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Tea Vs. Coffee: Which beverage is a good choice?

Teaniru staff 0 comments

Tea Vs. Coffee: Know the difference

Both Coffee and Tea are healthy beverages when taken without additives. These drinks are widely consumed by Americans as a part of their daily routine.


Compare both beverages based on the impact they have on your health, caffeine content that match you daily activities and side effects that you can avoid by consuming the right amount of beverage that suit you


Caffeine in Tea Vs. Coffee

Unbrewed Tea leaves have higher caffeine than raw coffee beans, it is the brewing or preparation process that changes the caffeine levels in both coffee and tea


All types of tea, other than tea blends like fruit or herbal tea infusions contain caffeine in them.


Let us consider that US consumers drink 2 to 3 cups of Coffee or Tea in a day

 


Coffee: Caffeine content in 3 cups of brewed Coffee (711 ml) is 288 mg and caffeine content in 3 cups of Espresso is 192 mg


Tea: Caffeine content in 3 cups of brewed tea is between 84 mg to 141 mg


If you want to stay extremely active and want an instant hit of energy can prefer a small quantity of Coffee which is high in caffeine content than tea


If you want a slow boost of balanced energy without any sleeping disorders tea is the best choice


Tea scores a point for balanced caffeine intake for various types of consumers i.e, adults, seniors and people with health conditions

 



Read more about Caffeine content in beverages

 

Tea Vs. Coffee: Health Benefits Comparison

The benefits of various types of Tea and coffee have been compared head to head to help you make a clear choice of the drink you need for your day to day activities


Antioxidant Content

Both Tea and Coffee are rich in antioxidant content, mostly polyphenols. 


White Tea, Hibiscus Tea and Green Tea which are less processed have a high level of antioxidants such as catechins, flavonoids, and tannins


Unroasted or blonde roasted Robusta Coffee Beans contains equal or two times the antioxidant content present in medium or strongly roasted Arabica beans


Majority of the American population prefer Coffee with Cream and Sugar which can dilute antioxidant absorption in your body. Cold brew coffee is also preferred a lot by consumers


Steeping Tea for a long time can also reduce antioxidant activity hence shorter steeping time is recommended for White and Black Tea


It is not a common practice for US consumers to drink tea mixed with milk or added sweetening agents which is a very healthy practice to get the most antioxidant contents into your system


Coffee cannot be consumed a lot as it may cause an increase in blood pressure levels, insomnia and also an increase in heart rate giving you a tense feeling


You can have more cups of Tea than two cups of coffee to get the most antioxidants out of briefly infused Tea


Tea is the winner when it comes to Antioxidant absorption for health

 


 

Dietary Fiber

A study about the presence of dietary fiber in brewed coffee (filter, soluble and espresso) states that there is 1.12 to 1.77 grams of soluble dietary fiber in 237 ml - 240 ml of coffee (1 standard cup)


The dietary fibre content in coffee is higher than less to no fiber content in brewed tea


Coffee is the winner for having fiber content that can help in digestion

 



Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes

Coffee contains chlorogenic acid (CGA) which improves blood sugar control in the body when consumed regularly


Tea does not contain chlorogenic acid but it contains other polyphenols that regulates blood sugar levels in your body and also prevent Type 2 diabetes


This is a point for both Tea and Coffee

 


Energy, Stress levels & Focus

Coffee has high caffeine content and gives you instant energy and increases alertness and reduces tiredness


The instant boost of energy gives you focus to do physical and mental tasks but can be addictive


Tea has lower caffeine but it has L-theanine which reduces your stress levels and has a relaxing and calming effect that boost your energy smoothly and helps you stay sharp


Tea is the winner as it provides a combo or caffeine and L-theanine to stimulate your brain activity and calm your body.

 



Prevention of Heart diseases

Drinking too much coffee can affect your overall health but there are no conclusive studies to show the direct relationship between coffee and heart health


According to a research in 2021 drinking moderate amount of coffee without additives (1 or 2 cups) regularly helps control blood pressure and cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of having a heart failure or irregular heartbeats


Drinking 3 to 5 cups of tea (green, black, or oolong) regularly can have an anti-inflammatory (self healing) effect on your body especially if there is added cinnamon in tea.


Tea reduces blood pressure, prevents formation of blood clots and according to this research which helps improve blood flow preventing any chances of heart disease, stroke or failure


It is a draw for both Coffee and Tea here

 




Weight loss

Coffee contains caffeine that increases metabolism (conversion of food to energy) and promotes high physical or mental activity that helps you in weight loss


Tea contains flavonoids that also improves metabolism in your body and helps in weight loss


US consumers tend to add sugar and dairy products more with coffee than tea and this can increase calorie intake and affect your weight loss progress. Coffee is also dependant on too much caffeine for weight loss

Tea is the clear winner here

 


 

Cancer Risks

 Coffee can help reduce the risks of cancer but can cause side effects during actual cancer treatment. Cancer patients must consult their doctors regarding consumption of coffee during treatment


Tea prevents the spread of cancer cells (anti-proliferative effect) and also can be consumed by cancer patients only when their doctors allow them to take it as they may reduce the effects of chemotherapy treatment


Both coffee and tea act as preventive measures to reduce the risks of various types of cancers but cancer patients must consult their healthcare professional before drinking any beverage


Draw again for both coffee and tea

 



Brain Activity and Diseases

Caffeine content in coffee can always help keep the brain active and helps prevent diseases like Alzheimers or Parkinsons


Coffee is more helpful than Tea in avoiding brain degenerative diseases like dementia due to the higher caffeine content


Coffee is a winner here



Side Effects: Tea Vs. Coffee

  • Pregnancy: For Pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers the maximum amount of caffeine content recommended is less than 200 milligrams per day so Tea is a much suitable drink for them. 

  • Always consult your doctor or a healthcare expert for their opinion regarding consumption of beverages to avoid pregnancy complications


  • Disease Interactions: Drinking a lot of coffee everyday can cause bone fractures more in women than men so people with osteoporosis or other bone diseases must follow the advice of their doctors when drinking beverages

  • High Caffeine intake can cause insomnia (sleep disorder) and tense feelings so the amount of coffee or tea that you drink while you have any disease or disorder must be as per the advice of your healthcare professional


  • Dietary problems: Adding sugar, cream, milk or other artificial sweeteners with coffee or tea during a regular drink can increase your calorie intake. 

  • Adding sugar or cream in small quantities with your favorite drink occasionally is a good dietary habit


    It is a draw for both Tea and Coffee here

     

    The Winner is Tea

    Tea is the winner when it comes to overall health improvement and balanced caffeine and calorie intake. 


    If you are a person who loves to improve overall health than an instant reward system your choice is tea


    Coffee with its high caffeine has its advantages and disadvantages, the boost of instant rewarding feeling can be the choice of those who do intense physical or mental work

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