[Lisa0513]

I get these "waters" they are sodium free, caffiene free and sugar free. My question is do they count in my daily water needs?

[baffled111]

They count. All the recent research suggests that even coffee and tea count towards your water needs.

[Magfish]

From what I understand, because caffeine is a diuretic, things like coffee and tea can dehydrate you, so decaf is best when counting water. My WW leader said that any decaf no-cal beverage counts, but WW recommends you get at least 3 glasses of real water a day in addition to your other "water-type-beverages".

[Heather]

As baffled suggested, the idea that caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates you has been debunked by recent research. People had assumed that, but not tested it. The research indicates that when people first start to drink caffeine there is a small diuretic effect, but that our bodies adapt pretty quickly.

I've seen this research reflected in more recent advice, which suggests that you can count caffeinated beverages as water. However, that being said, there may be many other reasons why people might prefer to drink water over caffeine.

[Sassygirl18]

Yes, they definitely count!