Water or crystal light or MIlk/??????????????????????????????????????????

This is abou****er intake, can milk or crystal light or anything other then water count for your water intake? Jenny 237/207/150

I was told that it doesn't count, exspeially milk My doctor said no milk ever. so i was like okie dokie. But yea i would just drink water or what you could do is have 2 glasses, one of water, other with some kind of juice and just keep drinking back and forth thats what i did for a while. Shawnette 267/259/120

Everying counts...caffeinated beverages count less as caffeine is a mild (emphasis on mild) diuretic. Milk however is a caloric beverage so needs to be thought of as food not fluid. The fluid in it does count toward hydration (heck the moisure in chicken and broccoli counts) but milk should be limited to 1-2 servings (8 oz) of non-fat per day...it has good calcium and protein so not a bad choice as long as it's nonfat, but shouldn't be treated as a beverage but as a food because of the calories. Crystal Light and similar very-low-cal drinks of course count...you do not have to only drink plain water, but plain water or water with a squeeze of lemon is the ultimate best choice as it has zero calories and isn't as laden with chemicals as diet drinks. But it all counts. Nancy

As Nancy said, the milk has calories so you want to 'count' it when keeping track of calories. Most Crystal Lite flavors on the other hand have zero calories, zero sodium, and zero sugar (it has other sweetners). At home, I drink crystal lite and water as my beverages of choice. I even take the crystal lite on the road with me since I don't drink sodas.

other than milk(milk has lots of calories and sugar) crystal lite and non sugar drinks are ok (dont count caffene)...i cant get enough water in unless its flavored with crystal lite myself. jen

My nutritionist conceded that crystal light was a water substitute. What I do is put 1/3 of a crystal light container in a 32 oz. container of water. It is weak but it sure makes the water go down easier. Nutritionist says no milk, except in coffee, and no juice because of the empty calories. Bob 330/292/171

I was told Crystal Light counted as water.

I almost never drink plain water. I must be strange or something, but plain water chokes me unless I'm extremely thirsty. My nut. says that anything liquid counts towards your fluid intake. I drink 1-2 glasses of milk a day, propel, PowerAide Options, sugar free kool-aide, occasionally light juice mixed in with my propel to boost the flavor, Minute Maid light lemonade, etc etc.

What is your dietition's take on this? My dietition says get 64 oz on non-caffienated fluid. So, yes, milk would count towards that intake but I also have to count the calories in the milk. So, basically here's what I do. I always have a protein shake for breakfast because I'm a lot more tight in the morning and usually I'll have one glass of light n healthy OJ per day so between those two, I've consumed 16 oz of fluid. The rest of the day I try to get in at least 6 cups of water and/or crystal light. That seems to work for me. HTH, Jennifer 254/209/130