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Beverage Hydration Index Lookup
Which drink hydrates you better? Take the quick quiz, then see all 25 on the beverage hydration index, from milk at 130% to spirits at -300%.
Which hydrates better?
1 / 5The honest surprises
- Milk beats water (130%). Its protein and electrolytes make you hold onto fluid longer.
- Coffee sits below water. Americano is 60%, espresso 40%. That is a nudge toward water, not proof coffee dehydrates you.
- Alcohol goes negative. Strong spirits are -300%, meaning 100 ml of vodka needs about 300 ml of water to offset it.
These percentages are a deliberate behavioral nudge scale, not lab measurements. The science behind the Beverage Hydration Index is Maughan et al. 2016; this table intentionally diverges from it (milk lowered, coffee capped, alcohol penalized) to nudge behavior. The Brim app applies this crediting for Premium members; its free tier logs water only.
| Note | ||
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 130% | Protein, fat and electrolytes slow gastric emptying, so it outlasts water in the body. Research (Maughan et al. 2016) puts it near 150%; this scale sets it lower, at 130%. |
| Water | 100% (benchmark) | The 100% benchmark. Every row here is measured against a serving of plain water. |
| Sports Drink | 96% | Formulated to replace what sweat loses, so it credits close to water. |
| Juice | 95% | All water and natural sugars, no caffeine, so it sits just under water's benchmark. |
| Green Tea | 90% | Weakly caffeinated and mostly water, so it barely moves off the water benchmark. |
| Herbal Tea | 90% | Caffeine-free, so it credits almost like flavored water. |
| Matcha Tea | 90% | Whisked rather than steeped, so it carries more caffeine per serving than other teas. |
| Coconut Water | 90% | Naturally rich in electrolytes, so it credits close to plain water. |
| Decaf Coffee | 90% | Same brew, almost no caffeine, so it credits close to a mild tea. |
| Decaf Tea | 90% | Virtually caffeine-free, credited close to herbal tea. |
| Black Tea | 85% | More caffeine than green tea, which is why it sits a touch lower. |
| Latte | 85% | The most milk of the espresso drinks, so it credits closest to milk's own high score. |
| Cold Brew | 80% | Steeped cold and diluted, so it is less concentrated than a hot shot. |
| Soda | 80% | Mostly water and sugar, with enough caffeine to sit a little under juice. |
| Cappuccino | 75% | Milk foam adds some hydration credit on top of the espresso shot. |
| Flat White | 75% | More espresso per ml than a cappuccino, so the caffeine concentration is higher. |
| Smoothie | 70% | Thicker and higher in fiber than juice, so it digests and credits a little more slowly. |
| Filter Coffee | 65% | Drip coffee's caffeine load sits between an americano and a milkier drink. |
| Americano | 60% | Espresso cut with hot water. The added water lifts it well above straight espresso. |
| Energy Drink | 55% | A high caffeine load pulls this well below other sugary drinks. |
| Espresso | 40% | Small serving, concentrated caffeine. Capped low as a nudge toward water, not a claim it dehydrates you. |
| Beer | -5% | Low alcohol by volume keeps the diuretic effect mild, just under water. |
| Wine | -20% | More alcohol than beer, so the net deficit is bigger. |
| Cocktail | -30% | Mixed spirits plus sugar. The alcohol content drives the deficit. |
| Strong Spirits | -300% | Straight liquor. The steepest deduction here is an editorial choice to make the tradeoff impossible to miss, not a lab measurement. |
Frequently asked
What is the Beverage Hydration Index?
It measures how well a drink hydrates you compared with plain water over the hours after you drink it, based on urine output. Water is the 100% benchmark; drinks above it (like milk) keep fluid in your body longer, and drinks below it, or negative like alcohol, lose some to caffeine or a diuretic effect. The foundational study is Maughan et al. 2016, which tested 13 common drinks.
Is milk more hydrating than water?
In hydration-index research, yes: milk’s protein, fat, and electrolytes slow gastric emptying so it keeps fluid in your body longer than plain water. Maughan et al. 2016 put it near 150%; the table here sets it lower, at 130%, as a deliberate nudge rather than a lab-exact copy.
Does coffee count toward hydration?
Yes, in moderate amounts a normal cup hydrates you nearly as well as water. The table still caps coffee’s credit (Americano 60%, Espresso 40%) below what the evidence supports, as a nudge to keep water your default choice, not because coffee dehydrates you.
Why is alcohol negative?
Alcohol is a mild diuretic, and the effect scales with strength and volume. The negative values here (beer -5%, wine -20%, cocktails -30%, strong spirits -300%) mean a drink can cost you more fluid than it provides. The steepness, especially for spirits, is a deliberate choice to make the tradeoff visible, not a precise clinical measurement.
Are these lab-measured values?
No. The science behind the Beverage Hydration Index is Maughan et al. 2016, but these specific percentages are an editorial nudge scale that intentionally diverges from the study (lower milk, capped coffee, steep alcohol penalties). The Brim app applies them for Premium members; its free tier logs water only.
Sources
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