Dear rebuffing the munchies with tea,

You pose an interesting question. Did you know that herbal teas do not originate from the same plant as the beverages we normally refer to as "tea"? Black, green, and oolong teas all come from the Camellia sinensis plant. Herbal teas, on the other hand, are brewed from flowers, leaves, and roots of plants other than Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas usually contain no caffeine, and therefore "count" towards your daily water needs. If you started drinking herbal tea as opposed to going dry, you've improved your fluid balance.
Is it healthy to drink tea instead of eat? Well, that really depends. If you find that going for a cup of tea helps you curb snacking when you're not hungry anyway, then go right ahead. Sometimes people confuse thirst with hunger. If you find you are drinking a lot of herbal tea, vary the type, so as not to overdo any one food or herb.

If you really are hungry, and it's time for a meal or a snack, eliminating the food in favor of a beverage is not such a good idea. Ignoring your hunger only puts you more out of touch with your body's signals. If you put off eating by drinking tea, you may be famished by mealtime. At that point, it may be difficult to control the amount you eat.

A healthy eating plan includes a wide variety of foods in reasonable amounts: lots of different fruits and veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, legumes, lean meats, fish, and poultry, and heart-healthy fats (e.g., monounsaturated from olive and canola oils). If sipping herbal tea helps you keep your intake of snack or junk food to a minimum, fine. If you like a little sweetness, honey has no health advantages over table sugar.

Lastly, let's de-bunk the myth that drinking water makes you gain weight. Unless you are drinking highly sweetened beverages, water contains no calories. Water by itself doesn't cause weight gain in the form of body fat. Our bodies are between 40 - 60 percent water, most of it in lean body tissue. Drinking sufficient water aids digestion, and along with dietary fiber, prevents constipation. It can dilute the concentration of excess sodium in the body, and can help reduce fluid retention. Drinking an adequate amount of water actually helps weight control efforts — it does not inhibit them! Plus, withholding water in an attempt to reduce body weight leads to dehydration, which can cause difficulty concentrating, fatigue, weakness, kidney stones, and even more severe conditions.

Alice

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