One study asked people to drink four cups of coffee or tea throughout the day. Both beverages had similar effects on alertness and cognitive performance. But the tea had one big advantage over coffee: It had enough caffeine to aid performance, but not so much that it disrupted sleep. Score one for tea!
What's the better choice, coffee or tea? “Neither is particularly harmful, and both offer an abundance of potential health benefits. Like most things in life, it comes down to portion control and individual preference,” Bollig said. If you aren't sensitive to caffeine, both are considered healthy.
Antioxidants. Coffee has its advantages, but tea wins in the war of the antioxidants. While green tea is most commonly associated with antioxidants, white tea actually contains more. Coffee also contains antioxidants, but in a much lower concentration than white tea.
“Tea has caffeine and L-theanine that increases alertness and focus of the brain. According to the study, it helps reduce cognitive decline and prevent conditions such as Alzheimer's disease,” says Sheryl Salis, nutritionist and wellness coach.
Tea provides good hydration.
Even though tea may also be caffeinated, it generally contains far less caffeine and is a good alternative to coffee. Patients should note that the benefits of tea can vary depending on the type of tea, although darker and green teas are the more beneficial varieties.
Tea can help improve your cholesterol! Many unfiltered coffee drinks including French pressed coffee or espresso contain compounds that increase your LDL, or “bad”, cholesterol. By switching to tea you can help to lower this cholesterol as well as hopefully impress your doctor at your next physical!
Black tea is often considered the best alternative to coffee thanks to the flavor, however a standard cup is quite low in caffeine. That's why Zest black tea is more comparable to a cup of coffee - we use additional tea extract to naturally boost the caffeine levels in each serving.
Best for overall health: green tea
When it comes to tea, green tea gets the gold. “Green tea is the champ when it comes to offering health benefits,” says Czerwony. “It's the Swiss Army knife of teas. It covers a lot of territory.”
Starting your day with tea is fine but don't let it be on an empty stomach. Make sure you eat something before your tea or you can have some nuts with your morning tea.
Numerous studies have shown that a variety of teas may boost your immune system, fight off inflammation, and even ward off cancer and heart disease. While some brews provide more health advantages than others, there's plenty of evidence that regularly drinking tea can have a lasting impact on your wellness.
Up to 400 milligrams (mg) of caffeine a day appears to be safe for most healthy adults. That's roughly the amount of caffeine in four cups of brewed coffee, 10 cans of cola or two "energy shot" drinks. Keep in mind that the actual caffeine content in beverages varies widely, especially among energy drinks.
“For most people, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy diet.” Hu said that moderate coffee intake—about 2–5 cups a day—is linked to a lower likelihood of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver and endometrial cancers, Parkinson's disease, and depression.
Healthy fats, such as avocados, olive oil, coconut oil and grass-fed butter. You also want to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated, which is important for supporting your lymphatic system and keeping your energy up, in addition to green tea, herbal tea and and coffee.
The best stress-relieving drinks include ginger, chamomile tea, valerian, black tea, coconut water, milk, green tea, coffee, lemon balm tea, water, and vegetable and fruit juice. Aromatherapy is another self-soothing practice shown to have benefits for mental health. You can read more about it here.
What are the foods that fight memory loss? Berries, fish, and leafy green vegetables are 3 of the best foods that fight memory loss. There's a mountain of evidence showing they support and protect brain health.
Offer different types of drink throughout the day such as tea, coffee, hot and cold milky drinks, fruit juice or smoothies, soup, squash and water. Make sure the cup or glass is suitable – not too heavy or a difficult shape.
In fact, studies consistently show that eating a mix of nourishing foods—fruits, vegetables, nuts, fatty fish, and yes, even a daily glass of wine—sharpens your mind, builds new brain cells and fights off mental decline.