Drinking water vs. drinking tea

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  • weefreemen
    weefreemen Posts: 652 Member
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    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm

    Check this out, glad I found it because I love drinking tea

    Brilliant article thanks for posting. I knew tea was good for you! :)
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    For everyone who feels like they are swimming, tea is a diuretic so drinking more, theoretically, will make you have to go more too :)

    Why not use some crystal light or other flavorings in your water? Even adding some lemon really changes the flavor a lot.

    Not all tea has a diuretic effect. Tea is not the issue, the caffeine contained in some types of tea, if enough is consumed, can have a slight diuretic effect. Most herbal tea has no or very little caffeine in it. As with coffee it takes between 5 and 7 cups to experience any negative effect.

    So to answer the questions, it depends on what kind of tea you're talking about.
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
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    I only count tea/coffee if its caffeine free. The reason for this is because caffeine is a diuretic and therefore makes you LOSE water!
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
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    I have 4 cups of green tea daily and I count it towards my water consumption. Green tea has polyphenols that aid in weight loss, among other health benefits. So there are several positives to drinking green tea besides hydration.
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    tea and water are the same

    assuming unsweetened
  • msjessielynn
    msjessielynn Posts: 42 Member
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    Ive heard ALL liquids count. But soda,tea, juices, etc also can add unnecessary calories. So im thinking, it all counts. I got the following from a website:



    Water is an obvious source for your daily fluid needs. Other good beverages include milk, herbal teas, low-sodium broth, or 100-percent fruit and vegetable juices. Soft drinks will also count toward your daily total of fluid, just remember that sugar sweetened soft drinks add extra calories to you daily diet that you don't need, while drinking water may help you lose weight.

    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

    the website also has a calculator to approximate how much you need a day.
  • pixish
    pixish Posts: 79 Member
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    The constant going to the loo IS annoying, but if you continue it, it gets better. I find that if I don't keep up on my water intake (forget my water bottle a few days in a row) then I'll be peeing constantly, but after a few days it starts to regulate itself and I feel so much better for it. Not to mention, my skin looks amazing :)
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
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    Can we PLEASE put this to rest?

    ALL tea and coffee counts!! Google it! Yes they are very MILD diuretics, but not so much that you lose anything significant. So YES, You can and SHOULD count tea and coffee. You should also count water in your food towards your 8 a day.

    You also need to realise that this "8 a day" figure was arbitary and is NOT a one size fits all. If you are in a cold climate doing sod all, then you dont need that much and if you are in a hot place exercising you need more (and salt). So, what you SHOULD do is drink when you are thirsty. You can also look at the colour of your urine. If it is light coloured (straw) then you are hydrated. If its not, then you are dehydrated (simplisic but true)

    Alcohol does NOT count towards your water intake as it screws up the loop of Henle's (part of the body that determines how much urine you should produce) actions and you end up urinating far more than you should as a conseqence (via inhibiting ADH).

    So, yes tea and coffee count as does water in your food. Alcohol doesn't. 8 glasses is an average that is not suitable for all. Google it for more information, because a lot of people on this site just go with information they hear from others rather than checking it.

    Example Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/nutrition/healthy_caff.shtml
  • TheDreadPirateRoberts
    TheDreadPirateRoberts Posts: 225 Member
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    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    This is just totally untrue.
  • sunshinecoffee
    sunshinecoffee Posts: 2
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    heyy well i think green tea is great! it hydrates and taste good :3
  • blackcoffeeandcherrypie
    blackcoffeeandcherrypie Posts: 486 Member
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    Water is water is water. Whether it's hot, cold, sweetened, has tea in it or coffee, water is water. The diuretic property of tea is largely a myth, you will use up just a few ml of water for each cup drunk, which in no way offsets the much larger amount of water contained in the drink. If tea and coffee used up more water than they contained, there would be people dying of dehydration everywhere! I never drink anything but tea and coffee and my hydration is just fine :-)
  • Alpina483
    Alpina483 Posts: 246 Member
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    I'm on the fence about this. Caffeine levels in a couple of mugs of tea cannot be that high as to make the body lose water, but a lot of people and sources are saying the same thing, that tea/coffee is not same as water.

    Me, I was drinking lately a lot more tea than water and noticed a very unleasant effect on my digestive system (that happens when you cut fats severely and drink not enough water). I'm replacing tea with water with lemon starting today and wlll see about the effect. If things improve, I would have to agree that tea is tea and water and water.
  • Jaxta65
    Jaxta65 Posts: 53 Member
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    Due to the level of caffeine and its diuretic effect, most teas cannot be used to replace water. For every cup of tea you should drink another cup of water to replace it's dehydrating effect. The only exceptions to this are decaf teas and white teas from the Fujian area. Their caffeine levels are low enough that the diuretic effect does not cause dehydration.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5281046.stm

    Check this out, glad I found it because I love drinking tea
    You may have noticed from my diary that I never seem to drink anything, that's because I only drink black tea (that is tea with no milk) with no sugar, I also only drink decaf, so I've always been convinced its a good thing. I have a highlights chocolate at lunchtime at work, cos i need a chocolate fix :-). But other than that I actually love water, but it's difficult getting a drink at work...

    Brilliant article thanks for posting. I knew tea was good for you! :)
  • Jaxta65
    Jaxta65 Posts: 53 Member
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    You can also look at the colour of your urine. If it is light coloured (straw) then you are hydrated. If its not, then you are dehydrated (simplisic but true)

    Yet more proof I am ok, and I always knew that too, my urine is virtually clear :-)
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
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    Do people drink tea without a sweetner in it....? I have to use Stevia in mine.
  • Nyranee
    Nyranee Posts: 57
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    I count herbal tea and green tea like water and drink plenty of those over the day.

    Coffee and black tea as well as milk, juices and soda I list with the food.
    And I do not use any sweatener or Milk in tea.
  • kcragg
    kcragg Posts: 239 Member
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    I drink mugs of green tea and peppermint tea all day - which is really a big mug of hot flavoured water. Yes, I consider it as part of my daily water intake.
  • ccburn5
    ccburn5 Posts: 473 Member
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    Good to know! I drink a TON of water during the day and only tea with lime at lunch. Looks like I just upped my H2o intake!!
  • joann1948
    joann1948 Posts: 161 Member
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    I use Crystalite to add to water. It helps get the water down.....:drinker:
  • rodneyderrick
    rodneyderrick Posts: 483 Member
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    Personally, I say drink water most days during the week, and all other drinks like tea, soda pop, and juices sparingly. Some of the artificial sweeteners impede the body from feeling hydrated or people have a tendency to overhydrate with drinks that contain a scant amount of sodium and artificial flavoring. It's okay to have some tea, but don't use it as a water substitute. It's okay to have some soda pop, but don't use it as a water substitute.

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