Water/Tea confusion

mabace
mabace Posts: 2
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
[This has probably been asked before, but I didn't see it.]

I've heard it both ways... no, tea (hot or iced) is not the same as water, and yes, tea (hot or iced) is exactly the same as water. I've never been much of a water drinker, but I do drink a lot of tea - unsweetened, throughout the day. Since all I'm doing is flavoring the water without sweetening it, can I count it as part of the recommended daily 8 cups of water?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    you can count tea as your water as long as it is decaffeinated. As caffeine dehydrates.
  • Leesseebee
    Leesseebee Posts: 216
    Yes (as far as I know) but no to counting coffee as water
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    [This has probably been asked before, but I didn't see it.]

    I've heard it both ways... no, tea (hot or iced) is not the same as water, and yes, tea (hot or iced) is exactly the same as water. I've never been much of a water drinker, but I do drink a lot of tea - unsweetened, throughout the day. Since all I'm doing is flavoring the water without sweetening it, can I count it as part of the recommended daily 8 cups of water?

    Thanks!
    Any liquid contain H2O is counted.
  • jaqiswany
    jaqiswany Posts: 76
    Ive switched to drinking just hot water.
    At first it tasted weird so i added a slice of fresh lemon but now with no lemon i can drink the kettle dry . Ive found it an easy way to get the water in and also seen a massive difference in my skin, its much better.
    Another bonus is that i dont fancy a biscuit with a cup of hot water as i would with coffee so thats better for me too.
  • krshantz
    krshantz Posts: 1
    You can only count it if it's decaf. If it's caffeinated it's the same as coffee and dehydrates your body. So you actually have to drink more water to compensate for it.
  • gigiwaterloo
    gigiwaterloo Posts: 102 Member
    [This has probably been asked before, but I didn't see it.]

    I've heard it both ways... no, tea (hot or iced) is not the same as water, and yes, tea (hot or iced) is exactly the same as water. I've never been much of a water drinker, but I do drink a lot of tea - unsweetened, throughout the day. Since all I'm doing is flavoring the water without sweetening it, can I count it as part of the recommended daily 8 cups of water?

    Thanks!

    It's my understanding, as I was confused to, that you count water (of any form) as water as long as it is NOT caffeinated. If it has any type of caffeine then it can't be counted.. That's the rule of thumb I was given!
  • missmcgirt
    missmcgirt Posts: 20
    i allow myself to count 16oz. of tea a day as my water :]
    you should try and drink half your bodyweight in ounces each day, hydrate your body from the inside out
    if you're only drinking eight glasses, i would say only count eight ounces of the tea as water
    hope this helps! good luck!!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Caffeine does not dehydrate. If it started as water, adding something to it does not make it not water.

    You should do your own research on this to get an accurate, unbiased, medically-based opinion.
  • AmeChops
    AmeChops Posts: 744 Member
    This is an interesting read (albeit 5 years old):

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm
  • mabace
    mabace Posts: 2
    Thanks, everyone! Decaf it is then!
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    As caffeine dehydrates.

    Sigh.


    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
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    I've always logged tea and coffee (and juice, and soup, etc) as part of my water intake; however, I try to adjust my logging ever so slightly to account for stuff like caffeine. If I drink a 1.25 cups of coffee, I'll record it as just 1 cup. I actually do the same with soup, if it's salted (I tend to puff up really quickly if I have too much salt, so when this happens try to balance it out by having a bit more water). I couldn't tell you if it actually makes much of a difference in the long run, it's just something that I started doing a while back and it's now automatic for me. In general, fluids are fluids, though.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    As caffeine dehydrates.

    Sigh.


    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

    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!
  • sharrrina
    sharrrina Posts: 37 Member
    I've always heard that diet uncaffeinated colas can be included as water?
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!

    All liquids you consume count as 'water'. Your body needs fluids, and pop is a fluid. Is it as good for you nutritionally as water? No. It contains sugar and sodium and calories and chemicals. But when a person is trying to track their fluid intake, they can absolutely count pop, coffee, tea, juice, whatever. They just have to make sure they're also tracking it in the food tracker, to account for said sodium/sugar/calories.

    I would say that only about 50% of my fluid intake each day comes from straight water. The rest of it is juice, coffee, soups, teas and (occasionally) diet pop. And I've had no trouble whatsoever losing weight.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!

    All liquids you consume count as 'water'. Your body needs fluids, and pop is a fluid. Is it as good for you nutritionally as water? No. It contains sugar and sodium and calories and chemicals. But when a person is trying to track their fluid intake, they can absolutely count pop, coffee, tea, juice, whatever. They just have to make sure they're also tracking it in the food tracker, to account for said sodium/sugar/calories.

    I would say that only about 50% of my fluid intake each day comes from straight water. The rest of it is juice, coffee, soups, teas and (occasionally) diet pop. And I've had no trouble whatsoever losing weight.

    you can drink and do whatever you like-no one said any different. Just offering my "two cents" like EVERYONE else
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
    mabace - nice can of worms ha ha (bet you didn't know it would be like this huh?!)
    *sits back to watch the verbal tennis*
    "No it's not, yes it is, no it's not, yes it is"

    I drink green tea and count that as water, cos if I was dehydrated, theoretically it would hydrate me.:drinker:
  • chelekaz
    chelekaz Posts: 847 Member
    if i drink water it is water. If I have juice, tea, anything else... no.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!

    All liquids you consume count as 'water'. Your body needs fluids, and pop is a fluid. Is it as good for you nutritionally as water? No. It contains sugar and sodium and calories and chemicals. But when a person is trying to track their fluid intake, they can absolutely count pop, coffee, tea, juice, whatever. They just have to make sure they're also tracking it in the food tracker, to account for said sodium/sugar/calories.

    I would say that only about 50% of my fluid intake each day comes from straight water. The rest of it is juice, coffee, soups, teas and (occasionally) diet pop. And I've had no trouble whatsoever losing weight.

    you can drink and do whatever you like-no one said any different. Just offering my "two cents" like EVERYONE else

    Indeed you are. I'm just saying that you are wrong with what you say, and i posted links that back up my claim. If you can provide links that say that soda does not count towards your daily fluid intake, not about how bad it is for you, then feel free.

    You also said that caffeine dehydrates, when all modern research says that any caffeinated drink actually hydrates. If caffeine did dehydrate, i, and many others, would be dead from dehydration, as its pretty much all i drink.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    I usually only count green tea and stuff as water and plain water. I haven't counted anything like coffee, english tea, soda, etc
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    you can drink and do whatever you like-no one said any different. Just offering my "two cents" like EVERYONE else

    By saying "good luck cuz your gonna need it!", and using quotation marks around the word 'diet', you essentially implied that 1)A person that chooses to drink pop on occasion isn't being serious about their weight loss and 2)Any weight loss a person would see while drinking pop/soda would be due to 'luck' as opposed to hard work or dedication. Perhaps it's just me, but I read your comment as a bit condescending.

    The reason I commented at all was to point out that I DO drink pop, juice, caffeinated beverages (etc) and log them as water, and that I've still managed to lose a significant amount of weight doing so. My weight loss has nothing to do with 'luck' and everything to do with hard work and patience.

    In closing, yes, you do have a right to 'your two cents'; however, there's no need to be rude or snotty about it.
  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!

    All liquids you consume count as 'water'. Your body needs fluids, and pop is a fluid. Is it as good for you nutritionally as water? No. It contains sugar and sodium and calories and chemicals. But when a person is trying to track their fluid intake, they can absolutely count pop, coffee, tea, juice, whatever. They just have to make sure they're also tracking it in the food tracker, to account for said sodium/sugar/calories.

    I would say that only about 50% of my fluid intake each day comes from straight water. The rest of it is juice, coffee, soups, teas and (occasionally) diet pop. And I've had no trouble whatsoever losing weight.

    you can drink and do whatever you like-no one said any different. Just offering my "two cents" like EVERYONE else

    Indeed you are. I'm just saying that you are wrong with what you say, and i posted links that back up my claim. If you can provide links that say that soda does not count towards your daily fluid intake, not about how bad it is for you, then feel free.

    You also said that caffeine dehydrates, when all modern research says that any caffeinated drink actually hydrates. If caffeine did dehydrate, i, and many others, would be dead from dehydration, as its pretty much all i drink.

    I am wrong in YOUR opinion. (which doesn't really matter to me at this point-had you taken a different approach perhaps I would be interested in what you have to say. I could also find and post websites that support my claims, But I don't need to prove anything to myself. I offered my opinion, you offered yours-End of discussion (as far as I am concerned.)
  • dane11235813
    dane11235813 Posts: 682 Member
    You can only count it if it's decaf. If it's caffeinated it's the same as coffee and dehydrates your body. So you actually have to drink more water to compensate for it.

    another bro-scientist. come on people. quit making blanket statements that are absolutely not true.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
    As caffeine dehydrates.

    Sigh.


    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

    sigh
    here we go again
    SODA does not count as water! But hey if you want to count soda into your "diet" feel free and good luck cuz your gonna need it!

    A) ^^ that response was b*tchy.

    B) I count tea as water but I try to drink around 12 cups of water a day just to make sure I'm completely in the clear!
  • ruby_red_rose
    ruby_red_rose Posts: 321 Member
    I personally do not count anything that contains caffeine, or milk, soup etc. I find myself much better hydrated if I only count water and herb tea.
  • chicklidell
    chicklidell Posts: 275
    I'm a dietician. All liquids count. Hydration comes in liquid form as well as food sources (such as melon, soups...) They are all accountable as liquid. Unless my 4 year degree was a waste of my time, coffee is not a proven diuretic, it also counts toward fluid intake. It does not dehydrate you, certain people may be affected by caffeine differently. Your reaction to caffeine can depend on the amount that you consume, the type of product, and your tolerance level. And of course water is still the recommended choice for optimal hydration, which of course we all know.
  • ncahill77
    ncahill77 Posts: 501 Member
    The dehydration effects of caffeine are miniscule, you would have to consume ridiculous quantities to dehydrate yourself to anywhere near a dangerous level.
  • MercuryBlue
    MercuryBlue Posts: 886 Member
    [This has probably been asked before, but I didn't see it.]

    I've heard it both ways... no, tea (hot or iced) is not the same as water, and yes, tea (hot or iced) is exactly the same as water. I've never been much of a water drinker, but I do drink a lot of tea - unsweetened, throughout the day. Since all I'm doing is flavoring the water without sweetening it, can I count it as part of the recommended daily 8 cups of water?

    Thanks!
    Any liquid contain H2O is counted.

    That's actually not true. Coffee or Pepsi both contain water, but they do not count towards your daily limit. This is because they contain caffeine, which needs to be eliminated by the body. So, you can count non-caffeinated drinks, but not caffeinated ones.

    That's not accurate, though. Even accounting for the 'diuretic effect' that caffeine has, you're still getting fluids from that coffee or Pepsi. As I mentioned earlier, I generally count 1.25 cups of coffee or so as 1 cup of water in my tracker. It accounts for any fluids I may be losing as a result of the caffeine without ruling out the beverage entirely.

    EDIT TO ADD: Because I drink coffee regularly, whatever diuretic effect it may/may not have (for some people) is really minimized with me. I don't find I have to go to the bathroom any more frequently after drinking coffee than I do after drinking anything else. It's probably not even necessary that I make the above adjustments at all; I just do it to be on the safe side.
  • rescueangel
    rescueangel Posts: 28 Member
    you can count tea as your water as long as it is decaffeinated. As caffeine dehydrates.

    Thank you for posting this. I've heard others on here say that we can count tea as water, but that concerns me since, as you said, the caffeine in it dehydrates.
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
    Tea counts, coffee counts -- any fluid counts towards your daily -- they are primarily water! Why wouldn't they?
    I never drink plain water but I still get 10-14 glasses of fluids a day and I havent' died yet.

    PS the caffeine in tea/coffee is so minute that its not even worth mentioning.

    I find it ridiculous that people don't think all fluids count -- heck, even some foods count!

    The only thing you have to do if its not plain water is track it in your journal to count any calories or other factors, like sodium.
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