can teas/splenda be counted as your water intake

i would count it. it's just better to know

I only count decaffeinated tea and water of course. Nothing with splenda or caffeine.

I personally only count water as water. I keep a 32 oz insulated mug with me at all times and drink 3 of them a day. It's my understanding that tea can be a diuretic...that's why I don't count it when I do drink it.

Splenda is worse then sugar! Research it! All artifical sweetners cause more healthy problem then people realize

No. water is water. if you add something to it - it becomes something else.

ONLY count water toward your daily goal of 8

The point is just to stay hydrated, so I don't think flavoring the water with tea or anything else changes the fact that it is keeping you hydrated.

Why Artificial Sweeteners are Bad For You and the Planet
If you ingest these sweeteners without a second thought, it might be time to think again.

Trying to keep your weight down and trying to be healthy can be totally different things. There was a time in my life when I believed that sugar-free foods and drinks were actually good for me. I was drinking sugar-free Red Bulls and dumping Splenda into my morning coffee like my life depended on it. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I considered myself healthy then.

I always heard negative things about artificial sweeteners in passing, but dodged conversations about it and pretended like I didn't hear or read anything knocking the merit of the products. What can I say? I was addicted to caffeine and totally uninterested in ditching my habit. (And who doesn't love a low-calorie caffeine fix?)

But after learning a thing or two about artificial sweeteners, I've left my sugar-free energy drink toting days behind me.

Some facts about artificial sweeteners that made me change my mind:

1.They are chemicals or natural compounds that replace the sweetness of sugar, without all of the calories. But sometimes the label 'sugar-free' masks calories present in the food or drink. Of course you can always read the product's label, but believe it or not, there are a whole lot of people out there who think that sugar-free or fat-free means low-calorie. On top of that, there are some recent studies that have shown that artificial sweeteners can actually increase your appetite. And then there are sugar-free products with ingredients that can raise your blood sugar dramatically—like the white flour in sugar-free cookies. All in all, 'sugar-free' doesn't always mean 'diet-friendly'.



2.Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, NatraSweet, Canderel, Spoonfuls, DiabetiSweet) is a common chemical sweetener with possible side effects that sound like they're out of a horror movie. From hallucinations to seizures to brain tumors, it is hardly worth consuming for the sake of saved calories.




3.Sucralose (Otherwise known as Splenda, my past-sweetener of choice), is scary. Recent research suggests that Splenda can enlarge both the liver and kidneys and shrink the thymus glands. Sucralose breaks down into small amounts of dichlorofructose, which has not been tested adequately tested in humans. Splenda reportedly can cause skin rashes, panic, diarrhea, headaches, bladder issues, stomach pain, and those side effects don't even sum it up.



Think this sounds bad? Do some further research. Most artificial sweeteners on store shelves are accompanied by numerous side-effect stories. (Some recent studies suggest they cause cancer. Should something as serious as cancer really be overlooked?) Research also suggests that they actually cause overeating among consumers.




In addition to all of this, consider the waste involved in the industry of artificially sweetening. Ever stepped into a coffee shop and noticed a mound of sugar substitute packets building on the counter or in the trash? We've been wasting one of our most precious resources for the sake of a sweetener that can harm our bodies and prevent weight loss. It sounds unfathomable, but true nonetheless.

What you can do instead to get your sugar fix:

Turn to natural sweeteners for your drinks and food alike. Honey, organic maple syrup, molasses, date sugar, brown rice syrup, and stevia are just a few natural sweeteners you can turn to. Not only will they wreak less havoc on your body, but your support of these sweeteners instead will, eventually, help to slow the production of toxic artificial sweeteners--which are significantly less delicious in my opinion anyway

Tea is mostly water so yes. I took a nutrition class a while ago and the instructor told us milk counts as well.

Milk should not count as water intake....it has calories, carbs, sugar and whatnot in it. That is not water.

The idea is to stay hydrated.. While MFP suggests 8, 8 oz glasses of water a day - that is not a magical number. Some of us need more, some less. If you prefer tea to water drink it!

You know what works for you!

No. water is water. if you add something to it - it becomes something else.

Poppycock. What if you drink water at the same time as eating something? It all gets churned together in your stomach, there's nothing magical about pure water.

Obviously alcohol which is dehydrating should not be counted and don't drink exclusively drinks which are mildly diuretic such as tea or coffee, but even food with a high water content counts.

By the way, the eight glasses a day thing is an average requirement and is highly dependent on factors such as activity level, size and climate; the research that figure came from was never designed to create a suggested intake of water.

If you are peeing several times a day, and your pee is a light straw colour, you're drinking enough. Though, of course, drinking more might help you feel full and stop you overeating, but that's a different matter.

Don't take my word for it, google reporting of research papers.

I agree, research it.

8 is not a magic number (nor is 1200 calories) but it's a standard goal for many people. Those research papers are not saying drink *8 glasses of liquid*, they are saying drink *8 glasses of WATER*

Plus your pee should not be a light straw color - it should be practically clear.

Milk should not count as water intake....it has calories, carbs, sugar and whatnot in it. That is not water.

Milk is a hydrating liquid, therefore it can count as one of your glasses of water as long as you also log it with the rest of your calories and don't consider it a freebie. The point of the 8 glasses of water is to ensure that you're not getting dehydrated.

IMO also long as you're drinking liquid that doesn't have caffeine, you're doing good.

I very rarely drink 8 glasses of water a day. I know I stay hydrated though. The color of your urine tells you whether or not you need more hydration, not some magical number or what works for other people. It should be almost clear. If it's yellow that means you're not hydrated enough. You're especially in trouble if it's concentrated and smells. My husband chugs water all day but he works out in the sun and does heavy lifting. He can drink 3 gallons of water throughout his work day and still need to drink more water when he gets home.

No one knows what works best for your body except you

According to the experts (not me I hasten to add)


Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.

They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack.

Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut.

Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.

Dr Ruxton said: "Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it."

Yeaahh I like tea :drinker: