Does Drinking Tea count as drinking water?

shreyaj

I try to drink alot of water during the day but it's difficult because I drink A:LOT of tea sometime's decaf sometimes regular, when I say alot I mean 2-4 tea bags a day, I drink the tea with just hot water & the bag, does this count for when I'm tracking how much water I am drinking?

Jovialation

yes, yes it does.
in fact drinking soda even counts, youre still getting water.
hell, some food provides water.

Sunshine_Girlie

While everything has water in it, unless the nutritional value equals to zero in every category, I would not count it as the eight glasses needed in a day.

sharoniballoni

My friend asked her doctor, who told her nothing counts as water except for water. You can add some Crystal Light to it and it's fine. But tea is a diuretic, as is soda and coffee. They'll make your body need more water.

stanvoodoo

Not if it has Caffiene! Deacf, non carbonated and no sugar = water.

fitzie63

You show know that tea, like coffee and alcohol dehydrate the body.

Tree72

I would agree with the general consensus here. Herbal teas should be fine to count, but black and green teas contain caffeine which is a diuretic.

DumbDoorKnob

From what I gather, if it's decaf...then yes, it counts as 100% water. If it's black or green tea or regular non decaf tea...it counts as 50% water intake. So if you don't mind the decaf tea, I'd try to stick with that as much as you can...and then maybe only add 1 glass of water intake for every 2 regular teas you drink, just to be on the safe side and so that you aren't cutting yourself short.

shreyaj

Thanks for your responses that makes a lot of sense, because I knew caffeine depleted the body of water so I wasn't sure exactly how to count that.

ocsurfmama

I drink Decaffeinated unsweetened, fresh brewed tea (iced or hot) so I count that towards my water intake. I do not count any other drinks that have sugar or calories because your body processes those liquids differently. I put all other drinks like my Almond Milk Frappe's into the snack category.

Basicially, any fluids that hydrate you can count as water intake. Tea, unsweetened has no additives that dehydrate so it counts as water.

Sodas or drinks that have sodium (like diet soda), sugars, large amounts of caffeine and other additives can actually be Dehydrating so they would not count toward water intake. You would also have to add them to a snack or meal category so that the calories can be counted toward your daily intake.

reese66

Found this on WebMD, thought it was interesting...


http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/wonders-of-water

dwellsouth

Thanks for your responses that makes a lot of sense, because I knew caffeine depleted the body of water so I wasn't sure exactly how to count that.

I had to read that again...I think they meant "should" as in, it would be beneficial for you to know this info. But I'm the eternal optimist, so who knows... LoL
I had the same question myself because I drink a whole lotta tea as well.

StephanieJ82

I was told GREEN tea is Great for you and can count it as water. Makes you pee so much too. my girlfriend needed to lose some weight quick for a wedding and drank green tea 5 times a day for a week and lost 8 lbs of water weight.


Here is a blurb taken from Wikipedia :
"A study performed at the Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh looked at the effects of short-term green tea consumption on a group of students between the ages of 19–37.[15] Participants were asked not to alter their diet and to drink 4 cups of green tea per day for 14 days. The results showed that short-term consumption of commercial green tea reduces systolic and diastolic Blood Pressure, fasting total cholesterol, body fat and body weight. These results suggest a role for green tea in decreasing established potential cardiovascular risk factors. This study also suggests that reductions may be more pronounced in the overweight population where a significant proportion are obese and have a high risk of cardiovascular disease."

zeeeb

I drink SOOOOO much water in the summer, easily 8 glasses a day, but in the winter, I just can't. It's coming into winter here in the Southern Hemisphere. I drink 600-800 at the gym, but other than that, i might have a few sips here and there, maybe up to a litre, but seriously, I live in coffee and tea.

Oh well, what can you do?

hikingmonk

There's been some research of late indicating that caffeinated beverages DON'T dehydrate as once thought. I'm having a hard time finding specific studies on this, and since most people seem to agree they make you urinate more frequently (although that doesn't necessarily mean more volume), I'm inclined to continue the belief that they are slightly dehydrating. That and the first link I found was sponsored by the Coco-Cola company.

A couple of interesting articles...
http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

This is the one I'm inclined to be more skeptical of..can we say conflict of interest?
http://www.beverageinstitute.org/expert-laying-the-caffeine-dehydration-myth-to-rest.htm

SaraTonin

Ooooh my goodness you guys. Fluids of any kind do NOT dehydrate you. They may be diuretics, they may not be as hydrating as water, but if you're stuck on a dessert island you bet I'm drinking that tea, soda, and coffee, and I won't die!!

That said, what you are reading over and over is that water is BEST and that caffeine hinders hydration. All of my teachers say to count tea as water, just as long as there is no milk or sugar in it.