Do you count other liquids toward your daily water intake?

[Katey Dager]

I keep track of the water I drink and try to reach a certain amount every day (90 oz, which is usually not difficult for me). I'm assuming some other people do this too. If you do, do you count coffee, tea, or carbonated water toward these totals? Lately I have been counting only water, but sometimes I find myself not thirsty after drinking something else, so I'm assuming at least some of what I'm drinking is just as hydrating as water. Any opinions?

[Kirsteen]

I've come across various opinions on this. Some websites claim only water counts, some say all liquids. The BBC did a program a couple of years ago, looking at various questions like this. 2 groups of people were put up in a country house for a week at a time while different food issues were looked at. At the end of each week they carried out various tests on each group (sorry I can't remember more specifically) I do remember that on the question of hydration, they found both groups, (one who'd had to drink a certain amount of water each day, and one who drank no water but the same amount of other liquids) were equally hydrated.

Personally I think the easiest way to tell if you're hydrated enough, providing you're not supplementing B vitamins, is to look at your urine. If it's a nice pale colour, you're fine. If it's a deeper yellow you could probably do with more hydration.