Tea = Water?

zumbawhit

I add mine. There are different schools of thought about it, though.

My thought is if it has caffeine no.......decaf then yes

^^^^^^ this ^^^^^

taem

Tea hydrates the exact same way water does, as long as there is NO sugar added. Its basically like water with a whole bunch of antioxidants added.

This is correct. However, you also shouldn't put milk in your tea.

http://www.brainready.com/blog/no_more_milk_in_your_tea_he.html

Dr. Gregor, who runs http://nutritionfacts.org/ also has the same conclusions. You can go there and look it up, he gets his research from pubmed. So you can go there as well.

Drink water. As soon as you put stuff in your water, you have to over think things.

MaraDiaz

I count it, but trying to get enough water while not spending all day running to the bathroom has me drinking more water than tea now. I wish I trusted our tap water. I might have to invest in one of those faucet filters.

Matttdvg

Why do people think that only pure, neat water is water?

Here we go again!

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

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/


As for coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


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

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo

Sorry, I didn't go through the links but I can explain why, say pepsi cola is NOT water, even though it has water. This is the same as coffee. The definition of diuretic is correct, lets see how it works.

Pepsi, has caffeine which is a diuretic, so it will make your body lose water. Pepsi also has salt, which makes you thirsty for water and salt doesn't taste good so they put sugar in it.

Drink water. If you want to drink coffee or soda or tea during a meal, fine, it's your choice, but it is not water. Beer has water, is that water? Go drink 8 glasses of beer and tell your doctor that beer has water and see what the response is.

Maybe you should have clicked through to those links and read them. They are all reliable sources saying that what you're saying is nonsense. Caffeine is a very very mild diuretic. The amount of water you'll lose from the diuretic effects of the caffeine in those drinks is negligible. The salt content is similarly insignificant. What is significant, though, is the amount of water in those beverages. Your body does not need pure water. Your body doesn't care what comes with the water, it will filter all that out and then use the water just as if you drank it pure.

HMonsterX

Why do people think that only pure, neat water is water?

Here we go again!

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

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/


As for coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


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

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo

Sorry, I didn't go through the links but I can explain why, say pepsi cola is NOT water, even though it has water. This is the same as coffee. The definition of diuretic is correct, lets see how it works.

Pepsi, has caffeine which is a diuretic, so it will make your body lose water. Pepsi also has salt, which makes you thirsty for water and salt doesn't taste good so they put sugar in it.

Drink water. If you want to drink coffee or soda or tea during a meal, fine, it's your choice, but it is not water. Beer has water, is that water? Go drink 8 glasses of beer and tell your doctor that beer has water and see what the response is.

Maybe you should have clicked through to those links and read them. They are all reliable sources saying that what you're saying is nonsense. Caffeine is a very very mild diuretic. The amount of water you'll lose from the diuretic effects of the caffeine in those drinks is negligible. The salt content is similarly insignificant. What is significant, though, is the amount of water in those beverages. Your body does not need pure water. Your body doesn't care what comes with the water, it will filter all that out and then use the water just as if you drank it pure.

You saved me having to reply! Spot on! This is what happens when people simply refuse to read anything that may refute their beliefs.

rml_16

Isn't tea like 99.5% water?

More like 99.99.

I will never understand why people think adding some flavor makes it not water anymore.

I agree.... If I drink plain water then it's water, but if I put some lemon juice and some sweetener in it it's no longer water... but what if I drank the water plain and then ate a lemon wedge and a sugar free candy while drinking the water, would it still be water?

I wonder if the opposite applies too?

i.e If i have a Big Mac, fries and straberry shake and supplement it with a massive bowl of salad.. does that make the "bad" mcdonalds good?

That analogy doesn't make any sense.

What you really mean to say is, if you eat a Big Mac and a salad, does eating the Big Mac make the salad not a salad?

rml_16

Tea hydrates the exact same way water does, as long as there is NO sugar added. Its basically like water with a whole bunch of antioxidants added.

This is correct. However, you also shouldn't put milk in your tea.

http://www.brainready.com/blog/no_more_milk_in_your_tea_he.html

Dr. Gregor, who runs http://nutritionfacts.org/ also has the same conclusions. You can go there and look it up, he gets his research from pubmed. So you can go there as well.

Drink water. As soon as you put stuff in your water, you have to over think things.

The only thing I have to do if I "put things is my water" is count the extra calories (if there are any). Sugar and milk don't make water no longer water.

thankyou4thevenom

Caffinated teas are not water! because Caffine is a diaretic. Also non calorie beverage are Not water.
Water is that Water!!!


Interesting Water Facts

We all know that water is important, but I’ve never seen it described like this before!!!!

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. ( Likely applies to half the world population). In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for Hunger. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters studied in a U- Washington study. Lack of water, the 1# trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should everyday???

Why do people think that only pure, neat water is water?

Here we go again!

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

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/


As for coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


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

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo

You've got me. I think it's the big corporations trying to sell us bottled water. So they like to tell us that only water counts so we buy it.

mandylooo

You've got me. I think it's the big corporations trying to sell us bottled water. So they like to tell us that only water counts so we buy it.

Make a stand! Most of us can drink water from taps too!

And my Rooibos = water + anti-oxidants. I only drink actual water when I'm working out cos having a mug of tea in the gym just isn't practical.

taem

Why do people think that only pure, neat water is water?

Here we go again!

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

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/


As for coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
adj.
Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
n.
A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


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

http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo

Sorry, I didn't go through the links but I can explain why, say pepsi cola is NOT water, even though it has water. This is the same as coffee. The definition of diuretic is correct, lets see how it works.

Pepsi, has caffeine which is a diuretic, so it will make your body lose water. Pepsi also has salt, which makes you thirsty for water and salt doesn't taste good so they put sugar in it.

Drink water. If you want to drink coffee or soda or tea during a meal, fine, it's your choice, but it is not water. Beer has water, is that water? Go drink 8 glasses of beer and tell your doctor that beer has water and see what the response is.

Maybe you should have clicked through to those links and read them. They are all reliable sources saying that what you're saying is nonsense. Caffeine is a very very mild diuretic. The amount of water you'll lose from the diuretic effects of the caffeine in those drinks is negligible. The salt content is similarly insignificant. What is significant, though, is the amount of water in those beverages. Your body does not need pure water. Your body doesn't care what comes with the water, it will filter all that out and then use the water just as if you drank it pure.

You saved me having to reply! Spot on! This is what happens when people simply refuse to read anything that may refute their beliefs.

I read it. If you really think that you don't need to drink water, that you can substitute it with coffee or tea, then good for you. You are right, I cannot make you think you are wrong. I gave my thinking which is drink clean water for whatever purpose you need it for. You want to substitute it, that's fine.

ShapeUpSidney

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

For me, I know I need to be hydrated by drinking fluids. Fluids also make you feel full. I try not to drink calories because it's a very QUICK way to add calories to my diet. I have struggled and struggled to keep my coffee calorie intake below 200 per day. It's tough for me.

Instead of worrying about an arbitrary rule, just apply what makes sense for you. You want to stay hydrated AND lose weight. Great! So stick with beverages that are mostly water and low in calories. Personally, I refuse any artificial sugars, so this includes mostly unsweetened tea or water with cucumber slice and lemon.

What I wouldnt count? Things that are detrimental to your goals - chocolate milk, soda, alcohol, etc

KBGirts

Supposedly, because it's hot, it dehydrates you. Don't know where I read that and it's probably not even true.

ShapeUpSidney

Let us all take a moment to remember our TEETH. Pepsi is acidic and will corrode your enamel. Coffee and tea will stain your teeth. If you sub those beverages for pure water all the time, you should probably be brushing like 10 times a day...

rml_16

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

For me, I know I need to be hydrated by drinking fluids. Fluids also make you feel full. I try not to drink calories because it's a very QUICK way to add calories to my diet. I have struggled and struggled to keep my coffee calorie intake below 200 per day. It's tough for me.

Instead of worrying about an arbitrary rule, just apply what makes sense for you. You want to stay hydrated AND lose weight. Great! So stick with beverages that are mostly water and low in calories. Personally, I refuse any artificial sugars, so this includes mostly unsweetened tea or water with cucumber slice and lemon.

What I wouldnt count? Things that are detrimental to your goals - chocolate milk, soda, alcohol, etc

I know common sense is a dying art, but do you really think someone is going to run off and drink bleach based on that comment?

ShapeUpSidney

I know common sense is a dying art, but do you really think someone is going to run off and drink bleach based on that comment?

apparent hyperbole and sarcasm have died as well...

Enjoy your 8 cups of eggnog a day though...really

taem

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

For me, I know I need to be hydrated by drinking fluids. Fluids also make you feel full. I try not to drink calories because it's a very QUICK way to add calories to my diet. I have struggled and struggled to keep my coffee calorie intake below 200 per day. It's tough for me.

Instead of worrying about an arbitrary rule, just apply what makes sense for you. You want to stay hydrated AND lose weight. Great! So stick with beverages that are mostly water and low in calories. Personally, I refuse any artificial sugars, so this includes mostly unsweetened tea or water with cucumber slice and lemon.

What I wouldnt count? Things that are detrimental to your goals - chocolate milk, soda, alcohol, etc

I know common sense is a dying art, but do you really think someone is going to run off and drink bleach based on that comment?

As we talk about common sense, when you are told to drink water and you drink something else, I wonder where the sense is going to, I agree.

snailrunner

I drink herbal tea, no 'normal' tea or coffee, and I always count it as water. I also count sugar free squash on the rare occasions that I drink it, but not juice or milk.

rml_16

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

For me, I know I need to be hydrated by drinking fluids. Fluids also make you feel full. I try not to drink calories because it's a very QUICK way to add calories to my diet. I have struggled and struggled to keep my coffee calorie intake below 200 per day. It's tough for me.

Instead of worrying about an arbitrary rule, just apply what makes sense for you. You want to stay hydrated AND lose weight. Great! So stick with beverages that are mostly water and low in calories. Personally, I refuse any artificial sugars, so this includes mostly unsweetened tea or water with cucumber slice and lemon.

What I wouldnt count? Things that are detrimental to your goals - chocolate milk, soda, alcohol, etc

I know common sense is a dying art, but do you really think someone is going to run off and drink bleach based on that comment?

As we talk about common sense, when you are told to drink water and you drink something else, I wonder where the sense is going to, I agree.

Adding honey, sugar or flavoring to water does not make it no longer water.

killagb

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

For me, I know I need to be hydrated by drinking fluids. Fluids also make you feel full. I try not to drink calories because it's a very QUICK way to add calories to my diet. I have struggled and struggled to keep my coffee calorie intake below 200 per day. It's tough for me.

Instead of worrying about an arbitrary rule, just apply what makes sense for you. You want to stay hydrated AND lose weight. Great! So stick with beverages that are mostly water and low in calories. Personally, I refuse any artificial sugars, so this includes mostly unsweetened tea or water with cucumber slice and lemon.

What I wouldnt count? Things that are detrimental to your goals - chocolate milk, soda, alcohol, etc

I know common sense is a dying art, but do you really think someone is going to run off and drink bleach based on that comment?

As we talk about common sense, when you are told to drink water and you drink something else, I wonder where the sense is going to, I agree.

I personally just log the water, but the recommendation is for fluids, not water.

tinamina78

Interesting Water Facts

We all know that water is important, but I’ve never seen it described like this before!!!!

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. ( Likely applies to half the world population). In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for Hunger. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 3%. One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters studied in a U- Washington study. Lack of water, the 1# trigger of daytime fatigue. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should everyday???

Wow! I have always been a HUGE advocate of water-drinking... if my husband says he feels bad, or something hurts, I always ask him if he's had any water lately... he jokes that I think water would cure cancer... lol! I have to show him this... Where did you get these numbers/facts? I'd like the link so I can show him how smart I am

tigersword

Let us all take a moment to remember our TEETH. Pepsi is acidic and will corrode your enamel. Coffee and tea will stain your teeth. If you sub those beverages for pure water all the time, you should probably be brushing like 10 times a day...

Depending on where it's sourced water can be just as acidic as soda.

Also, for everyone talking about diuretics, and whether a diuretic property makes something not water, I'm going to say this one more time...

WATER IS A DIURETIC. So if drinking something that has a diuretic effect dehydrates you, then I guess we should all stop drinking water. :huh:

Also, most water has as much, and in some cases, more sodium, than sodas. If you want to drink water with no sodium and no acidity, you''ll have to drink distilled water only, and that stuff is pretty much undrinkable.

bcattoes

The thing is, it isn't so much that our bodies need plain water. They need LIQUID.

I wouldn't oversimplify it. Bleach is a liquid, and no - you cannot count it toward your water intake

Why wouldn't bleach count toward your water intake? Just because you'll probably die soon does not mean you didn't consume the liquid.

If I use bleach in my brownie recipe, does that mean I shouldn't log the calories when I eat the brownie?

Shock_Wave

I have read and heard that you can't count tea as water because once you add the tea it changes the chemical make-up of water and thus your body treats it differently. Same as coffee can't count as water.

x2^ This.
unfortunaltey I have friends in chemisty classes and it just makes my head want to explode. But ya if you add sugar or caffeine..etc to any type of water it changes the chemical make up of water and as said above your body treats is differently. If my friends were here im sure they could write out what the chemical bond chain looks like and explain it until you head wants to explode.

Edit: it changes how it hydrates your body is the point here.

ShapeUpSidney

Depending on where it's sourced water can be just as acidic as soda.

I've only ever lived in the city, where high water quality standards prevail. I've never in my life heard of anyone getting drinking water with a pH of 2.5 like Pepsi

bcattoes

I have read and heard that you can't count tea as water because once you add the tea it changes the chemical make-up of water and thus your body treats it differently. Same as coffee can't count as water.

x2^ This.
unfortunaltey I have friends in chemisty classes and it just makes my head want to explode. But ya if you add sugar or caffeine..etc to any type of water it changes the chemical make up of water and as said above your body treats is differently. If my friends were here im sure they could write out what the chemical bond chain looks like and explain it until you head wants to explode.

No matter what the chemical structure, there have been mutiple scientific studies that showed coffee and tea both hydrate as well as water.

ShapeUpSidney

x2^ This.
unfortunaltey I have friends in chemisty classes and it just makes my head want to explode. But ya if you add sugar or caffeine..etc to any type of water it changes the chemical make up of water and as said above your body treats is differently. If my friends were here im sure they could write out what the chemical bond chain looks like and explain it until you head wants to explode.

Well I have a degree in chemistry, and disagree. I don't think, in terms of hydration, that herbal tea is significantly different in its ability to hydrate the body. Is it "processed differently" ? Probably. I'm sure there is some filtering of ions, and transporting of molecules across membranes that goes on...but water isn't pure either, so many of those processes are already occurring when you drink plain water.

ShapeUpSidney

Why wouldn't bleach count toward your water intake? Just because you'll probably die soon does not mean you didn't consume the liquid.

If I use bleach in my brownie recipe, does that mean I shouldn't log the calories when I eat the brownie?

Oh log it, by all means...I just probably wouldnt drink it in the first place. And certainly don't count on it as your "go-to" when trying to reach your fluid intake

tigersword

Depending on where it's sourced water can be just as acidic as soda.

I've only ever lived in the city, where high water quality standards prevail. I've never in my life heard of anyone getting drinking water with a pH of 2.5 like Pepsi

Everything I've read about sodas puts their pH at 5. You're the only person I've seen try and claim such a low pH, source please? And water can have a pH ranging from 5-8. Quality standards have nothing to do with it, just like some water is naturally harder from a mineral standpoint, some water is naturally more acidic.

EDIT - I found a few sources showing some sodas having lower pH's, but still, nothing particularly low, compared to other foods that we eat. I mean, most citrus fruit has a pH of around 2.0, and soda ranges from 2.5-4+. Vinegar has a pH of 2.5. Heck, stomach acid is a 1.

So I retract my statement about water being as acidic as soda, but it can still be as acidic as coffee.

ShapeUpSidney

Everything I've read about sodas puts their pH at 5. You're the only person I've seen try and claim such a low pH, source please? And water can have a pH ranging from 5-8. Quality standards have nothing to do with it, just like some water is naturally harder from a mineral standpoint, some water is naturally more acidic.

I first heard about the pH issue because we were discussing the "corrosive" term in my HazMat training (chemical hygiene) at Genzyme. Apparently, they wanted to say ph 3 or lower was "corrosive" but that would mean that they'd have to label every coke and pepsi can as corrosive, so there was a massive lobby effort to prevent this.

Anyhow, it was a cute anecdote that made the class more tolerable...but

You can read it here:

http://www.dentalgentlecare.com/diet_soda.htm

I find a ton of dental sources, and school projects, but nothing "scholarly." I guess I'll just have to take a can in the lab, and make a YouTube video. Anyhow, I googled it pretty extensively and didnt find anyone claiming it was up near 5. Most put it somewhere between 2.5 - 3.5

Shock_Wave

x2^ This.
unfortunaltey I have friends in chemisty classes and it just makes my head want to explode. But ya if you add sugar or caffeine..etc to any type of water it changes the chemical make up of water and as said above your body treats is differently. If my friends were here im sure they could write out what the chemical bond chain looks like and explain it until you head wants to explode.

Well I have a degree in chemistry, and disagree. I don't think, in terms of hydration, that herbal tea is significantly different in its ability to hydrate the body. Is it "processed differently" ? Probably. I'm sure there is some filtering of ions, and transporting of molecules across membranes that goes on...but water isn't pure either, so many of those processes are already occurring when you drink plain water.

From what I understood yes it was something like "processed differently". Some thing about adding sugars or salt and stuff changes the chemical make up and it become different chemical.Remember my friends are the chemisty students but im am not a chemistry person. But the way they were showing me was kind of like being "processed differently". Its that it was kind of like alcohol sure it has water but it is "processed differently" in the way that it will actually dehydrate you rather than hydrating you.