Can I count tea towards my water consumption?

TheChallengedDieter
TheChallengedDieter Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can I count tea towards my water consumption? I am not much of a water drinker but do drink many cups of tea.
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Replies

  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
    Yes you can. Tea, coffee, water, etc all counts towards your water consumption. Just make sure to log any additions like milk, sugar etc.
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    Honest question: Why are you even tracking your water consumption?

    The 8 cups of water/day thing was basically speculation, not hard science, and even that was meant to include the water you get through foods.

    Drink when you're thirsty. No need to overthink it.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    rand486 wrote: »
    Honest question: Why are you even tracking your water consumption?

    The 8 cups of water/day thing was basically speculation, not hard science, and even that was meant to include the water you get through foods.

    Drink when you're thirsty. No need to overthink it.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386

    I track my water to make sure it balances with my sodium

  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    Chief_Rocka wrote: »
    I track my water to make sure it balances with my sodium

    Interesting. And what is the ratio you seek? Where did you come up with that number?
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited November 2014
    You can count it if you want to. Everyone does this differently.

    I only count water as water, but people count other beverages. Some count foods.

    Up to you.

    But if you switch from tea and other beverages, you may find that you feel better! :)
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    rand486 wrote: »
    Chief_Rocka wrote: »
    I track my water to make sure it balances with my sodium

    Interesting. And what is the ratio you seek? Where did you come up with that number?

    2,500 mg sodium/8 cups of water. I read it on MFP.
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    Chief_Rocka wrote: »
    2,500 mg sodium/8 cups of water. I read it on MFP.

    So complete speculation then? ;)

    MFP is filled with pseudo-science and urban myths. Definitely plan to look this up - I'll report back if I find anything!

    Thanks for letting me pick your brain! :)
  • sveltewisher
    sveltewisher Posts: 93 Member
    I track my water and include herbal teas in the count. If I don't drink water, I am constipated.
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    LiveLaughLoveEat1 wrote: »
    A lot of people track their water...big deal

    Hey now, I wasn't attacking anyone - I was legitimately curious. I just didn't understand the reasoning. Chief_Rocka was nice enough to give me their logic behind tracking it.
    Chief_Rocka wrote: »
    2,500 mg sodium/8 cups of water. I read it on MFP.

    FYI, I looked, and the closest thing I could find was:

    Consuming 400 milligrams of sodium, the amount in a single gram of table salt, causes your body to retain an extra 4 cups of water, which equals roughly 2 pounds. Drinking more water flushes out the extra sodium, returning water levels to normal.

    http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/high-sodium-water-retention-7494.html

    But that hardly comes from a scientific source (it's unsourced, and comes from a journalist with a philosophy degree; no expertise in nutrition).

    Just about everything I could find was concerned with North Americans' sodium:potassium intake - something I do try to pay attention to. By drinking more water, yes, you are ridding yourself of sodium, but you're also depleting yourself of even more potassium.

    Best to get the ratio under control, rather than try to deplete your body of both, IMO.
  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
    rand486 wrote: »
    Chief_Rocka wrote: »
    2,500 mg sodium/8 cups of water. I read it on MFP.

    So complete speculation then? ;)

    MFP is filled with pseudo-science and urban myths. Definitely plan to look this up - I'll report back if I find anything!

    Thanks for letting me pick your brain! :)

    I drink a lot of water ... doctor's orders to do so ... helps flush out all the meds I take, also because I'm often thirsty, also because it fills me up so I eat less. I usually get in anywhere from 6 to 10 cupsfull in a day.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    I only loosely track my water, since I always drink plenty (check the color of your urine). However, I think of tea as basically the same as water and would count it if I were counting. I tend to drink mostly herbal teas, so not a lot of caffeine, but my understanding is that even more caffeinated beverages only have a dehydrating effect that reduces the effect of the water consumed in them if you drink a whole lot of caffeine.
  • TheChallengedDieter
    TheChallengedDieter Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks for all the information
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    rand486 wrote: »
    Honest question: Why are you even tracking your water consumption?

    The 8 cups of water/day thing was basically speculation, not hard science, and even that was meant to include the water you get through foods.

    Drink when you're thirsty. No need to overthink it.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386

    I find it hilarious (see: ridiculously closed-minded) that someone flagged this post. That is all.
  • shellma00
    shellma00 Posts: 1,684 Member
    I log tea as water when I actually remember to log water. ;)
  • rand486
    rand486 Posts: 270 Member
    Guns_N_Buns wrote: »
    I find it hilarious (see: ridiculously closed-minded) that someone flagged this post. That is all.

    I won't say who, but I got a nice, passive-aggressive private message from someone as well :P

    Apparently, I can't just ask questions for my own curiosity's sake!
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    rand486 wrote: »
    Guns_N_Buns wrote: »
    I find it hilarious (see: ridiculously closed-minded) that someone flagged this post. That is all.

    I won't say who, but I got a nice, passive-aggressive private message from someone as well :P

    Apparently, I can't just ask questions for my own curiosity's sake!

    Oh, I'm sure it goes without saying... :p

    Now please, keep your curiosity to yourself.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    No, only good beer can be added to water intake.
  • 12steprogram
    12steprogram Posts: 2 Member
    no, caffeine dehydrates the body
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Guns_N_Buns wrote: »
    rand486 wrote: »
    Honest question: Why are you even tracking your water consumption?

    The 8 cups of water/day thing was basically speculation, not hard science, and even that was meant to include the water you get through foods.

    Drink when you're thirsty. No need to overthink it.

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386

    I find it hilarious (see: ridiculously closed-minded) that someone flagged this post. That is all.

    And flagged it as spam... Because there was a link???

    (I don't see it as abusive, but I know there are people around here who are easily wounded...)
  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
    Caffiene containing beverages are not water they are direuretics. Who has time to log water? Just remember to drink it. It is good for you but not worth logging really. If you can't remember how many cups/litres you had in a day does it matter? It is all zero calories.

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