Anshu’s Dilemma
“You should prefer coffee over tea in the morning, it is more beneficial to your health,” said Ashu’s sister.
In Ashu’s family, coffee and tea are frequently used especially in the morning breakfast and evening snack time. For them, it is a good companion to snacks like samosas and pakodas.
But Ashu needs to know whether tea or coffee has any positive impact on the health of the consumer. The comment of Ashu’s sister has now pushed him further to find the answer to which one of them is more helpful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
To find the answer about Tea vs Coffee, Ashu is again searching on Know Ur Diet to have detailed information. Let us see what he finds:
Tea or Coffee, Which one is Healthier?
One surprising fact is that Tea is the second most popular and commonly consumed beverage after water but ahead of coffee, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. Both of them are consumed with milk or without milk.
China will be the largest consumer of Tea while Turkey will be the largest consumer per capita of Tea in the world by 2024. On the other hand, the USA is the largest consumer of Coffee while Finland is the largest consumer per capita of Coffee.
Nutritional Value of Coffee & Tea
Before discussing health benefits, we need to know about the nutritional content of tea and coffee.
| S.No. | Nutrients | Tea leaves (1 cup- 240g) | Brewed Coffee (1 cup- 240g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water | 239.83g | 239g |
| 2 | Energy (calories) | 2.4kcal | 2.4 kcal |
| 3 | Protein | 0.5g | 0.288g |
| 4 | Total fats | 0.0g | 0.048g |
| 5 | Caffeine | 28.8mg | 96mg |
| 6 | Calcium | 0mg | 4.8mg |
| 7 | Iron | 0.05mg | 0.024mg |
| 8 | Potassium | 19.20mg | 118mg |
To see which one of them carries most health benefits, let us discuss them in next section.
Health Benefits of Tea & Coffee
You can not get the clarity about which beverage is better out of Coffee vs Tea without comparing their health benefits.
Health Benefits of Tea
Tea as a beverage is prepared by crushing tea leaves and you can make different variants by adding other spices and herbs. Tea with milk is the preferred form that is favourite of every age group. Let us see what are the major health benefits of Tea:
“Tea is the elixir of life.”
– Lao Tzu
Loaded with Antioxidants
An important health benefit of taking tea is that it carries antioxidants such as Flavonoids. They are essential because they protect the cells from the free radicals. These scavenging radicals can damage cells and tissues and become a primary cause of chronic diseases.
Tea is also associated with the rise of the antioxidant-carrying capacity of human blood. This is crucial to protect DNA biomolecules from any oxidative damage. These antioxidants are mostly available in black and green tea variants.
Heart Friendly
One of the least-known facts about tea is that it is good for the heart. Studies in Western countries have proved that the consumption of tea on a regular basis can help to reduce the risk of heart-related diseases and boost good cholesterol levels.
One particular research has even concluded that having tea variants specifically green and black can slow down the aging of heart cells. Also, it indicated that unsweetened tea can assist in reducing blood sugar levels, preventing type-2 diabetes.
Aids Digestion
Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, tea is helpful in controlling stomach inflammation. Also, tea can relax the digestive tract to reduce the chances of bloating, constipation and gas.
Senna tea and peppermint tea are the most effective in this regard. They both have cooling effects that can help you in relaxing the intestinal muscles. But avoid adding milk as this can reverse the effect and can accelerate gastric issues.
Effective in Mental Health
Tea has a soothing effect on brain functioning. One of the major impacts of tea is that it can aid in preventing depression. Recent research has shown that tea carries phytochemicals that are responsible for reducing the risk of depression and anxiety.
Tea has mood-boosting properties that make it good for mental health. But at the same time, certain studies have indicated that caffeine in tea can cause anxiety and even stimulate other psychotic symptoms like restlessness and insomnia.
No doubt that regular consumption can have a lot of health benefits of tea but you should maintain that it should not be more than 2-3 cups a day. Prefer having tea without milk.
Let us discuss some health benefits of coffee as well to make the comparison more appropriate.
Health Benefits of Coffee
Most of us consider coffee a better substitute but to reach any conclusion, we need to go through its health benefits. It is recommended by the FDA that an adult should limit coffee intake to 2-3 cups.
“Coffee is a language in itself.”
– Jackie Chan
Boost up Energy Levels
You might have heard your parents suggesting you have a cup of coffee if you are feeling dizzy and fatigued. As per the FDA, 225g of a single cup of coffee carries 80-100 milligrams of caffeine.
Caffeine is associated with blocking adenosine receptors. These receptors are responsible for managing the sleep-wake cycle. An increase in the adenosine can slow down the activity of the brain due to which you can feel dizzy and lethargic.
Rich in Nutrients
Similar to tea, coffee also contains a lot of nutritional value. Black coffee that does not have milk or sugar is a great drink because it is low in calories, carbs and fats. Certain studies have shown that snacks flavoured with coffee are a much healthier option than others.
If you are a person who is regular gym goer or wants to develop muscles then you should have coffee in your diet. One cup of black coffee carries 0.3g of Protein. You can increase the protein content by adding milk or milk alternatives to it.
Lowers the risk of Chronic Diseases
Coffee and tea both are a good source of caffeine and studies have found that moderate consumption of caffeine is helpful against chronic diseases. Unsweetened black coffee is a great beverage to prevent type-2 diabetes.
Similarly, research has also shown that coffee can lower the risk of having cardiovascular diseases. However, this claim is conflicting due to the presence of caffeine which is also associated with causing heart diseases.
Enhances Mood
It is common that whenever anyone feels low, they prefer to have a cup of coffee for a change in mood. This is because caffeine in coffee works as a mood booster. There is sufficient research to prove that having a dose of 200mg of caffeine can elevate your mood.
Having a cup of black coffee in your morning routine can give you a great start to the day in a good mood. Secondly, regular consumption of coffee can reduce the chances of having mental issues like dementia, Perkinson’s disease and cognitive decline.
If you want to elevate the benefits of these drinks, have a balanced diet full of Fruits & Vegetables.
Medicinal uses of Tea & Coffee
Due to these health benefits coffee and tea, both have certain medicinal uses that are helpful against mild illnesses and health conditions.
Medicinal uses of Tea
Let us discuss some uses of tea that you can enjoy by adding tea to your regular diet.
Stress Reliever
One major reason why tea is consumed so widely is that it is a great stress reliever. If you are in a stressful situation then tea is a great option to get comfortable.
Herbal teas especially chamomile and lavender tea are great to have lower stress levels. You can even have tea in the late night to end your stressful day with a good sleep.
Digestive issues
Since early ages, tea has been used as a natural remedy against many gut-related problems. A cup of unsweetened tea can give relief from nausea, vomiting, heartburn and even indigestion.
Ginger tea, Chamomile tea and Peppermint tea are the best variant options that you can have to pacify your digestion problems.
Cold & Cough
As winter is on the doorstep, viral infections will be prevalent throughout the neighbourhood. Here, you can rely on a cup of warm tea to get relief from a cough.
Honey, Ginger and Peppermint tea are the best options to tackle the problem of coughing. They can also help you in the condition of sore throat.
Medicinal Uses of Coffee
Similar to tea, coffee is also helpful against stress and nausea but there are other uses of coffee that we need to discuss:
Anti-ageing properties
If you are facing the problem of aging then coffee is your problem solver. Caffeine in coffee can stimulate blood circulation in your skin cells. This revitalises your skin and makes it more youthful and vibrant.
You just need to buy skin care products based on coffee or you can make coffee-based skin care masks and scrubs at home.
Removes Eye Puffiness
One of the least-known uses of coffee powder is that you can use it to remove swallowing or puffing beneath your eyes. Antioxidants in coffee especially tannin can release the excessive fluid deposited near the eyes.
Again, just prepare a skin mask by using coffee powder and add honey as well to make it more beneficial for the skin. Apply the mask on a daily basis to get faster results.
Stimulates Hair Growth
If you are suffering from hair loss then coffee can help you in the process of regrowth. Caffeine is considered a DHT blocker, a hormone responsible for baldness in males. Caffeine is also associated with the growth of hair follicles especially in females.
Coffee Rinse is the best way to get the benefits of coffee for healthy hair. In this process, you need to spray brewed coffee on the hair once it is cooled and then wash the hair after 20 minutes of application.
Side Effects of Tea and Coffee
If there are a good number of health benefits of tea and coffee then there are certain side effects as well. We will discuss these downsides that you can have due to the over-consumption of tea and coffee.
Side Effects of Tea
As per research, a person should limit their daily tea consumption to 2-3 cups daily. There are side effects of over-consumption of tea:
Caffeine Dependency
If you are taking tea more than the recommended cups regularly, then you will become caffeine-dependent. Now, if you want to cut down even a small quantity of intake, it can lead to discomfort for the whole day and you will feel lethargic and sleepy.
Dehydration
Although tea is a great drink to start a day, you should have moderate intake because of its diuretic effect. So, when you have a high consumption of tea it can cause dehydration by fastening of water loss from the body.
Digestive issues
Taking tea with sugar and milk can accelerate gut problems such as gas, indigestion and bloating. At the same time, milk tea can also have caffeine that is responsible for dehydration, which can cause constipation as well.
Side Effects of Coffee
Similar to tea, overconsumption of coffee can also have health implications and some of them are:
Insomnia
One of the major side effects of having coffee is that you suffer from sleeplessness. Caffeine in the coffee can disturb your sleep-wake cycle if you take it before bedtime. It is advised to avoid having coffee in the evening.
Fast Heartbeat
A high intake of coffee can lead to the uncontrolled rise of adrenaline in the blood due to caffeine. This will cause an increased rate of heartbeat and blood pressure. If you are already a patient of high blood pressure then you should avoid coffee.
Muscle Tremors
If you have excess caffeine intake, it can cause muscle spasms, headaches and twitches. Caffeine can make your whole body shake or feel jittery. Regular drinking of Coffee can worsen muscle tremors.
Conclusion
Thanks to Know Your Diet, Anshu is now aware of which particular beverage Tea or Coffee is better. In this battle of healthy beverages, Anshu concluded that coffee and tea both are effective in their own way.
Anshu has decided that whenever he feels dizzy or fatigued he must have a cup of black coffee and if he is suffering from any mild health conditions like nausea, cold and cough then black or green tea is a great option.
But at the same time, he is cautious about having only a moderate intake of these caffeine-based drinks because he may face certain health problems on taking more than recommended cups.
