Yes, even coffee and tea "count," toward your fluid requirements, because while caffeine is a mild diuretic, caffeinated beverages do not cause you to lose more water than they provide. If you decide not to count them, make sure you're not drinking more than a cup or two of them (and you definitely do NOT have to drink extra water to "compensate" for coffee or other caffeinated drinks - there's nothing to compensate for).
Many of the dieting water myths are untrue, and have gotten out of hand - and in some cases can lead to drinking far more water than your body needs - this usually isn't harmful, but in some situations it can be. There's absolultely no need for anyone to be drinking more than 3 quarts to a gallon of water a day (unless they're running a marathon in a desert, and are replenishing their sodium and other electrolytes). If you're going to be drinking that much or more, you should mention it to your doctor, and decide if there are precautions you may need to take to prevent drinking too much water (Water intoxication or water poisoning isn't common, but it can happen, especially if you have certain risk factors such as kidney disease (which you can have and not realize, so if it runs in your family, I'd be extra cautious) low-sodium diets and/or are on any medications that affect blood pressure or tax the kidneys).
Last edited by kaplods; 03-18-2009 at 11:45 AM.
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