Question about decaf for the pros

On the RNY board, spotly posted the following and has allowed me to cross post here: I understand that drinking caffeine is bad because it's a diuretic, but what is the difference between decaf tea and water?  Is there something that is in decaf tea that doesn't absorb into your body like plain water does?  Sorry for a such a stupid question, but I've never really gotten an answer on this one.   I am not much for drinking plain water and I have tried just about every flavored water on the market and it is all too sweet.  I am so afraid I won't get my fluids in, but I would like to know if decaf tea can count towards this or do they want you to ONLY have plain water? So, what is the impact of decaf tea and coffee? Thanks!

Robin: That is a good question and yes you can count your decaf tea as part of your fluid intake!  You are right about caffeine being a diuretic and discouraged to promote adequate hydration.  However, if you must have a bit of caffeine in the morning to jump start your day, 1 cup of the regular coffee or tea sipped slowly will not hurt you; just make sure that you drink at least 64 ounces of non-caffeinated, non-carbonated beverages the rest of the day.  When discussing which fluids actually COUNT as fluids,  here is what we recommend: Fluids: * Should be low (< 6-8 grams per serving) in sugar or noncaloric, i.e Crystal Light, Minute Maid Light, Diet Snapple, etc. * Decaf coffee or tea *Nonfat milk * Sugar-free gelatin or popsicles (anything that melts at room temperature is counted as fluid; 2 oz = 1/4 & 4 oz = 1/2 cup) * Tomato or V-8 juice * Chicken, beef or vegetable broth * Water I hope that this expands the variety of fluids to help meet your fluid needs! Melania Behrens, MA, RD eNutritionCare.com

Thanks Melania!  (What a beautiful name, btw!) I am going to copy and paste your response on the main board if that's ok with you.  I'll give credit to the Diet and Nutrition board in the hopes that people will think to come here for these kind of questions (I figure the more we remind folks on the main board about this one, the more we'll get professional info rather than just personal experiences.)

Dear Robin: Thank you and you most certainly have my OK to post this on the main board! Melania Behrens, MA, RD eNutritionCare.com