Water v. Tea

thedreamhazer

This might be a silly question, but I thought I would ask. I drink a lot of coffee. I'm a caffeine addict. But I've been trying to switch some of my daily coffee to tea. My question is: does tea count as drinking water, or does the caffeine/something else make it not hydrating or something?

ALSO- I take coffee black, and I don't add anything to my tea.

TheMaidOfAstolat

I wouldn't count it as water unless it's caffeine free. Caffeine acts as a diuretic.

thedreamhazer

Cool, thx

maurierose

Yup, if you want to count it as your water intake, switch to a caffeine-free version. There are sooo many yummy teas out there, fruit infusions, flavors, etc..... and you can drink it hot or cold in a manner of minutes. If you are out of sun-tea, just boil and steep a cup and pour it over tons of ice - Voila! Ice-cold refreshing tea. :laugh:

Good luck on your switch! I used to be a hard-core coffee drinker myself, had to stop for health reasons and it was a tough switch..... remember there are decaf coffees too to help bridge the habit. :ohwell: :bigsmile:

klybarger

Try red teas (aka rooibos or bush teas) - great variety of flavors and are naturally caffeine free. They usually are so flavorful that you don't need to add sweeteners. Good luck!

Mindful_Trent

I did a little research on this, and I personally count coffee and tea as water, as long as I drink it in moderation - especially the coffee. This is because the amount of caffeine in a single cup of tea or coffee is not enough to really act as a diuretic - if you're only drinking a small amount, it doesn't have a dehydrating effect. The mayo clinic's website says this (about coffee, but it could be applied to tea, too, which has even less caffeine than coffee):

"Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (or 4 to 7 cups of coffee) a day."

I figure since I only drink at most a cup of coffee every few days and maybe one or two cups of tea a day, it's not enough caffeine to "cancel out" the water I am drinking.

Edited - because apparently I can't spell caffeine! :laugh:

TheMaidOfAstolat

I did a little research on this, and I personally count coffee and tea as water, as long as I drink it in moderation - especially the coffee. This is because the amount of caffiene in a single cup of tea or coffee is not enough to really act as a diuretic - if you're only drinking a small amount, it doesn't have a dehydrating effect. The mayo clinic's website says this (about coffee, but it could be applied to tea, too, which has even less caffiene than coffee):

"Researchers used to believe that caffeinated drinks had a diuretic effect. This means that you would urinate more after drinking them, which could increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. Recent research shows that this is not true and that caffeine only has a diuretic effect if you consume large amounts of it — more than 500 to 600 milligrams (or 4 to 7 cups of coffee) a day."

I figure since I only drink at most a cup of coffee every few days and maybe one or two cups of tea a day, it's not enough caffiene to "cancel out" the water I am drinking.

Just remember that 1 cup of coffee is supposed to be 8 oz...most cups/mugs/travel containers hold anywhere from 12-22 ounces. I easily drink 2 servings of coffee at a time even though it's only one large mug.

Mindful_Trent

Just remember that 1 cup of coffee is supposed to be 8 oz...most cups/mugs/travel containers hold anywhere from 12-22 ounces. I easily drink 2 servings of coffee at a time even though it's only one large mug.

That is a good reminder

Luckily, our coffee maker where I work makes individual 8-oz cups, and I rarely have coffee elsewhere. Makes it easy to watch my portion size, of coffee at least! I've gotten in the habit of ordering tea or some other non-coffee drink when I'm out at coffee places.

iplayoutside19

I consider them the same thing. Ahh another pitcher of tea just got done brewing.:bigsmile: