We all know that water is by far the best liquid to keep you hydrated and refreshed. But what about other types of drink, especially the nation’s favourite drink, tea? The UK drinks around 100 million cups of tea and around 70 million cups of coffee every day, but does tea and coffee count as essential daily water intake?

We’re all made of water

Our bodies are around 60% water anyway, so keeping hydrated with water is essential to, basically, staying alive. But our brains are made up of around 75% water as well, so it’s a pretty good idea to keep that one well-watered and functioning too. The NHS Eat Well guide suggests drinking 6-8 glasses of fluid each day, which should work out roughly as 1.5 litres for women and 2 litres for men.

But it’s the word ‘fluid’ that’s key here. With the best will in the world, it can get a bit boring just drinking water all day to stay refreshed and hydrated. So what are your alternatives? Other ‘fluids’ can include juices, smoothies, squashes, milk, and fizzy drinks. But many of these are diuretics, making you want to go to the toilet more often, and can include higher sugar levels.

Does tea and coffee count as water intake?

The good news is that tea – and coffee – do count towards your daily water intake. Both are made with water, so it stands to reason. But there are often question marks over tea and coffee’s diuretic nature, the caffeine contained in both, and whether or not they will even dehydrate you.

Let’s start with tea. Most types of tea will contain small amounts of caffeine, a natural stimulant, but the levels are much lower than those found in coffee. The level of caffeine will also depend on the type of tea, how much you use, how long you let it brew for, and hot your water is. While most caffeine drinks will have a mild diuretic effect, it’s unlikely to be noticeable with tea.

What about coffee? Some coffees will have a higher caffeine level than others, and obviously more than tea. But the diuretic effect is fairly low in most people, similar to tea. As both tea and coffee do count as water intake, the level of caffeine contained in both drinks shouldn't have any dehydrating effects.

The health benefits of water

While almost all fluids will count towards your daily intake, including tea and coffee, drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated and properly refreshed. It has no sugar, no calories, and contains many essential natural minerals our bodies need to function properly.

So while it doesn’t have a fancy taste, water does many magical things. It’s good for our heart and other essential organs, it flushes our system of toxins, regulates our body temperature, keeps our muscles and joints in good working order, and gives us all increased mental and physical capacity.

Increase your water intake with Thirsty Work

A Thirsty Work bottled water cooler or mains fed water cooler will help keep you and your staff refreshed and hydrated with fully-filtered, pure-tasting water. And if tea and coffee are more in tune with staff needs, an energy-efficient and cost-effective hot water dispenser could make all the tea and coffee they need to increase their water intake too.

Call our customer service team on 01382 877 172 or email us at hello@thirstywork.com today to find out more about our water coolers and hot water dispensers. We’ll give you a free quote and can even help set up your no-obligation, free 10-day trial.