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The answer to how many calories are in water is pretty simple, there are none! This makes water the perfect thing to drink if you are trying to lose weight or are fasting.
Whether you’re sticking to a strict diet plan or just curious, plain water has 0 calories unless you pour any extra ingredients containing calories. May it be from a reverse osmosis tankless system or tank system in your kitchen, water has no calories and brings many health benefits to our bodies.
Living healthy also comes with knowing the nutritional facts in our food and drinks, including water. Our bodies are 60% water, so it’s clear that we need to hydrate ourselves to make sure we get enough fluids for our bodies to function.
When it comes to calories, you may be thinking about how much calories in fluids like water can affect your health. Luckily, this article will guide you through why there are no calories in water and how many there would be if you added ingredients to your fluids!
Why is water no calories?
Water serves as the delivery man of nutrients across our bodies. It helps us remove waste and adds structure to cells and tissues. According to Healthline, it also contains beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and copper.
Calories come from nutrients like fats, carbohydrates, and proteins; on the other hand, water is pure as it doesn’t have nutrients but delivers them.
Water nutrition Information
Water is a clean slate that freshens up the body while transporting nutrients. It supplies us with healthy minerals and rehydrates our bodies.
Here’s the nutritional value of one standard glass of water by Very Well Fit to guide you.
Sodium: 9.5 mg
Flouride: 0.25mg
Calories: 0
Fat: 0
Fiber: 0
Sugars: 0
Protein: 0
Carbohydrates: 0
Health Benefits
Plain water doesn’t just help with weight loss but also helps control our body temperature, keeping our bodies cool in hot places and preventing heat strokes.
Our body also uses water to remove toxic substances. It helps our digestive system remove waste such as peeing or a dump which cleans up our body!
Additionally, drinking water can also help us improve our mood by affecting our cognitive function. One study found that mild dehydration takes a toll on our brain performance such as immediate memory skills, attention, psychomotor, etc.
Water also helps with exercise-induced asthma or shortness of breath. You’ll need to drink water to prevent breathing problems as it delivers oxygen across our bodies.
Drinking water helps prevent dehydration which is why it’s the best thing to drink when exercising to keep your breathing at pace!
Which drinks are high in calories?
While pure water has zero calories, pouring ingredients can add nutrients or beneficial calories to our bodies. Here are some beverages that are high in calories that you may be wondering whether they could be zero calories as well!
Tonic Water
Despite being water itself, tonic water is a sparkling drink that has the highest calories and lowest nutrients. While you won’t be getting any vital nutrients from it, tonic water still contains small amounts of zinc, sodium, and copper!
Another interesting fact is that one of its key ingredients, Quinine, can be used to treat malaria. On the other hand, the amount of Quinine found in tonic water is too small to treat the disease.
It’s also used as an ingredient to mix with alcoholic drinks like gin to make the popular Gin and Tonic cocktails for stress relief. But be wary of alcohol as it’s important to drink moderately!
Here’s a quick list of the nutritional value of a bottle of tonic water to guide you through its calories and other nutritional facts!
Carbohydrates: 29.6g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 29.6g
Calcium: 3.36mg
Sodium: 40.3g
Magnesium: 0mg
Zinc: 0.33mg
If you’re aiming to lose weight, it’s best to steer clear of tonic water and focus on drinking enough water throughout the day!
Coffee
Unlike tonic water, the amount of calories in coffee depends on what time of coffee you’re preparing. If we’re talking about coffee alone, it can be relatively low in calories and other significant macronutrients, but it still has health benefits to remember.
Here’s a list of its nutritional value according to Coffee&Health!
Magnesium:8mg
Manganese: 0.05mg
Riboflavin: 0.01mg
Niacin: 0.7mg
Potassium: 92mg
A cup of black coffee can lower the risk of chronic diseases like liver cancer, heart failure, and type 2 diabetes. It also contains polyphenols, an antioxidant found in plants that protect the body from free radical damage.
Free radicals are a type of waste product our bodies naturally make. It also causes inflammation which coffee can help prevent. We’re also well aware that coffee provides energy to function but you should also watch your coffee intake as it’s also known for its many risks and side effects.
At the end of the day, it’s important to be careful with how much coffee we consume despite having fewer calories compared to other drinks.
Juice
Fruit juice is jam-packed with essential macronutrients squeezed from fruits. It also has more sugar than vegetables. But, it still has a high amount of sugar next to soft drinks. While sodas contain white sugar (sucrose), fruit juice contains fruit sugar; fructose. This makes juice naturally high in calories.
Without the fiber found in its source, fruit juice doesn’t have the same potent nutrient as its source, but fructose serves as a natural way to fight cravings for sweets. Here’s a quick guide on how many calories there are in different kinds of juice!
Orange juice: 110 calories
Apple juice: 110 calories
Pineapple juice: 127 calories
Banana juice: 120 calories
Grape juice: 144 calories
Lemon juice: 50 calories
Fruit juice is also rich in the nutritional value section, having various antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Fruit juice can be a part of your diet plan as it provides you with the essential nutrients for your body.
Another reason why fruit juice is high in calories is that companies add more sugar to add more taste. Don’t forget to check the nutritional label before consumption, especially if you’re doing weight management.
Is water the only thing with 0 calories?
There’s a reason why water is called “pure”. Yes, it’s the only thing that fully has zero calories! Other food with the description “zero calories” can be misleading. So why do many foods and drink products say they have 0 calories? The DFA allows manufacturers to label products with less than 5 calories as 0 calories.
Another myth is “negative-calorie food”; the thought behind this premise is that you spend more calories digesting them compared to how much they contain, therefore burning calories. But there is no actual science that can back this up.
For example, a single stalk of celery contains 6 calories. Eating this would only burn half a calorie, making its net caloric value 5 1/2 calories. If you are searching for a calorie-free consumable with no additives, the only option aside from water is ice water, but even consuming calories is needed for your diet.
Water has no calories but since your body has to expend energy to maintain a constant 98 degrees, you burn about eight calories per eight-ounce glass of ice water. This still isn’t enough to counter weight gain if not paired with exercising.
Is cold water good for weight loss?
Water does not directly make you lose weight, but boosts your body to work harder or helps digestion, leading to losing weight. Healthline says drinking cold water triggers our body to work harder to regulate our core temperature.
On the other hand, hot water helps our body digest and circulation. It can also assist our body in removing toxins faster! The only thing to consider is that hot water makes us less thirsty, which isn’t the best thing because we need water to keep our bodies cool and replace lost water from sweat.
In a nutshell, water keeps us hydrated so our body can effectively work into burning fat by delivering oxygen and nutrients, and preventing headaches and muscle cramps to stay on track.
Conclusion — how many calories are in water?
If you’re looking to burn fats or pay close attention to your calorie intake, no need to worry as water is not just calorie-free but also one of the most essential things to living a healthy life.
No matter how much water you drink you it still has zero calories!
Drinking water helps cleanse our bodies over any other beverages and prevents dehydration so we can breathe properly and have the energy to move through the day! So to answer how many calories are in water, it’s a pure 0!
I am a physician who cares about healthy living. I strive to be as healthy as I can be so that I can thrive in my own life. By sharing what I know I want to help others to live a healthy life.