Water verses Iced Tea

dbsykes
dbsykes Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I have never been a water drinker however, I drink over a gallon of fresh brewed unsweetened ice tea. Will this make up for the water I don't drink?

Replies

  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Is the tea caffeinated? Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually reduce hydration.
  • cygnetpro
    cygnetpro Posts: 419 Member
    I drink about 1/2 and 1/2, water vs. iced tea. But I do drink decaffeinated. You may want to try that. :-)

    I do count my iced tea toward my water totals. Not sure if that's the "right" thing to do, but I do.
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    Nothing beats water. I don't count any teas that I drink especially when it's unsweetened caffeinated tea. Drop the caffeine and you might do yourself some good there.

    I really enjoy red raspberry leaf tea cold with a bit of lemon. It isn't good old southern Sweet Tea, but it's quite refreshing on a hot day.

    Good luck. Drink some water add some lemon or unsweetened flavor drops to make it more palatable.
  • Royaltvii
    Royaltvii Posts: 160 Member
    I am not for sure I have heard it both ways but I love my tea and I am counting it till I find out for sure otherwise.
  • elisabej
    elisabej Posts: 30 Member
    I saw an awesome recommendation from some food show saying if you don't like water, do things like get a pitcher and put watermelon in it to flavor the water...you could also use lemons, lime, or I would think most citrus and berries. You could try to get more water in that way...

    Regular tea can be very hard on your kidneys and we try to avoid it in our house due to my husband getting stones, but green tea is ok on your kidneys and is also a great dieters aid and is supposed to help you lose weight. :)
  • emdeegan
    emdeegan Posts: 219 Member
    you're more hydrated if you drink the tea then if you are drinking nothing at all...
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    Sure, if there is no added sugar or sweeteners then it sounds like a good substitute for water to me.
    I don't think the caffeine is a big deal, you are still getting hydrated from it.
  • ngarrett75
    ngarrett75 Posts: 87 Member
    Anything caffeinated really never should count towards a hydrated beverage. For each cup of caffeine you consume, actually, you should consume an equivalent amount of plain water to replace the fluid losses your body endures from that caffeinated beverage. So it looks like you should be consuming at least a gallon of plain water also to balance out all that caffeine you're drinking. Sorry. And decaf beverages, though lower in caffeine still have some caffeine in them. So moral of the story yet again is: nothing replaces regular water. Good luck on your journey!
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    Is the tea caffeinated? Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually reduce hydration.

    No it will not. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm. Stop perpetuating information that is not true. This is just one link of the thousands that I could post that proves that this is a myth that is just being spread around. It is the same for coffee and soda. It it is a liquid it hydrates. It is basic science people.

    Tea is perfectly fine whether it has caffeine or not. It can be green, black, oolong, herbal, red or whatever kind you can find.
  • ngarrett75
    ngarrett75 Posts: 87 Member
    Is the tea caffeinated? Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually reduce hydration.

    No it will not. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm. Stop perpetuating information that is not true. This is just one link of the thousands that I could post that proves that this is a myth that is just being spread around. It is the same for coffee and soda. It it is a liquid it hydrates. It is basic science people.

    Tea is perfectly fine whether it has caffeine or not. It can be green, black, oolong, herbal, red or whatever kind you can find.

    Wow. Unfortunately this mentality is what has gotten many of us Americans into the unhealthy lifestyle we lead. There's a reason why we're one of the most unhealthiest countries in the world unfortunately. Don't believe everything you read. Speak to your health professional and get educated. Good luck.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Is the tea caffeinated? Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually reduce hydration.

    No it will not. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm. Stop perpetuating information that is not true. This is just one link of the thousands that I could post that proves that this is a myth that is just being spread around. It is the same for coffee and soda. It it is a liquid it hydrates. It is basic science people.

    Tea is perfectly fine whether it has caffeine or not. It can be green, black, oolong, herbal, red or whatever kind you can find.

    Wow. Unfortunately this mentality is what has gotten many of us Americans into the unhealthy lifestyle we lead. There's a reason why we're one of the most unhealthiest countries in the world unfortunately. Don't believe everything you read. Speak to your health professional and get educated. Good luck.


    If you seriously drink nothing but unsweetened black, green, white etc tea, you will not be dehydrated one effing bit. Seriously.

    Entire countries sip tea all day as a primary source of hydration and ignorant hippes abound tout their comparatively healthy lifestyles.
  • wheat9214
    wheat9214 Posts: 2
    I drink a lot of water as well as tea. I try and keep my tea down lower than it used to be. I have used the MIO flavored water drops to change up from just regular water. They have a sweet teat flavor and a peach tea. They taste good and work out to be cheaper than the powdered mixes for water like Crystal Light, etc.
  • ngarrett75
    ngarrett75 Posts: 87 Member
    Is the tea caffeinated? Caffeine is a diuretic and will actually reduce hydration.

    No it will not. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm. Stop perpetuating information that is not true. This is just one link of the thousands that I could post that proves that this is a myth that is just being spread around. It is the same for coffee and soda. It it is a liquid it hydrates. It is basic science people.

    Tea is perfectly fine whether it has caffeine or not. It can be green, black, oolong, herbal, red or whatever kind you can find.

    Wow. Unfortunately this mentality is what has gotten many of us Americans into the unhealthy lifestyle we lead. There's a reason why we're one of the most unhealthiest countries in the world unfortunately. Don't believe everything you read. Speak to your health professional and get educated. Good luck.


    If you seriously drink nothing but unsweetened black, green, white etc tea, you will not be dehydrated one effing bit. Seriously.

    Entire countries sip tea all day as a primary source of hydration and ignorant hippes abound tout their comparatively healthy lifestyles.


    I don't believe anyone said anything about being dehydrated per se, but rather REDUCED hydration from consuming caffeine- containing beverages. Which is absolutely true. No caffeine- containing product is considered a valid or appropriate means of hydration.

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