Ekdog

According to this article from the BBC, it's better for you to drink tea than water, and it's a myth that it's dehydrating, so maybe I'll start filling up my water bottles with it before going out for a ride.

BBC NEWS | Health | Tea 'healthier' drink than water

no1mad 

Note that the study was funded by the Tea Council, so I'd take the findings with a grain of salt.

However, my wife and I have pretty much transitioned from soda to sweet ice tea.

CliffordK

I have chosen to decrease caffeine in my diet.

It seems like one is always trying to catch up with caffeine intake, rather than actually gaining an edge.

I believe (high does of) caffeine gives me an arrhythmia, although the data on that seems to be mixed. So, I decided that I had a choice to either cut out caffeine, or start taking rat poison. I decided to cut out the caffeine. It also aggravates hand tremors.

Wesley36

Listen, if cutting back on caffeine makes you feel better, fantastic, you will probably save money drinking plain water.

But it has been clearly and repeatedly shown that caffeine has a different effect on different people, and part of this is due to genetic variation.

Peer-reviewed scientific article
Genetics of caffeine consumption and responses to caffeine. - PubMed - NCBI

An article that will be easier to read:
Coffee in the genes? New genetic variants associated with coffee drinking -- ScienceDaily

On the whole, the balance of research suggests that moderate caffeine consumption is a net health benefit to most people, but definitely not all people. What is clear is that blanket statements like "aggravates hand tremors" (without qualifying that this applies to a small subset of the population), or that "one is always trying to catch up with caffeine intake, rather than actually gaining an edge" is not true, at least not to the public at large.

From the article above:

Ekdog

Good point. I hadn't noticed that.

achoo

B-b-b-b-but it was on BBC!!!

And no, salty tea is nasty.

OldTryGuy

Tea can also reduce dietary iron absorption.....Effect of tea and other dietary factors on iron absorption. - PubMed - NCBI

no1mad 

Yeah, the article linked to in the OP advised it was best to avoid tea at meal time. I typically have water w/lemon wedge when dining out, but not because I'm worried about iron absorption.

wolfchild

The only people who have issues with iron absorption are vegans who don't eat any animal products. Drinking few cups of tea per day isn't a problem if you're getting your iron from animal foods. I have been drinking a lot of very strong black tea my whole life and never had any problems.

McRussellPants

Lol, you and your weirdo anti vegan vendetta.

Iron is super easy to come by, if you're gonna go bonkers about non-heme then eat an orange and an extra handful of spinach.

elcruxio

And some women maybe? Ever heard of a miraculous phenomenon called the period? Or anemia? Or both at the same time?
It's time to realize in this world that your personal anecdote is of no useful value in any discussion such as this. It's the same as I would say that since I've never had cancer, it's not a problem for anyone but a group of people I personally dislike for their life choices.

Ekdog

What a bizarre obsession you have with veganism! This thread has nothing to with that.

wolfchild

Actually I have a bizarre obsession with tea. I always make sure that I have tea in my home.
I would rather run out of beer and coffee the run out of tea....I always bring a thermos of tea with me when I commute to work or whenever I do a recreational ride. I leave the tea bag in there all day and let it get really strong, then dilute it with little bit of water and just keep sipping on it all day long. I don't know if all the health benefits are true or not but I am sure it's a lot healthier then all those crappy sports/energy drinks out here.

Ekdog

That sounds like a healthy obsession.

I had to ride ten kilometers in the rain this morning, and it was nice to have some nice, warm green tea in my insulated Klean Kanteen instead of the usual cold water. I brew it with steaming--not boiling--water; use the bags thrice.

Carbonfiberboy 

Tea bag! Icky, icky, icky. You might try some real tea:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MN424S/

Best tea in the world and cheap. I first tasted it in Istanbul 45 years ago.

wolfchild

Darjeeling tea is also very tasty, sometimes I buy it in bulk form instead of tea bags. Teas in bulk form are definitely better tasting then tea bags...Green and Oolong teas are nice too.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yeah, I know what Darjeeling tea is. I've been drinking tea longer than you've been alive. You're pretty funny.

Dave Cutter

I make solar tea (green) when the sun shines and the weather is decent. I fill one water bottle with it when I ride. It tastes really good and makes staying hydrated a real pleasure. I can't say that about tap water.

People have been flavoring water with various "teas" for a very long time. If there is such a thing as time tested... I'd say tea passed the test.

RickBlane

Never looked into the health side but I know what makes me feel better. Every morning I like filling one of these

Amazon.com: Prepworks from Progressive International GT-3931 Stainless Steel Mesh Tea Ball: Tea Ball Strainers: Kitchen & Dining

with this

Amazon.com : Runa Amazon Guayusa Traditional Tea, 1 Pound : Black Teas : Grocery & Gourmet Food

Ride your own path at your own pace. And remember to stop and enjoy the world now and then. There's more to a ride than the numbers (getting a little too zen ..... sorry).

OldsCOOL

I dont care what they say, no way I am believing tea is better than water. As was said in the "catching up" caffeine is highly addictive. If you dont have your normal intake you will have a headache and other detox symptoms. If you drink tea on the bike for whatever purpose, sooner or later you will need that amount when off the bike. Stay pure.

***disclaimer*** Drink tea that is non-caffeine.

GeorgeBMac

Like so many 'natural' foods, it may be 'healthy' -- until we load it up with all the junk like sugar and crème... The processed food and fast food industries make a fortune by taking a healthy food and making it extremely tasty while, at the same time making it extremely unhealthy.

Loading tea up with sugar makes it a fructose injection method -- which overloads the body's ability to metabolize that stuff and physiologically, bad things happen. The body can handle fructose in low doses that are slowly absorbed -- say from eating an apple or an orange -- but not when the fiber and other phytonutrients are stripped out and it is dissolved in a fluid for quick, fast, absorption....

But, even without the added junk, how healthy is it really? There is a pervasive reductionist movement to identify single nutrients and focus on them. Yes, tea has anti-oxidents and such that are healthy. But the health claims tend to imply that drinking (for instance) tea will then compensate for an unhealthy life style is simply incorrect. While I know that few, if any, on this forum would do that (we seem to all be conscious of the effect of lifestyle on health) -- many lay people would...

Green Tea Ice Cream anyone? That way, we will compensate for the donut we had this morning!

But, here is a well researched video-article on the effects of tea and coffee.
Coffee and Artery Function | NutritionFacts.org

I found it interesting that he pointed how coffee has over 1,000 nutrients in it that can impact the body -- both for good as well as bad...

wolfchild

So is cycling.

And what the heck does "stay pure" supposed to mean ??.

No need to go that extreme.

Wesley36

If I had to hazard a guess, I would go with:
Straight edge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

therhodeo

From one sugary drink to another?

caloso

Tea is for people who have run out of coffee.