Do Cups of Tea and Coffee count towards 8 Cups a Day ???

I can't say for coffee but tea is fine. You do want to try to avoid heavily caffeinated teas, like mate, but on the whole tea is really just flavoured water. Have at 'er!

You'll get conflicting answers, but I go by the rule that if it has caffiene, it doesn't count.

I agree!! But I should add that tea should count, it is only flavored ..

Im sure this thread has probaly been done before but im new to this so i thought i would ask anyway?

So i must drink at least 2 litres of water a day which i aim to get but mostly struggle but i do drink alot of tea and coffee!

Does it equal it self out in the end???

Coffee is a no go when it comes to counting for hydration, and they often suggest 2 glasses of water to counteract the dehydration effect for every caffeinated beverage you have!
Black tea is the same as well.

Green tea or most herbal teas are fine (though there is some caffeine, it is not as much)

If it's anything but pure water I don't count it.

I count my tea...and I seem to stay pretty hydrated.

I think as long as its unaltered (like unsweetened tea...BLACK coffee (no milk, sugar, or creamer) then it counts....

But that's just my opinion.

Every time you Drink coffee it dehydrates you further. So you actually need two glasses of water per drink of coffee you drink. I do not know about tea.

I do agree with this. Drink even more water when you drink coffee. But really, no need to give up such a great and amazing thing such as coffee. LOVE it!

I was just coming to post this same question. If i drink 3 glasses of (unsweet) iced tea .... i really struggle to ALSO get in 8-10 glasses of water on top of that. I feel miserably full with that much liquids.

i really only drink about one 6 oz cup of coffee a day ... but i LOVE my unsweet iced tea. ( i stopped drinking sweet tea long ago, the sweetness started making me feel nauseous!!). I only have about 1 soda every 3 or 4 days, and I dont count that in my liquids... but i do tend to count unsweet iced tea as part of my fluid intake.

I am drinking decaff coffee and green tea and I am counting both.

Caffine is only a mild diruetic, the water still counts.

The "coffee is a diuretic" thing has been debunked for some time, but the truth just isn't catching on for some reason.

This seems to be one of those things you ask 5 people get 6 different answers. From what I can find through such places as the mayoclinics webpages and a few other sources that I trust it depends largely on the caffeine levels in the coffee or tea. Generally speaking most coffee does not contain enough caffeine to have a large diuretic effect. The exception being 100% Kona, but if you're lucky enough to be drinking that, enjoy it and don't worry about how many times you go potty.

What I have been reading about being an issue are most energy drinks. They have such a high concentration of caffeine that not only can they have a sever diuretic effect they can be quite harmful to your system for many other reasons.

Personally I count every two cups of coffee I drink as one cup of water. Or sometimes (most of the time) I just don't count them at all since I drink plenty of water throughout the day.

I was just coming to post this same question. If i drink 3 glasses of (unsweet) iced tea .... i really struggle to ALSO get in 8-10 glasses of water on top of that. I feel miserably full with that much liquids.

i really only drink about one 6 oz cup of coffee a day ... but i LOVE my unsweet iced tea. ( i stopped drinking sweet tea long ago, the sweetness started making me feel nauseous!!). I only have about 1 soda every 3 or 4 days, and I dont count that in my liquids... but i do tend to count unsweet iced tea as part of my fluid intake.

A slightly gross question, but how many times a day are you urinating? If you're not doing it enough but feeling water logged, you probably actually need to drink more water.

A slightly gross question, but how many times a day are you urinating? If you're not doing it enough but feeling water logged, you probably actually need to drink more water.

Not as many times as I should, honestly. There are days I KNOW I've drank 100 oz of water, but may only pee 3 times. I tend to retain water badly. I dont really know why, but I can drink until I feel sick, without having to use the restroom some days. As an example, I've had a 6oz cup of coffee and about 4 glasses of water so far today... and I've only urinated once since about 6:45 this morning.

I've tried cutting out excess sodium (and sodas containing much sodium) because Id been told that sodium makes u retain water. Im open to any suggestions! Its hard to feel like ur making progress when ur bodys holdin onto extra water.

You may want to think about consulting a doctor about it. Could be medical reasons for the water retention. Bladder or liver problems.

In the end, you can always just look at your pee. If it's clear, you're in the clear. If it's yellow or darker, you need to buddy up with your kitchen sink.

That's silly. So you're telling me those nights that I have a lot of alcohol and have to pee several times in a few hours and the pee is clear that I'm getting enough water?

If it's anything but pure water I don't count it.

^^^^^^This!^^^^^^^

Did some research. Tea and coffee both count. The diuretic effect of an average cup of tea or coffee is nowhere near enough to require you to "make up" for those drinks, especially if you're drinking it plain.

Right now you're getting about 1.5 as much water as you need, according to what you've said. I would keep half of your fluid intake as pure water, just to be on the healthy side, but coffee, tea, alcohol...you can get your fluids from any of those.