Does Tea Count

I do, not that I think it should matter or not

Depends if it has caffeine or not. If not, then yes. If it does, then the caffeine will start to dehydrate you, so no.

We recently had a friend in her early 30's head to the emergency room because she wasn't feeling well. Turned out she had a mild stroke due to dehydration. She said all she had been drinking was iced tea. So I am not sure whether to count it or not, but do make sure you are also drinking plenty of water.

I've heard it said and have read it many places that you should drink at least 64 ounces of water ON TOP OF everything else you eat/drink that may have water. This is because, for example someone mentioned broth, some items contain sodium so you need water to help process the sodium through your system and assist your liver/kidneys. I do not count caffinated beverages like tea because they are considered diuretics and can cause dehydration. If it's decaf tea, then yes I'll count it, but still make sure I get at least 64 ounces of just pure water.

Yes, I count it.

Depends if it has caffeine or not. If not, then yes. If it does, then the caffeine will start to dehydrate you, so no.

This is true, but only after a certain point. 1-2 cups of caffeine coffee or tea is not a problem, Anything more than that starts to be not so good.

Water is water...................if you add anything else to it, then it is no longer just water, so it shouldn't be counted as your daily water intake.

what if you add sugar or honey? what do you log that as?

Ok, dumb question, but I see how people do the quotes but have no idea how to do that....help?!

Water is water...................if you add anything else to it, then it is no longer just water, so it shouldn't be counted as your daily water intake.

By the time it gets to your organs, it's plain water. The other stuff gets separated out as part of digestion. Your kidneys don't know that the water had some flavoring when it hit your stomach.

what if you add sugar or honey? what do you log that as?

You log the fluid as water and the sugar or honey as sugar or honey. At least that's what I would do. I log my FUZE drinks in my food diary and also check off the equivalent "cups" of water in the water section.

For me... and according to my doctor... water has to be clean H2O.

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April 2010 Archive2007200820092010


Q: Are caffeinated beverages dehydrating? Do they count towards my eight-a-day glasses of water?

A: Many people think they can’t count coffee, tea, and colas as part of fluid intake, because caffeine promotes urination briefly. But you don’t end up with a net loss of water from drinking moderate amounts of caffeinated beverages. In other words, they don’t dehydrate you.

For instance, in a study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center a decade ago, healthy adults showed the same "hydration status" (as determined from urine analysis and other tests) when they drank caffeinated colas and/or coffee as when they drank only water and/or fruit drinks. And in its 2005 report on water needs, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which advises the government about health issues, including dietary intakes, concluded that "caffeinated beverages appear to contribute to the daily total water intake similar to that contributed by noncaffeinated beverages."

In any case, it’s a myth that you need to drink eight glasses of water a day. There’s no scientific backing for this rule. The IOM report confirmed this, too. People normally get enough fluids by drinking when they’re thirsty—though older people should drink water before they get thirsty, especially in the heat, since thirst is a less reliable indicator as we age. And other beverages besides water (including caffeinated ones), as well as foods (such as fruits and vegetables), help meet fluid needs.

Think of it like this - if you drink 8oz of water and then munched on some tea leaves, you'd count the water, right?

So how does soaking the tea leaves in the water change things at all?

By that logic, one could also say that if I drank 8 oz of water and then munched on some whole oats I would count the water, therefore cooking my oatmeal in water count! :laugh: Personally I only count water as water. Plus, I don't feel as if my thirst has been quenched when I drink tea,coffee, broth, etc. Anything with sugar or salt in it just makes me thirstier. Just my personal $.02.