03.Sources of water
If you’re not a big fan of plain (or even soda or mineral) water, the good news is you can meet your daily quota from a variety of different sources — both foods and drinks.
- Fruit juice, cordial, soft drink and milk contain plenty of water, although if you drink over 2 L of these each day, you may be getting too much sugar and/or fat.
- Although caffeine is a mild diuretic, evidence seems to be emerging that, for tea and coffee at least, the diuretic effect appears to be minimal if you drink them regularly and in normal strengths.
- Alcohol is a stronger diuretic: as a rough guide, for every 1 mL of pure alcohol you drink, you lose 10 mL of water in urine. So, if you drink a 125 mL glass of red wine (12.5% alcohol) you’ll lose about 150 mL of water — a net water loss. If you drink full-strength beer (5% alcohol), you’ll lose about half the water, but the other half contributes to your daily water intake.
- Food also contains water, from fruit and vegetables to chips and hamburgers.
Water in your diet
The table below shows typical figures for the water content of a range of common drinks and foods. It should give you some idea of good (and less good) sources of water in your diet.
| Food / drink |
Portion size |
Water (mL) |
| Water (A) |
250 mL |
250 |
| Soft drink |
250 mL |
235 |
| Cordial (diluted) |
250 mL |
235 |
| Orange juice |
250 mL |
230 |
| Coffee (black) |
240 mL (1 mug) |
240 |
| Coffee (white) |
240 mL (1 mug) |
235 |
| Tea (black) |
240 mL (1 mug) |
240 |
| Tea (white) |
240 mL (1 mug) |
235 |
| Beer (lager) |
375 mL (1 can / stubby) |
350 (160) (B) |
| Beer (reduced alcohol, 2%) |
375 mL |
360 (260) (B) |
| Red wine |
125 mL (1 glass) |
110 (–40) (B) |
| White wine (dry) |
125 mL (1 glass) |
110 (–35) (B) |
| Apple |
155 g (1 medium) |
130 |
| Banana |
140 g (1 medium) |
105 |
| Watermelon |
195 g (one cup) |
180 |
| Boiled potatoes |
100 g |
80 |
| Roast potatoes |
100 g |
65 |
| Baked beans |
100 g |
75 |
| Cheeseburger |
115 g |
50 |
| Meat pie |
190 g |
100 |
| Hot chips |
100 g |
50 |
| Macaroni cheese |
300 g |
200 |
| Vegetable soup |
300 g |
270 |
| Roast beef |
200 g |
130 |
| Cheddar cheese |
50 g |
20 |
| Cottage cheese |
50 g |
40 |
| Milk (reduced-fat, or ‘Lite’) |
200 mL |
180 |
| Yoghurt |
200 g (1 pot) |
165 |
| Bread |
30 g (1 slice) |
12 |
| Toast |
27 g (1 slice) |
7 |
Table notes
(A) Includes tap water, soda water and mineral water.
(B) The figure in brackets is the net water gain or loss, after taking into account the diuretic effect of allcohol.