Health & Wellbeing

We Should Definitely Drink More Tea Than Coffee...

Shai K.

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It's safe to say that most people you ask will say that if they had to choose between tea and coffee, they would choose coffee hands down. This may be because its rich taste and high caffeine content gives us a boost that keeps us going. However, most of the time you should drop that cup of coffee and pick up a cup of hot and fragrant tea, and we'll tell you why!

1. Tea Hydrates the Body
Although coffee is also considered a hydrating liquid, tea has the added benefit of being hot water with tea flavoring. This means that it is much more beneficial to sit down and have a cup of tea because the beverage hydrates your body immediately. With coffee, it takes time for the water to be absorbed because it is so well mixed.

2. Serious Health Benefits
In a number of scientific studies it has been shown that tea can reduce the chances of certain kinds of cancers and diseases. This fact mostly applies to green tea, which has been glorified in many areas of Asia as the reason for their lean figure and better bill of health. Coffee does have some beneficial antioxidants, but not more than a cup of tea can provide.

3. Tea Keeps You Going Longer
The adamant coffee drinker will interject here that tea may be healthier than coffee, but it can't compare when it comes to caffeine levels. This, it seems, is actually a myth. It has been shown that tea actually has the same amount of caffeine as coffee, but has less of a depressing effect on energy levels over time. The energy boost given by tea is much more likely to last longer. When you drink coffee, you get a large and quick dose of caffeine that causes your energy levels to drop at the same speed. Tea, however, has just as much caffeine, but because it is absorbed slower, it will reduce over a longer period of time too. If you need a drink to keep going throughout the day, drink tea instead of coffee.

4. More Antioxidant Power
The other thing an avid coffee drinker might tell you is that coffee contains more antioxidants than tea. It appears that this too is an untrue. Companies now put good antioxidants into things like tea to improve their health benefits, so coffee does not always have more antioxidants than tea.

5. Tea is a Great Weight loss Tool
Recent Research has shown that green tea may be a tremendous weight loss aid. Not only does it help kick-start your metabolism, but it also contains virtually no calories so it is a great substitute for soft drinks and the like. In comparison to any drink with added sugar - including coffee - tea is less likely to affect your waistline.

6. Improves Dental Health
In truth, excessive amounts of either tea and coffee aren't good for your dental health, and are especially bad for the whiteness of your teeth. However, in a straight choice between the two, it is best to choose tea. Drinking a cup or two of tea a day will keep your levels of fluoride normal without any discoloration, while a few cups of coffee means even less fluoride and more discoloration.

7. Aids Bone Health
In a new Australian study it was found that people who drank tea on a regular basis had stronger bones and were less likely to develop osteoporosis thanks to high levels of tea catechins. A separate study found that drinking tea can also promote healthy bone formation. There aren't any positive things to say about coffee and bones, in fact your grandmother probably told you that drinking coffee too early could stunt your growth!

8. Helps Reduce Stress
Ahhh...That's the best word to describe the feeling of drinking a hot cup of tea. Unlike coffee that makes you jittery and puts you on high alert, tea soothes and relaxes your brain. There must be a reason why it is used by so many cultures as a bonding tool!

9. Gives Your Immune System a Boost!
Although tea will most likely not cure you of the flu, it flushes the bug out of your system and will improve your immune system so you won't get sick in the future. This also depends on what kind of tea you are drinking. One cup of regular Earl Grey tea most likely won't do you that much good, but a cup of ginger or honey and lemon tea will do the trick!

So remember the many health benefits of tea the next time you think about pouring yourself a cup of coffee!