Is fresh brewed iced tea considered as water consumption

lal73
lal73 Posts: 116
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
I drink a lot of fresh brewed unsweeted iced tea. Can i consider that as my water consumption for the day?

Replies

  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    I would say yes. Coffee and tea count towards water consumption. Just watch the amount of caffeine you are taking in everyday, that its own set of issues.
  • I have always wondered the same thing. I usually drink a glass or 2 of green tea a day. I wondered if that counted.
  • laurenk182004
    laurenk182004 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I say yes, but caffeine is a diuretic...so u should drink more to offset that
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    I don't count drinks with caffine, but I've been having trouble staying hydrated. If you don't feel dehydrated, then it's probably okay to count it.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    caffeinated drinks DO count, but not as much as straight water, iced tea (much like coffee) is a mild diuretic, which means it forces your kidneys to make more urine than normal. But this won't offset the amount of liquid you're taking in by drinking it. Unfortunately, it's impossible to know how MUCH extra urine you're making without observational study and probably knowing how much caffeine you've consumed and in what period of time.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Or you can just drink decaf tea. :)
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    I would say yes. Coffee and tea count towards water consumption. Just watch the amount of caffeine you are taking in everyday, that its own set of issues.

    Coffee and tea should not be counted as water consumption. They contain caffeine which is a diuretic and has the opposite effect of drinking plain water.

    Coffee and tea should be logged as part of your caloric intake while your water consumption should be separate as it is separated in our food journals.
  • lal73
    lal73 Posts: 116
    I would say yes. Coffee and tea count towards water consumption. Just watch the amount of caffeine you are taking in everyday, that its own set of issues.

    Coffee and tea should not be counted as water consumption. They contain caffeine which is a diuretic and has the opposite effect of drinking plain water.

    Coffee and tea should be logged as part of your caloric intake while your water consumption should be separate as it is separated in our food journals.

    I do log it, but the Nurtion value is ZERO calories for brewed tea....
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I would say yes. Coffee and tea count towards water consumption. Just watch the amount of caffeine you are taking in everyday, that its own set of issues.

    Coffee and tea should not be counted as water consumption. They contain caffeine which is a diuretic and has the opposite effect of drinking plain water.

    There are actually a lot of different teas that are naturally caffeine free. So you can't really make a blanket statement that all tea is a diuretic because of the caffeine.
  • lal73
    lal73 Posts: 116
    I just spoke to one of our PhD nutrtionists/dietician at work, and he said that unsweetened tea can actually be counted as part of your water consumption....makes me very happy! :drinker:
  • bmreed0920
    bmreed0920 Posts: 139 Member
    I count my tea as water consumption, not my coffee. I add stuff to my coffee and not to my tea (hot or cold).
  • My dietician told me no, sugar, no caffeine, no problem :) Teas can count as water under those circumstances, because i drink decaf green tea with a little bit of slepnda and it counts as water. Also those little water bottle shake ups count too.
  • Tea absolutely does count as water consumption. Please read the following about caffeine and dehydration:

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

    The summary is: "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."
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