In this series I will discuss the difference between two food items, that they are similar in nutrition profile, and people always argue which one is healthier. (Note: You can find more post like this one. Just click on “Which is healthier” category in the side bar in the home page. I’ll keep this category updated)
Tea or coffee
Tea, and coffee are the most common drinks in the whole world after water. They are full of health benefits, and bursting flavors. If you want to know health benefits for coffee in details, I dedicated two posts for coffee. I will keep writing about it for sure, whenever I have interesting news worth sharing. Here you can read about coffee how it can reduce the risk of many diseases. Also, you maybe curious to know if caffeine is addictive or not. Also, tea has its share on my blog , here is why I love tea so much , and I write another one for other interesting facts about tea. But who is the winner here? Let’s start comparing!
Calories
Tea and coffee without any add on are similar in calories. almost zero calories. But many people prefer to add sweeteners and creamers to tea and coffee. so it depends on what do you add. for example a drink like White mocha with whipped cream have 470 calories which is almost a meal. In my opinion, tea has points here. Because many variates of green teas, and herbal teas, can taken with minimal sugar, or honey, or even without any sweeteners at all. But coffee without sugar is not palatable for many without any add-on . So whose win ? Tea !
Fighting Diseases
While I was looking for studies, to support evidences that tea, and coffee can reduce risks of degenerative diseases (Cancer, diabetes Alzheimer, and others) it seems that studies for coffee are outweigh the ones for tea. According to the American cancer society although there are many promising results for green tea fighting cancer, but there are not conclusive yet. Coffee is proven to show positive results in prevention for Parkinson and Alzheimer’s and diabetes. For heart disease here is a good article, discus how coffee reputation is changed. To decide whether coffee or tea fights diseases the best? In my opinion its coffee! But remember that moderate consumption(no more than 4 cups) is very crucial for your health.
Beauty
I discussed in a previous blog post, how tea helps you look more beautiful, and radiant here. I love this comparison by youbeauty , yes its a tie between coffee and tea, but to look younger, and to have a flawless skin, and great hair; Tea is your friend! Tea is the winner here
Antioxidants
Actually both tea, and coffee have generous amounts of antioxidants. Coffee has more antioxidants per a cup. and because it is recommended to consume coffee in moderation, but you can get more antioxidants by drinking multiple cups of tea. No winner here ,It’s a tie!
Depression
Caffeine is associated with depression, it causes irritability, and mood swings for many people. Black tea has more caffeine than green tea, but In this study it shows that green tea consumption more often, is associated with depression for elderly people in Japan. But because in general coffee has more caffeine content
In the end, I want to say that actually tea, and coffee are both winners when it comes to health. If there is anyone around you still doubts the health benefits of drinking tea and coffee, just remind them of what you read here. And remember it’s always the best to drink coffee, and tea in moderation, and with less brewing time!
What do you prefer to drink , and why? Please share your comments and thoughts in the comments section below!
