8oz of tea = same benefits as 8oz of water?

[aSearchingSoul]

I was wondering if you can receive 8oz worth of water benefits from an 8oz glass of decaffeinated tea? It may be a silly question, but I would really appreciate an answer.

I know it seems to me that it most definitely should. I mean 8oz of water equals 8oz of water (plus whatever is added from from the tea bag, via the steeping process). That makes sense to me, maybe this is just a brain fart I'm having.

[Minsc]

Tea is water with a lot of antioxidants(mostly) in it...
Drinking tea would have the same benefits from drinking water along with the good that the antioxidants do. Decaffinated tea could be decaffinated in two ways though, one of which is unhealthy, but I haven't really researched it. Real tea(not herb) also has high levels of fluoride from soil pollution, usually, but it also usually has more antioxidants than herb teas. Real tea has tannins though which bind iron, ect, but if you steep it well then they shouldn't get it.

Antioxidants could be damaged by heat...

Anyway, drinking tea is probably healthier for you than just water, although tons of tea would cause problems depending on the fluoride and caffeine content. You should drink some tea(maybe 1-3 cups/day if it's not herb tea) and a lot of water.

[beautyscientist]

Yes you are quite right - by the time the water has got into the body it won't make any difference how it got there.

The anti-oxidant benefits of tea have been known for a long time, but a new twist on it came to light in the most recent issue of the International Journal of Cosmetic Scientists. It turns out that applying a gel with tea in it to your skin is so protective that you can actually measure its protective effect in the lab.

M. Turkoglu, N. Cigirgil (2007)
Evaluation of black tea gel and its protection potential against UV
International Journal of Cosmetic Science 29 (6), 437–442. if you want to follow up the details.

[aSearchingSoul]

Minsc, beautyscientist, thanks for the replies. I apologize for the initial lack of specificity. I'm attempting to stay with the caffeine-free herbal teas. I've been trying out the caffeine free teas available locally. So far, I've tried Tazo and Celestial Seasonings herbal teas. A couple of these were pretty good! Also, for the moment I'm using natural cane turbinado sugar in my teas. A few days ago I ordered some Stevia, in the form of dried leaves, after coming across it and reading a bit about it. It sounded very interesting and, if the highlights of some of the things I read is true (i.e. no known/recorded side effects & several impressive medicinal benefits) then I seriously doubt I'll be regretting that decision.

I most definitely want to take advantage of the antioxidants present in the teas, but the statement "Antioxidants could be damaged by heat..." sorta concerns me. Minsc, do you have a reference for the above statement? If so, I would be very interested to read up on it.

[aSearchingSoul]

On the contrary, no erythema was observed in any of the six subjects on black tea gel applied sites. Therefore, it was concluded that black tea gel protected the skin from a broad range UV (200–400 nm) radiation. The black tea gel can be safely applied in large amounts on large skin surfaces without any toxicological concerns.

Yay!

beautyscientist, thanks for the study link, enjoyed that info.

[impaul99]

I was a heavy tea drinker. However, on my new diet I only drink water.

Why? Because the tea I like is Earl Grey with caffeine and that's not good for you. Secondly, I like to make the tea really strong and put a crapload of sugar in it and that's really bad for you.

Sugar without tea tastes like crap to me, so I won't drink it. I've tried green teas, fruit teas, etc. It just doesn't taste good without sugar or honey.

I'll just stick with water and get my anti-oxidants from fruits and veggies.

[aSearchingSoul]

impaul99, I agree about tea tasting like crap with no sugar. It's this reason I will now use Stevia instead of sugar. Do you know if this has any potential negative effects from using Stevia in place of sugar for tea/cooking? From what I've read so far no one seems to know of any. Though, I must admit, I'm not 100% sold on that just yet.

[eblight]

I've read that Stevia helps with pancreatic functioning and is safe to take. However, having used Stevia powder both in tea, smoothies and cooking I notice that it has quite a strong after taste. Some purists would recommend drinking pure water only without any additives such as tea. Some teas can have a diuretic affect. I enjoy green tea and drink that along with several glasses of water a day.