Why is that water is needed to live as opposed to alternative liquids? If coffee is just bean-flavoured water, why couldn’t you survive by only drinking coffee? If you were lost on a desert island and had only coffee, juice or soda to drink, could you survive?
In: Biology
I think there has been speculation that life might have been able to get a start in ammonia too.
Drinking lots of coffee every day has its own set of problems. People like to poke fun at “[MUST HAVE COFFEE](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MustHaveCaffeine)” but caffeine addiction is a real thing, especially in terms of chemical dependence and dose acclimatization, and I can personally attest to the dreadful headaches caffeine withdrawal can bring. Coffee is not “just bean-flavoured water”, (if that’s what your coffee tastes like to you, you’re either making it wrong or need a new barista) it’s an organic suspension of alkaloids, carbohydrates, hydrocarbons, triglycerides, phenols and over a thousand more compounds that are subjects of active research. Caffeine is, among other things, a vasodilator (it makes veins and arteries widen to allow more blood flow, bringing more oxygen to the brain), which means if you were to suddenly cut down after drinking half a dozen coffees a day, the resulting vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels) can reduce the flow of blood – and consequently oxygen – resulting in what feels like ischaemic pain (pain caused by lack of oxygen supply to limbs or organs). So, yes, you could survive on coffee, but it’s a terrible (and medically dangerous) idea and your body will make you regret it.
I can safely say I’ve legit gone years without drinking water. Coffee, soda and milk. That’s it. My wife just recently got me to agree to drink 1 bottle every morning lol
I didn’t start drinking water till I was about 9-10 I drank mostly milk and apple juice and think I turned out ok
We also ingest water from our food and produce some via breathing. Liquid foods can hydrate really well e.g. Tomatoes, Cucumbers, eggs etc…
Often times this is better overall for survival and health over simply drinking commercial or distilled water.
For foods high in water see:
https://foodstruct.com/nutrition-search/high-in-water-categories-Meat-Poultry-Fish-Eggs-Diary-Fruits-Vegetables-Mushrooms-Oils-glycemic-index-0-100-price-0-11
For the most part, I absolutely can’t stand plain water. I’ve tried many brands and while some taste better than others, it still makes me gag. For the past 20 years I’ve drank almost exclusively tea, coffee, and sugar-free soda. When I’m trying to avoid a hangover I drink Gatorade or pedialyte.
I say for the most part because there are rare times (talking like 2-3 times a year) where I feel really dehydrated and I crave a glass of water… but I usually can’t finish it. I wish I could tolerate the taste of water cause I probably would just feel better in general.
Because earth organisms need h2o. Drinking coffee is still drinking water, just with other stuff in it. It would work. Same with basically any other drink (or food). Almost Everything we consume has water in it.
Now, theoretically you could imagine other life forms with different composition, and they would have different needs. Ethanol based, for example. But that’s not what we have here on earth.
The wife hasn’t drank water in 11 years. Drinks diet soda 24/7. Then alcohol every now and again.
People who say you have to drink X amount of plain water per day are wrong. Any liquid that is water-based: coffee, tea, soda, etc. (as opposed to a liquid like cooking oil) is fine to keep you hydrated.
Anything that has 90-99% water, no more than 5-7% alcohol and no salts and harmful substances in it is perfectly potable and quenchy. This includes soda pop, juice and beer. Coffee may not be as benign, unless it’s decaf; caffeine is a drug that may have harmful side effects.
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