Water Vs Tea

Pooker89
Pooker89 Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I drink TONS of tea, no added sugar or honey. Just boiled water and a tea packet or if I'm feeling fisty I do the actual tea leaves. I usually drink Earl Grey, English Breakfast, and Green tea, but I do not limit myself to just those tea's. Now for my question - Can I count my Tea consumption as just water, because I'm not adding anything to it besides the tea? Or do I have to put it in as Tea and also drink the daily requirments of water a day?

As I said I can drink Tea like no other, but when I am drinking water its like I have to force myself to drink it and it seems like a HUGE chore even though I know that its important for not only health but weight loss. Water consumption just doesn't seem to be getting easier. :P

Help! If you can't Friends are always welcomed. Other then that I hope you have an amazing day! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Pooker89
    Pooker89 Posts: 154 Member
    Ghost town.:yawn:
  • crazytreelady
    crazytreelady Posts: 752 Member
    There are no calories in that kind of tea
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    I count it as both because I do add one sugar to black tea but not to most other teas. I also drink flavored sugarless water and I count that as water too. I do get in 4-6 cups just plain water as well, pushing for 10 cups of "water" total.
  • NWdreaming
    NWdreaming Posts: 95 Member
    I think with those types of tea, all you need to worry about is caffeine intake. :)

    11490831.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • gogidget
    gogidget Posts: 70 Member
    Caffeine is a diuretic and stimulates urination, and you can actually get dehydrated by drinking too much tea or coffee -- so take it easy. Herbal tea is a better choice, water is the best.:drinker:
  • Pooker89
    Pooker89 Posts: 154 Member
    Thank you all! I guess I can cut down my Tea intake an drink more water...I don't want to! But I will lol :bigsmile:
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    My nutritionist told me that only water counts as water. Coffee & tea (even if nothing is added) doesn't count because it has caffeine in it which actually dehydrates you. To make up for it, you have to drink twice as much water! A real killer for me. I went from drinking a pot of coffee a day (with additives) to drinking one cup a day with reduced additives. To make up for it, I drink 9 cups of water a day (or try to at least LOL).
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    I think with those types of tea, all you need to worry about is caffeine intake. :)

    11490831.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

    No you don't, actually. Unless you're caffeine sensitive or are on a strict doctor-prescribed limit, the caffeine content is not a problem. All tea has less caffeine than coffee, with white and green teas (the most commonly consumed by Americans) having the least amounts.
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
    I drink a ton of decaf unsweetened ice tea.... I drink more water now too. I count it.
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    I count mine as water. If I didn't, I'd be in a world of hurt!!
  • bfjgreen
    bfjgreen Posts: 2
    I'm a huge tea drinker too (British born) and always count my tea consumption as part of my daily water intake. Think about it, say you drink 5 cups of tea a day, do you really still need to drink 8 cups of water? Nope, just three more of 'fluids' to be good.

    What others have said about caffeine is also true however, so be careful that you are not over doing the tea. I hear you on how hard it is to just drink water, its always been a chore for me too. Hope that helps, retorts welcome :)
  • KrazyAsianNic
    KrazyAsianNic Posts: 1,227 Member
    l also love green tea! When I record it, I add the green tea to the meal, which comes up as 0 calories, then I add how many cups of water it adds to. I do it in both areas. its' still water... just flavored a little.
  • mangosabayon
    mangosabayon Posts: 53
    Teas have less caffeine than soda and coffee, so I wouldn't cut any out especially if it means your total intake for the day is down.
  • juliekaiser1988
    juliekaiser1988 Posts: 604 Member
    [/quote]

    No you don't, actually. Unless you're caffeine sensitive or are on a strict doctor-prescribed limit, the caffeine content is not a problem. All tea has less caffeine than coffee, with white and green teas (the most commonly consumed by Americans) having the least amounts.
    [/quote]

    ^^^ THIS
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    Water technically is a diuretic too... meaning it stimulates the discharge of urine. If you're really concerned about the caffeine causing dehydration and it seems like you drink tea over water because of the taste, try brewing it a little weaker. More water, less tea, less caffeine, less chance of dehydration. I count herbal teas (I really only drink green tea) as water. Not sure if that's "right" or not but I'm drinking well over a gallon of straight H2O every day so I'm not too worried about it.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Tea is 99.9% water. They are identical.


    As for tea or coffee dehydrating you, that's an old myth. There is nowhere near enough caffeine in tea or coffee to dehydrate you. Also, regular caffeine consumption makes you immune to the diuretic effect completely. So feel free to drink as much tea or coffee as you want, it's just water.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Unless there's a problem that's affecting your thirst response, drink (coffee, tea, water, or whatever you want) when you're thirsty, and you should be fine.
  • katielauren2001
    katielauren2001 Posts: 171 Member
    I love green tea and drink around 2-4 mugs of it a day, but also aim to drink atleast 8 glasses of water. They are both beneficial to your body :) It is better to drink herbal teas than black/english teas though.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
    Water technically is a diuretic too... meaning it stimulates the discharge of urine. If you're really concerned about the caffeine causing dehydration and it seems like you drink tea over water because of the taste, try brewing it a little weaker. More water, less tea, less caffeine, less chance of dehydration. I count herbal teas (I really only drink green tea) as water. Not sure if that's "right" or not but I'm drinking well over a gallon of straight H2O every day so I'm not too worried about it.

    Herbal tea and green tea are two separate things. Herbal tea technically isn't tea because it doesn't contain any part of the tea plant, but it's got more flavor variety and depending on what herbs/flowers/spices are in it can be good for you or helpful for something, like sleep.

    Sorry, just thought I'd mention that little factoid, I hope it didn't come across as condescending. Avid tea drinker = too many facts stuck where an education should be in my brain. But green tea is a good tea to drink if you don't like strong tea. It and white tea get paired with fruits and flowers quite often because they're so weak in flavor.
  • MsNP
    MsNP Posts: 27 Member
    Tea=the greatest thing ever invented!!

    I add it to my water intake as well, because it is water!
    I don't see the difference between me making tea and other people who add lemon, or some type of flavoring to water in order to drink it. Personally, I like water. However, caffeine is a wonderful thing from time to time, and I try to stay away from coffee. Just a personal preference. Plus, there are so many varieties of tea, it's just the greatest thing ever! :)
  • Pooker89
    Pooker89 Posts: 154 Member
    Thank you all. And if you sent me a friends request please resend if I didn't except it. The page messed up and I declined someone and I didn't mean to. :(
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
    Water technically is a diuretic too... meaning it stimulates the discharge of urine. If you're really concerned about the caffeine causing dehydration and it seems like you drink tea over water because of the taste, try brewing it a little weaker. More water, less tea, less caffeine, less chance of dehydration. I count herbal teas (I really only drink green tea) as water. Not sure if that's "right" or not but I'm drinking well over a gallon of straight H2O every day so I'm not too worried about it.

    Herbal tea and green tea are two separate things. Herbal tea technically isn't tea because it doesn't contain any part of the tea plant, but it's got more flavor variety and depending on what herbs/flowers/spices are in it can be good for you or helpful for something, like sleep.

    Sorry, just thought I'd mention that little factoid, I hope it didn't come across as condescending. Avid tea drinker = too many facts stuck where an education should be in my brain. But green tea is a good tea to drink if you don't like strong tea. It and white tea get paired with fruits and flowers quite often because they're so weak in flavor.

    Haha, no worries. Good fact to know! :)
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
    According to the Mayo clinic, tea counts as water.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

    Your body might absorb slightly less water than had you drank straight water, but it's still going to give you a net positive of water. Thus it should be counted. Just remember to also count anything that goes into that tea and you should be fine.
  • jaynemaria
    jaynemaria Posts: 58 Member
    I drink loads of tea a day,i do add it to my track food as i add milk, unless its green tea, but its still water intake, :)

Categories