Health Benefits Of Tea Beyond Hydration
The list of purported benefits of drinking tea is long. For example, green tea is a rich source of flavonoids and regular consumption has been linked to health benefits such as decreased blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels according to Penn Medicine. In fact, the results of an BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care suggest that drinking green tea, especially in combination with coffee, may decrease the risk of death from all causes in those with type 2 diabetes. Similarly, past research suggests that drinking black tea may help reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure , an important indicator of both heart and overall health. Whats more, results from a December 2017 study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference suggest that drinking tea may even help improve creativity. While more research is still needed, it cant hurt to brew a cup before your next creative project!
Start Your Day With This
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The best thing you can do for yourself each day is so simple, but its often overlooked.
I know this because I myself a person who cares a great deal about healthy living neglected it for years.
What is it? Drink enough water.
And even more importantly: drink some first thing.
Thats right get up in the morning and before doing anything else except maybe going to the bathroom drink a glass of water.
Heres why. During the night, we lose water. We get dehydrated. Either slightly or majorly, depending on our overall hydration level. Drinking in the morning replenishes our body with essential liquids to keep us sharp, productive, energetic, and regular .
Your body needs water for everything! Water helps flush out toxins, carry nutrients to cells, provides a moist environment for your ears, nose and throat, keeps your digestive and elimination systems flowing, and more.
Creative Ways To Up Your Fluid Intake
We all know we should drink water, but we dont always set ourselves up for success. Here are some ideas to encourage daily hydration:
- Start your day with a big glass of water before your coffee or tea youll create a good habit that can last a lifetime.
- Review the situation at work. If you tend to spend a lot of time at your desk, set a pitcher of water on your desk each morning. It will serve as a reminder to drink more, and youll be motivated to sip on it as the day goes by and meet your goal of finishing it.
- If youre on your feet or in the field, make sure you have convenient access to water .
- Set a timer or use an app for your smartphone or smartwatch that can help remind you to drink more water as you go about your day.
- Make it interesting: add in citrus, herbs, fruit, or a splash of juice to amp up the taste go for a bubbly, unsweetened option have some tea with lemon keep a pitcher in the fridge for a nice icy blast on a warm day.
- Include more watery fruits in your diet all fruits and veggies are good, but especially melons, leafy greens, and cucumbers.
- Consider having soups before meals they can help hydrate you and make your meal more filling.
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What Counts As ‘water’
Your recommended water intake includes all sources — drinking water, other beverages, and food. But be careful — certain fluids have their drawbacks.
For instance, juices, sodas, and smoothies can be hydrating, but they can also be high in sugar and calories.
Coffee and tea provide water, too. But, they also contain caffeine, which can make you lose more water when you pee. Most healthy people can safely drink about 2 to 4 8-ounce cups of coffee each day. Scale back if it makes you feel anxious or jittery.Alcoholic drinks contain water, too. But like caffeine, they actually cause you to lose more water through your urine. This can lead to dehydration.
Sports drinks have a high water content. They also contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, which can help you absorb water and keep your energy levels up. During intense workouts, they help to replace salt lost through sweat. But be careful: many also contain lots of extra calories, sugar, and salt. Check the nutrition label. Pay attention to the serving size, and limit how many you drink.
Energy drinks are different from sports drinks. They contain sugar, as well as stimulants, like caffeine — often in high doses. Many doctors recommend that children and teens avoid them.
And donât forget foods! Fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, celery, and watermelon are over 90% water. They also provide a variety of different vitamins and minerals. Refreshing!
How Much Water Should Kids Be Drinking
Like adults, how much water children need depends on many things, like their age, how much they weigh, and their gender. Other things that play a role include how healthy and active they are, and what the climate is like where they live.
In general, children and teens need about 6 to 8 cups of water a day. They should also eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, which are full of water.
During play or exercise, a good goal is to drink a half cup to 2 cups of water every 15 to 20 minutes.
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When Should I Refer To My Gp
If you have not passed urine for more than 8 hours, you feel light headed or lethargic, are suffering confusion or have a rapid pulse rate, refer to your GP or healthcare practitioner. You may also wish to consult your GP if you have been experiencing consistent thirst, because this can be a symptom of a chronic health condition, such as diabetes.
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This article was last reviewed on 24 June 2020 by Tracey Raye.
Kerry Torrens BSc. PgCert MBANT is a Registered Nutritionist with a post graduate diploma in Personalised Nutrition & Nutritional Therapy. She is a member of the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine and a member of the Guild of Food Writers. Over the last 15 years she has been a contributing author to a number of nutritional and cookery publications including BBC Good Food
All health content on bbcgoodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local healthcare provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.
Can You Count Coffee As Water Intake
Everyone needs different amounts of water, but can you count coffee as water intake? This article gives you information on what liquids count as water intake.
Many people never give a second thought about their water intake. And, for most, thats completely fine! Drinking when youre thirsty and not drinking when you arent, typically works well for most people.
Some people need to keep a closer track of their water intake. If youre exercising extensively, pregnant, or have an underlying condition, you may need to spend some extra energy keeping up with your water intake.
Whether or not you can count coffee or tea towards this water intake is a bit complicated, though. Caffeine is indeed dehydrating. However, it typically isnt believed to be dehydrating enough to offset the liquid content.
Of course, different coffees contain different amounts of caffeine. If you drink a shot of espresso, you probably shouldnt count that into your daily water intake. However, if you drink a 20-ounce beverage that contains a shot of espresso, the whole beverage can likely be counted into your total.
There is no sure-and-fast rule for what sorts of coffee can be counted and which cannot. Different experts have different suggestions. Therefore, youll need to use your judgement when deciding whether or not to count a cup of coffee into your daily water needs.
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Mean Daily Plain Watera Intakes Among Us Children And Adolescents Aged 2 To 19 Years National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 20152018b
Limit Mineral Water Intake
Commercially bottled mineral water contains salt, which can lead to fluid retention and swelling, and even increased blood pressure in susceptible people. Limit the amount of mineral water or choose low-sodium varieties .
If you prefer bubbly water, think about getting a home soda water maker so you can just use tap water and make it fresh when needed.
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How Much Water Should You Drink Every Day
Women should generally drink about 9 cups of fluids a day, while men should aim for 12, according to the Mayo Clinic. That’s 72 ounces for us ladies. Where does that number come from?
“The guideline is loosely based on an equation that determines milliliter per calorie consumed per day, but even if youre eating much more or far less daily, its a good barometer to think of 2,000 milliliters or 2 liters as a middle-ground benchmark,” London says.
Water Drinks And Your Health
It’s easy to overlook, but choosing healthier drinks is a key part of getting a balanced diet.
Many soft drinks, including instant powdered drinks and hot chocolate, are high in sugar.
Food and drinks that are high in sugar are often high in calories, and having too many calories can make you more likely to gain weight.
Some energy drinks are high in both sugar and caffeine. Checking the nutrition labels on soft drinks such as fruit juices and fizzy drinks can help you make healthier choices.
The Eatwell Guide says we should drink 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day. Water, lower-fat milk and sugar-free drinks, including tea and coffee, all count.
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How Much Coffee Can You Count As Water Intake
If you consume an average cup of coffee in the morning, you can likely count it as water intake without too much of a problem. However, you probably shouldnt drink only coffee.
No one needs to consume 80 ounces of coffee a day!
The type of coffee you drink also matters. You dont want to consume shots of espresso as a major part of your fluid intake. Cold-brewed coffee also contains quite a bit of caffeine, which causes a diuretic effect.
Too much caffeine can cause you to lose substantial amounts of water.
With that said, the amount of liquid in the coffee is usually more than the amount of liquid youll lose due to the caffeine. For this reason, most of the coffee you drink can be counted into your daily fluid intake.
However, you shouldnt only drink coffee. Water and other liquids are important as well!
Tips For Enjoying Tea To Maximize The Perks
If you start your morning or end your day with a warm cup of tea, its only natural to wonder if theres anything you can do to make it even healthier. The truth is that plain brewed tea is a naturally healthy and low-calorie beverage. Its what is commonly added to tea that can make it a less than ideal choice. If youre adding spoonfuls of honey, sugar, or cream to your tea, it might be time to revisit your brewing routine. Because these ingredients add lots of calories, sugar, and fat with no nutritional value, its best to skip them or limit them as much as possible. Similarly, if youre reaching for a bottled iced tea, check the nutrition facts first to be sure there isnt any added sugar.
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Can You Hydrate With Liquids Other Than Water
Cucumber Juice Vegetable juices are better for hydration than fruit juices because the natural sugars present in fruits may inhibit hydration. Moreover, fruit juices tend to have a concentrated form of sugar. However, if you’re fond of fruit juices, orange juice can be a good option as it contains lots of electrolytes.
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No You Dont Need Eight Glasses Of Water A Day
Its now the norm to carry around a water bottle as if its a permanent extension of your arm, so it seems that most of us have bought in to the benefits of proper hydration. But is what you think about your drink more hype than fact? Take this quiz to find out, and hydrate smarter throughout the hot summer days ahead.
True. Even though caffeine is a diuretic, which forces water to be excreted in urine, our bodies quickly compensate. So even caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea have a net hydrating effect. Sure, plain water and decaf beverages will hydrate you more, but you can still count that iced coffee as a quencher as much as it is an afternoon pick-me-up.
False. This one is firmly in the hype category. In 2012, a major coconut water player, Vita Coco, settled a class-action lawsuit that accused the company of misrepresenting the health benefits of its products, including exaggerated claims of being super-hydrating. The company stopped marketing its products that way, but the claim is still rampant on the Internet. Thats not to say that coconut water isnt hydrating it is, just no more so than plain water.
Drinking Water May Boost Physical Performance
If you exercise, some studies suggest that as little as a 2% loss in your bodys water content may impact how well you perform physically. Dehydration may compromise your bodys ability to control its temperature, increase feelings of tiredness and, unsurprisingly, make exercise more difficult. However, research in this area is conflicting. One small study which kept athletes in the dark about their hydration status showed that dehydration made no difference to their performance. Clearly other factors besides temperature, climate and endurance also play an important role.
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Is It Possible To Drink Too Much Water
There is no Tolerable Upper Intake Level for water because the body can usually excrete extra water through urine or sweat. However, a condition called water toxicity is possible in rare cases, in which a large amount of fluids is taken in a short amount of time, which is faster than the kidneys ability to excrete it. This leads to a dangerous condition called hyponatremia in which blood levels of sodium fall too low as too much water is taken. The excess total body water dilutes blood sodium levels, which can cause symptoms like confusion, nausea, seizures, and muscle spasms. Hyponatremia is usually only seen in ill people whose kidneys are not functioning properly or under conditions of extreme heat stress or prolonged strenuous exercise where the body cannot excrete the extra water. Very physically active people such as triathletes and marathon runners are at risk for this condition as they tend to drink large amounts of water, while simultaneously losing sodium through their sweat. Women and children are also more susceptible to hyponatremia because of their smaller body size.
Do Liquids Other Than Water Count
Water, milk, sugar-free drinks and tea and coffee all count, but remember that caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee can make the body produce urine more quickly. Fruit juice and smoothies also count, but because they contain free sugars , you should limit these to a combined total of 150ml per day.
Many of the foods we eat contribute to our fluid intake for example, dishes like soup, ice cream and jelly, as well as fruit and veg with a high water content, such as melon, courgette or cucumber.
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Does Tea Count As Fluid
This popular brew has many proven health benefits, but is meeting your hydration needs one of them? Read on to find out.
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One of the difficulties with getting enough fluid each day is that many people arent sure just how much they should have. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that women get about 2.7 liters of fluid per day and men get about 3.7 L per day. Of those figures, about 20 percent comes from the food we eat the rest we should be drinking. That means women should aim for around 2.2 L, or nine 8-ounce cups of fluids a day, and men should aim for 3 L, or thirteen 8 oz cups. Using a hydration calculator can help you figure out if you’re consuming enough fluid.
What counts toward your total? Calorie-free and all natural, water is still the best hydrator going and is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world. But right behind it is tea, according to National Geographic.
Hot or cold, tea has been enjoyed around the world for thousands of years, and for good reason. The supposed health benefits of regular tea consumption include decreased risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes according to Harvard Health Publishing. Considering the fact that the CDC recognizes these as the first, second, and seventh leading causes of death, respectively, adding tea to your day could be a simple way to improve your health and longevity.
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