does green tea count as water intake?

whateverr120
whateverr120 Posts: 37
edited October 1 in Food and Nutrition
does green tea or any tea in general count as daily water intake... what if I sweeten it with sugar?

Replies

  • brendalyne
    brendalyne Posts: 497
    I only count water as water.
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    I think it has to be decaf
  • calibri
    calibri Posts: 439 Member
    You receive water from everything you drink, however I would not count it as a cup of water during the day.
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
    I only count water as water.
    This
  • PegasusDeb
    PegasusDeb Posts: 665 Member
    When I was doing Weight Watchers years ago they said anything that did NOT have caffeine. I think green tea does.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I say if it has any kind of nutritional value - especially sugar or sodium - then no.
  • Okay, I'll only count water as water. Thanks!
  • Sweet_Southern_Tea
    Sweet_Southern_Tea Posts: 63 Member
    No, Tea is not water PERIOD!! You should ONLY be counting water as water or you are really cheating yourself.
  • bump
  • nicolech1980
    nicolech1980 Posts: 2 Member
    I so agree with you! Thats what I am doing too! i just want to keep the weight off. I am so sick of dieting and failing. I like to exercise but I want to be toned and lean looking! Good look to you!!!
    :smile:
  • oswaldbowser
    oswaldbowser Posts: 164 Member
    Sorry but tea is counted as water intake.....their was a report many years ago by a bottled water company that only pure water adds to your daily water intake........they had to retract this statement as it was totally false and misleading for their benefit of course to boast sales............
  • Green tea counts as water if it's decaf. Caffeine is considered a diuretic so your body will flush it out. Even though green tea has about 1/3 the amount of caffeine as coffee does you still should not cosider it as water. Even the "Dr. Bernstein" diet considers decaf coffee as water but only one time per day. Green tea on the other hand has so many good qualities in it you can consider it as water (again, only if it's decaf). I've also read however that too much green tea isn't good for you. 2-3 cups a day is a good amount.
  • Msvalsworld
    Msvalsworld Posts: 53 Member
    I count mine as water if it has no sugar
  • I add green tea to 'snack' due to the fact it as 2 calories to it.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Green tea counts as water if it's decaf. Caffeine is considered a diuretic so your body will flush it out. Even though green tea has about 1/3 the amount of caffeine as coffee does you still should not cosider it as water. Even the "Dr. Bernstein" diet considers decaf coffee as water but only one time per day. Green tea on the other hand has so many good qualities in it you can consider it as water (again, only if it's decaf). I've also read however that too much green tea isn't good for you. 2-3 cups a day is a good amount.

    If you must bump something from 4 months ago, at least bump it with some new information....or at least something that is accurate!

    As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • Yvelily
    Yvelily Posts: 3 Member
    I just want to say that the idea that people need 8 glasses of water a day has been completely fabricated. In the 60's, a scientist was being interviewed on the subject of water in the diet and said in a normal day, we consume the equivalent of 8 - 8 ounce glasses of water a day. This included all the water that is already in the food we eat. Cheese, rice, potatoes, meat, fruit, veges, whatever - all those foods contain water. What he said was picked up by the media and turned into this goofy mantra that we need 8 glasses of water a day. Just drink when you are thirsty and you will be fine. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eight-glasses-water-per-day
  • When your thirsty that means your body is already dehydrated, you should really drink water prior to this, so you don't become dehydrated...
  • shalomabeth
    shalomabeth Posts: 63 Member
    i drink my water with lemon and count that as water but green tea is different i suppose
  • When you look at the nutrition of green tea, It's basically water with vitamins added to it thus I always count green tea as my water in take, but I personally never drink caffeinated tea :P

    I can honestly say I've never heard people put sugar in green tea - that is utterly disgusting. If you add sugar, it will not be water intake.

    Green tea takes a while to get use to the taste but after your 7th cup of raw leaves, you're hooked to its bitter taste:)
  • 05suu
    05suu Posts: 90 Member
    I count anything without caffeine as my daily intake....
    If you add sugar to it, just count the calories in that...
    (and by the way, I use Stevia in mine!!!!):wink:
  • 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
  • When I was doing Weight Watchers years ago they said anything that did NOT have caffeine. I think green tea does.

    WW clearly didnt have a clue what they were on about then, as that is not accurate.
  • When your thirsty that means your body is already dehydrated, you should really drink water prior to this, so you don't become dehydrated...

    Again, not true. The thirst mechanism is designed to stop you becoming dehydrated. it kicks in when you need water and not when you are dehydrated. Google it. Latest medical advice on this subject is to drink when you are thirsty and not try to drink a set amount of water a day.
  • Green tea counts as water if it's decaf. Caffeine is considered a diuretic so your body will flush it out. Even though green tea has about 1/3 the amount of caffeine as coffee does you still should not cosider it as water. Even the "Dr. Bernstein" diet considers decaf coffee as water but only one time per day. Green tea on the other hand has so many good qualities in it you can consider it as water (again, only if it's decaf). I've also read however that too much green tea isn't good for you. 2-3 cups a day is a good amount.

    Caffeine is a very mild diuretic. It has a very negligible affect and will certainly not result in the body "flushing it out". Green tea (and normal tea and coffee) is considered as liquid and whomever Dr Bernstein is, he is talking unscientific crap. Green tea has a lot of benefits over regular tea.
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
    I count everything except alcohol as every drink I consume is made primarily of water.

    Difference is, if I drink a bottle of cola vs. a glass of water, I will log the cola as calories as well. It might not be the best thing to drink but it is still primarily made from water.

    That and if I drank other drinks + 8 glasses of water a day I would never leave the bathroom! :P
  • No, Tea is not water PERIOD!! You should ONLY be counting water as water or you are really cheating yourself.

    Also not true. Again... look it up. Dont just quote stuff you heard somewhere.
  • determinedbutlazy
    determinedbutlazy Posts: 1,941 Member
    This whole "tea is a diuretic" thing is such bull****.
    Anything that makes you PEE is a diuretic... WATER is a diuretic.
  • migookmelissa
    migookmelissa Posts: 2 Member
    Drinking green tea (no sugar) is one the best things you can do for your body. It hydrates you just as well as water (arguably better) and it also has detoxifying properties. The idea that the caffeine in green tea will dehydrate you is a complete myth! Even if you made the strongest cup of green tea know to man, it still would have a high enough water content to offset any possible dehydrating effects. I believe the point of tracking your water is to show yourself that you are staying properly hydrated, which supports fitness and overall well being.

    In short--go ahead and track that green tea as water! You earned it!
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