If you're not a big fan of plain, soda or mineral water, you can meet your daily quota from a variety of foods and drinks.
- Milk contains a lot of water. The Ministry of Health recommends everyone over the age of two should drink low-fat or reduced-fat varieties.
- Fruit juice, cordial and soft drinks also contain plenty of water, although if you drink over 2L of these each day, you may be getting too much sugar. See our Liquid pyramid for more on healthy beverage choices.
- 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. Roughly for every one millilitre of pure alcohol you drink, you lose 10mL of water in urine. So if you drink a 200mL glass of red wine (12.5 percent alcohol), you'll lose about 250mL of water - a net water loss. If you drink full-strength beer (five percent 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
| 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 (white) | 240 mL (1 mug) | 235 |
| Beer (lager) | 375 mL (1 can/stubby) | 350 (160) [b] |
| Wine | 125 mL (1 glass) | 110 (-40) [b] |
| Apple | 155 g (1 medium) | 130 |
| Banana | 140 g (1 medium) | 105 |
| Watermelon | 195 g (1 cup) | 180 |
| Boiled potatoes | 100 g | 80 |
| Baked beans | 100 g | 75 |
| Meat pie | 190 g | 100 |
| Macaroni cheese | 300 g | 200 |
| Vegetable soup | 300 g | 270 |
| Roast beef | 200 g | 130 |
| Milk (reduced-fat, or "Lite") | 200 mL | 180 |
| Yoghurt | 200 g (1 pot) | 165 |
Guide to the table
Typical figures for the water content of a range of common drinks and foods.
[a] = Includes tap water, soda water and mineral water.
[b] = The figure in brackets is a rough estimate of net water gain or loss, after taking into account the diuretic effect of alcohol.
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