Does tea count as water

paulathoren1

and if so, is there a "maximum"

Fitness_4_Jess

It depends on what you mean by tea I would think. It you are drinking super sweetened tea or bottled/canned tea, then I would say it doesn't count as water. In this case you should try to limit your tea intake like you would soda.

However, if you are brewing tea at home and having it pretty naked, then I would count it as water. (I mean "naked" as in VERY little sugar or VERY little milk.) I love my local Teavana and go there to get flavored tea. I also add one little rock of German rock sugar (it is like 1/2 tsp worth of sugar) for every two cups I brew to take a little bite out of it. If you do it this way with naked tea, then I don't think there is a limit.

I hope you find your tea happiness!

paulathoren1

Thanks - I do drink my tea "naked" - Tetleys English tea.....don't know what I would do without it!

HMonsterX

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 tea/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

paulathoren1

aha - but ignorance is the lack of knowledge, which you have kindly supplied : at least it is not stupidity

thanks! And I would not have thought to check snopes - love it!