tea as water?

radlosing

Does coffee/tea count as water? cause i drink a lot of tea!

GkMusic

I've been wondering this myself. I personally haven't been counting it as water, but am interested to see what other people think...

MikeSEA

Bump just because I want to see how long it takes before people start bringing weapons to the argument.

Personal opinion. it's water.

michiganderrdh

Obviously, water is best


I found this article interesting, tho ! _______________________________________________________

http://www.factorfictionnutritionblog.com/2009/03/tea-and-coffee-vs-water.html
There has been some debate about how much water one should drink each day, and whether or not beverages like coffee and tea count towards that amount. As most of us know, coffee and tea contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, and diuretics do the opposite of hydrating you.


A cup of coffee has about 200mg of caffeine. A cup of tea has quite a bit less (40-100mg), depending on the strength of the tea. However, the general consensus as of late is that, despite the caffeine, these beverages still count towards your fluid intake for the day. The reason is that, although caffeine is a diuretic, the amount in a strong cup of coffee or tea is simply not enough to dehydrate, and there will still be a net gain of fluid.


Although coffee and tea may be equal in their hydration factor, tea still gets the upper hand for your health. A recent sutdy in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that drinking tea is not only as good as drinking water, but possibly better, as it may carry extra health benefits in protecting against heart disease and some cancers.


The beneficial ingredients in tea are flavinoids, polyphenol antioxidants that are found in many plants (including tea leaves) that protect against oxidative cell damage. Other benefits were found to be bone strengthening and protection against tooth plaque, due to the flouride content. Researchers from this study recommend 3-4 cups of tea per day to help reduce the risk of heart attack.


One thing not mentioned in this article is the difference between types of tea. Different teas have different amounts of processing and, therefore, have different degrees of health benefits, with green tea found to be the strongest.

Tonnina

It's water... flavored with tea leaves or coffee beans. I count mine as water.

SusanneWhittington

I don't count black tea as water due to the caffeine, but I count my herbal tea as water, as it has no caffeine and is just hot water with flavor.

val071418

Because of the diuretic thing with caffeine I will sometime just count it as half as much...just to say I had some water but maybe compensate because I pee a little bit more due to it...LOVE green tea!!

Tisha247

Yep

deathstarclock

Why does everyone try avoiding water? It's not so hard to drink! JUST DEW IT.

lmelangley

Love my coffee, love my tea. :drinker: But I only count water as water. Because only water is water. :drinker: But, I loves my water, too, so you probably don't wanna go by me!

:drinker:

surfrgrl1

I've read that if it is decaf tea, that you can count it as water. I think its important to do research outside of MFP.

grannygethealthy1111

Yes, it does according to Mayo Clinic. A lot of the food you eat contains water too and contributes to your water intake.

trelm249

I include my coffee in my breakfast. It has calories (4 cups black for 9 calories) and contributes to my daily potassium intake.

My water is water. I usually hit 12 to 15 8oz cups a day on that.

Just my way of dealing with it.

Thaea

Only if doesn't have caffeine. Caffeine cancels out any water (i.e. if you drink 2 coffees, you have to drink 2 waters to make up for it, since caffeine is a diuretic.)

Herbal tea would count towards your water.

Lisa__Michelle

It is a diuretic which means there is a good amount that your body does not absorb. I count only half of what I drink as water. If I had a cup of tea then I only count a 1/2 cup.

beautybiz

I was once told would you bathe, wash your hair or clothes in tea or coffee? The purpose is to hydrate and "cleanse". So probably not.

HMonsterX

Another water thread, so here i am again, trying to dispel myths!

Only if doesn't have caffeine. Caffeine cancels out any water (i.e. if you drink 2 coffees, you have to drink 2 waters to make up for it, since caffeine is a diuretic.)

Who started this myth? I wish i could slap them...so much bad advice!

Your "8 cups of water" is actually "8 cups of fluid". Tea/coffee/soda/juice all count towards it, as does fruit and veg, as they have a very high water content.

Contrary to old myths, caffeine does not dehydrate you, certainly not to a noticeable extent and is far outweighed by the fluid in the drink. In fact, the more coffee you drink, the better your body gets at extracting the fluid to the point where it becomes the same as water.

QUOTE:

The Straight Talk
In his review, “Caffeine, Body Fluid-Electrolyte Balance, and Exercise Performance,” Lawrence E. Armstrong, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Connecticut disproves the notion that caffeinated beverages rob us of our precious fluids. By reviewing the scientific research on the subject, he concludes that although caffeine, like water, is a mild diuresis (it increases excretion of urine), moderate caffeine consumption does not produce a “fluid-electrolyte imbalance” that can affect health or exercise performance. Furthermore, we retain roughly the same amount of fluid after drinking a caffeinated beverage as we do after drinking water.

Even more encouraging for habitual coffee consumers is the finding that those with caffeine tolerance have reduced likelihood that a fluid electrolyte imbalance will occur. The more regular your caffeine habit, the more fluid your body is conditioned to retain.

Other findings support his conclusions. A small study done at the University of Nebraska tested the body weight, urine output, and blood of eighteen subjects after they consumed caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages. They determined that there was “no significant differences in the effect of various combinations of beverages on hydration status of healthy adult males.” The Institute of Medicine expert panel on water and electrolyte intake asserts that the diuretic effects of caffeine are transient, and that coffee, tea, and colas can contribute to total water intake.



Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what#ixzz1ahO1ShJ2


http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

grannygethealthy1111

Another one to clear the air on LIQUIDS:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

KayteeBear

Personally I don't count anything but plain old water as water. But I also spend most of my day drinking only water. I don't drink too much other stuff for liquids.