Drinking tea instead of water?

Allegra289 · November 2010

Hey everyone, does anyone know if drinking hot tea, black, is just as good as drinking water? I remember at Weight Watchers they said just about any liquid could count as "water" intake for the day...as long as it was not alcohol or caffeine, or high in calories. (Think Crystal Light) Is this true? I hate drinking plain water but I am currently studying abroad in Spain and they don't really sell things like crystal light that taste good too!

4lafz · November 2010

Black or other caffeinated tea would not work for water - flavors yes (like Crystal Light). For every cup of caff drink you need the equivalent in ADDITIONAL water.

FavDaughter1 · November 2010

While tea and coffee are mostly water, caffeine is also a diuretic, so you have to drink more water to stay hydrated.

Kminor67 · November 2010

Decaf tea will work, but not regular.

PolkaDot88 · November 2010

White tea is very low in caffeine, I drink a lot of that - does anyone know about green tea?

mycandy · November 2010

What about green tea? I drink tons every day, and I have always thought I can include this with my water intake. Am I wrong?

red01angel · November 2010

Since herbal tea has no caffeine in it, it's a better choice than black tea if you're looking for a water substitute. I know caffeine free black and green teas are available, but before you buy, make sure it's gone through a CO2 decaffeination process rather than a chemical one; you don't want to ingest the chemical residue that's inevitably left on the leaves!

However, if you choose, you can decaffeinate your own black or green tea...here's how: Steep your tea leaves in hot water for 20 seconds. Then drain the liqueur and resteep the leaves in fresh hot water for the recommended time. This first steeping removes the majority of the caffeine, though the tea will retain a small amount.

Allegra289 · November 2010

Thanks everyone for your replies...I forgot to add that it was DECAF tea!!

Gogo76 · November 2010

As long as it's decaf, you're good! :drinker:

angebean · November 2010

This is good to know. I didn't know that we couldn't/shouldn't count caffeinated tea as water intake.

siggia · November 2010

"People think; oh, it must be water and not coffee because it is a slight diuretic with caffeine in it, but you lose far less than you get from the actual liquid in the coffee."

A bit of information from QI (Quite Interesting). Watch the bit on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGwCGyGmyq8

Also, regarding caffeine, people generally think there's more caffeine in green tea than coffee, when there's actually three times more caffeine in coffee than green tea. But, a pound of tea leaves contains more caffeine than a pound of coffee beans.

A bit of information from QI (Quite Interesting). Watch the bit on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwArLwsP3nA

DancingDreamer · November 2010

decaf or herbal tea, yes. caf tea or coffee, no.

funnygrrl · November 2010

i heard green tea will help you loose weight too, apparently it's one of those negative calorie counters... gotta love those!

bainos · November 2010

Try African Red tea. Tetley makes a decaf Vanilla Red Tea and its ZERO calories ZERO Caffeine. Good luck in Spain!!

virginiagomes · November 2010

i heard green tea will help you loose weight too, apparently it's one of those negative calorie counters... gotta love those!

Where can I get more info on this subject?

fitbot · November 2010

I drink a lot of green tea and I find that drinking that instead of coffee makes me eat less, stay more focused, gives me better skin and is generally all around awesome

brockanddion84 · November 2011

I've found some articles that you might like to look at about the health benefits of drinking a lot of tea instead of water. It has been found to help with the risks heart attacks and cancer, and helps prevent tooth decay, and bone strengthening.

http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/14/study-tea-is-healthier-than-water/

http://www.naturalnews.com/020156.html

HMonsterX · November 2011

Wow, so many inaccurate replies...

You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

As for 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

yamelieno · September 2012

Hi All,

I have found this doc on the subject if anyone is interested, thanks!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5281046.stm

Drinking tea instead of water?

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