can fresh brewed iced tea count towards 8 glasses of water?

aethompson5507

can a glass of fresh brewed iced tea (0 cal 0 everything) count towards the 8 glasses of water a day that you are supposed to drink everyday, since it is basically made up of water anyways? just curious thanks!

kimjoan

I don't count it but some people do. The problem with ice tea is that it has caffeine in it and caffeine actually dehydrates the body versus hydrating it - so I think you kind of have a wash there with the effects of drinking the water that makes up the ice tea vs the caffeine in it.

MrsRadder

No, tea dehydrates you. I always drink and extra glass of water for every glass of tea coffee etc.

mageepilot

I do if it doesn't have caffeine.

aethompson5507

ohhh geeze, see thats why i ask the stupid questions lol. i knew that i just didnt think of that! Thanks guys!!

TaraRawr

I don't see why decaffeinated tea or herbal tea wouldn't. As long as there's no caffeine then why not?

chuckyp

Tea does not dehydrate you. Caffeine has a diuretic effect which might make you urinate more after consuming a lot of it, but you would have to drink a lot of tea to get enough caffeine for that to take place. It's still basically just that much water flushing through your system. I drink iced tea pretty frequently and I count it toward water intake.

Here's the results of a study by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. You have to read down pretty far into the study to get to the hydration aspects, as the study focused mostly on cancer and other conditions.

http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v61/n1/full/1602489a.html

bcattoes

can a glass of fresh brewed iced tea (0 cal 0 everything) count towards the 8 glasses of water a day that you are supposed to drink everyday, since it is basically made up of water anyways? just curious thanks!

YES!!! That's pretty much all I drink during the day. I only drink water during/after my workout and I keep a glass by the bed at night. I've never had any problems with hydration or weight loss. Tea is just flavored water that is full of antioxidants. With no sugar or artificial sweeteners it's actually as good or better for you than water.

lupuslady

I drink a lot of ice tea and yes I count it as water. But it does flush me out and I urinate a lot, but that cannot be all bad....

ATT949

Yes.

I say that based on what I've read in quite a few sources on the internet, understanding that what's in the internet may be nothing more than what a 13 year old is typing while watching the Simpsons. I have seen that from enough diet sites that I suspect it to be true.

In addition, my GF runs one of the 44 Lindora weight loss clinics here in southern California. Lindora has been around for over 40 years so I suspect that they've got some things figured out. Their approach to drinks is that any drink that's calorie free should be counted toward the 8 glasses per day "goal".

This article explores the 8 glasses a day concept and also touches on the diuretic effect.

http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/283/5/R993.full

Note this is a research report from a medical doctor who is a professor emeritus of physiology at Dartmouth Medical School. He is the author of a textbook on kidneys. At 100 footnotes, it's a little more detailed than the average web page.

demery12371

Also make sure if you do that it is decaffinated and count any sugar/sweetner in your calories... You'd be suprised how quick those add up...

Happy Tea Drinking... **My weekness is sweet tea**

hsnider29

I agree that it can be counted towards your daily intake. You obviously can't get dehydrated from drinking fluids. The only drink that I am aware of that can actually cause you to become dehydrated is alcohol. Alcohol essentially turns off your antidiuretic hormone so that you urinate a lot even with small amounts of alcohol.

queenbcronen

I drink a gallon of plain ice tea a day and it does not hinder my loss at all.