There’s a reason why hydration remains at the top of the list when it comes to supporting one’s overall health and nutrition. Proper daily hydration helps to prevent dehydration and keep your body and organs functioning properly, prevents infections, lubricates your joints, and helps to keep your body in optimal performance for doing physical activity to say the least.
Drinking water is one of the best ways to stay hydrated. The human body is made up of 60-70% water, which is why water is a vital nutrient for the body and why it’s necessary to drink more water. It’s recommended for healthy adults to consume about 130 fl oz of daily water intake for men and 95 fl oz a day for women.
However, water comes in many forms and can be found in different types of beverages. So today, I’m dedicating this post to talk about whether herbal teas count as water intake or not.
Do Herbal Teas Count as Water Intake
Herbal teas are typically blends of edible plant parts such as fresh or dried flowers, fruit, leaves, seeds or roots. An herbal tea is typically made by steeping the plant parts in boiling water for a few minutes to create a brew.
There are many different types of herbal teas including black tea, green tea, chamomile, lemongrass, peppermint, rosehip, and more. Many of which are naturally caffeine free.
In case you didn’t know, herbal tea can in fact count towards your fluid intake when it comes to your daily hydration. However, herbal tea should not completely replace your daily intake of plain (and pure) water. In fact, nothing can or should replace plain water as the optimal choice for hydration because of the lack of added substances.
Herbal Tea vs Water For Hydration
Herbal tea counts as water for hydration because most of which are around 95% water, 5% added substances. In fact, this study comparing black tea and water found that there wasn’t any significant difference when it comes to hydration between the two beverages.
Herbal Tea Benefits
There are many health benefits to drinking herbal tea.
Control free radicals
Herbal tea has a natural diuretic effect. The polyphenols and flavonoids found in tea act as antioxidants, which are beneficial for helping to control the damaging effects of free radicals in the body.
Caffeine free
Unlike sports drinks, other tea and coffee, many herbal teas are naturally caffeine free.
Boosts mood
This study found that drinking tea can have a positive effect on mood.
No calories
Plain tea has no calories. So even if you add a slice of lemon, milk, or added sugar to your tea, it can still be a low calorie beverage option to stay hydrated.
Improves sleep quality and memory function
Research from the Tea Advisory Panel (TAP) review found compelling evidence that “drinking herbal teas – German Chamomile, Rosehip and Spearmint – can boost sleep quality and in turn help memory function and low mood.”
How To Drink Herbal Tea
In order to live a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to continue eating fruits and vegetables, maintaining physical activity, and staying hydrated.
Bump up your total fluid intake by drinking herbal tea to prevent dehydration and keep your body and organs functioning properly.
Here are different ways to drink herbal tea
Hot brewed or Iced tea
Drink it hot or cold, it’s up to you.
Slice of lemon
Add a slice of lemon as a way to add vitamin C and enhance the flavor profile.
Add milk
Skim milk is a great way to add calcium to your herbal tea blend.
Add natural sweeteners
Try to avoid adding sugar and instead opt for natural sweeteners like honey or agave.
Sparkling water
Switch up the water type from tap to spring or sparkling water.
Steeping times
For a more potent remedy, increase the steep time from 1-2 minutes for example to 20 or 30 minutes.
For more ways to drink more water, check out this other list of recs.
