Can tea keep you hydrated?

The benefits of a hydrated body include keeping organs functioning optimally, keeping joints lubricated, regulating body temperatures, and preventing infections.

According to Innocent Kwame, a nutritionist, it is recommended that on average, a woman takes 11 cups of water per day while a man takes 16. 

“Although keeping hydrated sounds simple, many of us are under-hydrated for several reasons such as being uncertain about how much to drink. Others may look at the number of cups and wonder about the ideal volume. That said, a female should take in 2.7 litres while a male needs 3.7 litres, 20 per cent of which comes from the food we eat. Therefore, 2.2l and 3l respectively must be drunk,” he notes.

However, not everybody enjoys taking water. “Other hydrating alternatives include infused (flavoured) water, tea and coffee,” he shares.  

Ivy Namugga, a nutritionist, says the benefits of taking tea include reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, not forgetting diabetes. Since these ailments are among the major causes of death today, taking tea is, therefore a plus.

“Tea is mainly water, thus delivering the most known hydrating medium to one who consumes it. However, most tea types contain caffeine, which is a mild diuretic causing one to urinate more than normal, leading to dehydration,” she shares.

How much?

However, despite the mild dehydration effect, according to healthline.com, for one to experience diuretic effects, they must consume more than 500mg a day, an equivalent of 1.2 litres of caffeinated tea. 

“To avoid the effects, it is imperative that one takes a count of the quantity they consume. As long as you do not take more than 11 cups of tea a day, you are safe,” she clarifies.

Kwame adds that one needs to watch what they add to their tea in order to avoid it becoming unhealthy. “Additives such as milk, honey and sugar should be used in moderation. This is because while tea has a low calories count, some of these additives may increase the number of calories therein, hence offsetting the benefits,” he explains.

Antioxidants

Tea is also loaded with antioxidants known as flavonoids, which have a detoxifying effect. Kwame says flavonoids, just like other antioxidants protect our cells from free radicals that are present within the environment. “The damage these free radicals cause includes cancer, and formation of blood clots. Therefore, taking tea could be beneficial,” he shares. 

Tea types

There are several tea types on the market and understanding what each has to offer allows you to make an informed decision on what to opt for as your hydration option.

Caffeinated teas

These include green, white, oolong and black tea varieties, with each having its own caffeine percentage. Kwame says these are made out of the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant and have 16-19mg of caffeine for every gramme. 

“Black and oolong tea have the highest composition of caffeine but are still better than a cup of caffeinated coffee. It is also important to remember that the longer one brews their tea, the more caffeine it will release into their cup of tea,” he shares. 

Herbal teas

These include teas such as lemon, lavender, peppermint, and chamomile. Unlike the caffeinated teas, these are made from seeds, leaves, roots, flowers, fruits, and stems of various plants. “The name of the tea is synonymous to the plant of origin and many consider them as herbal infusions rather than tea types. Additionally, these teas are usually caffeine free and thus, have better hydration abilities,” Namugga says.

That said, in a bid to stay hydrated, one should stay away from sugar loaded beverages such as soda since these contain empty calories.