. The diuretic effect of caffeine is minimal, especially if you're a regular coffee drinker. It has no significant effect. Water in foods we eat counts towards our water intake too. Things like soup is obviously very watery, but even relatively dry foods have some water.

    If you're worried that you're not getting enough water, look at the colour of your pee. If it's clear or pale yellow, then you're fine and don't need to consume more water. If it's darker, you could probably use a little more.
  • Anatta1964
    Anatta1964 Posts: 2
    Thanks all ... and, yes, my newbie flag is flying high today.

    Anatta
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
    Thanks all ... and, yes, my newbie flag is flying high today.

    Anatta

    Nothing wrong with being a newbie -- we all were at one point. :) Just be sure to get information from lots of difference sources, not just MFP (as "helpful" as we all are, hehe -- I'll bet sometimes we cause more confusion than clarity).
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