You can count the tea as water and the sweetner is ok. I bought a insulated glass that has a straw in it at Wal-Mart for 5 dollars and at the beginning of the day i put ice in it and i have herbal teas several different kind truely blueberry peppermint mandarin orange are my favorites in the morning i drop the flavor of tea bag i want in the glass fill it with water and sip on it all day ! At the end of the day i empty the tea bag and start over the next day . No sweetner or anything i love it and get loads of water in ! Hope this helps ! Good luck i am here daily if i can help in anyway !