All youcoffee-lovers out there are probably rolling your eyes right nowthinking that nothing in this world will make you say ‘no’ tothat morning cup of joe, but there are a few facts that just mightshift your opinion a bit. It’s true that coffee gives you a greatboost and frankly speaking it tastes great, especially infused withmilky froth and spices, but there are a few drawbacks that outweighwhatever benefits drinking coffee might have. One way to get a bitof a caffeine boost without stained teeth, digestive problems, anddisrupted sleep is to switch to drinking tea instead. Here are 7reasons why you should switch from coffee to tea and a few ways to doit.
Coffee isirritating
It’s not thatcoffee makes you irritated (well sometimes it does), but your stomachsurely feels every sip you take and believe me it’s not happy atall! Coffee is a known stomach irritant and caffeine is not the onlyactive component responsible for this. People with sensitive stomachsexperience pain and discomfort, sometimes even diarrhoea. Tea, on theother hand, works its magic in a much milder way and it’s almostimpossible to overdose on tea as the caffeine in it has a differentchemical structure and affects your body a bit differently.
Bye-bye whiteteeth
You can forgetall about a Hollywood-style white smile because with coffee yourteeth will always have a yellowish tint that just never goes away.Whitening is costly and most of the time hurts the enamel of yourteeth. It is true that some teas also stain your teeth, but notnearly as much as coffee. Especially if you go for lighter green,white, and some red teas.
Do you reallylike how it tastes?
There’s asimple test that will show if you really like the taste of coffee oryou simply drink it for the boost it gives you (er, that smells a bitlike addiction). So, can you drink coffee without milk and sugar?Does it taste good or you can’t stand it and have to infuse yourcup of pure black coffee with something extra? If you can’t standthe thought of drinking your coffee black, it’s a sure sign thatyou don’t actually like the taste of coffee, which means you caneasily switch to some kind of tea.
Coffee makesyou jittery
Some people aremore sensitive than others, but as a rule if you overdose on coffeeand the caffeine it contains – you’ll feel quite awful, alljittery, jumpy and there might even be some stomach spasms thatsignal that coffee isn’t actually good for you. It’s best to takea break from this drink and try a milder substitute like Rooibos orMate, which are known for their energizing properties.
Theine andcoffeine are like heaven and hell
Both tea andcoffee are great psychostimulants, but each of them affects you in adifferent way. Caffeine in coffee hits you abruptly like a train andwhen its effect is gone you feel great physical discomfort. Theine intea is much milder (3 cups of tea are equivalent to 1 cup of coffee),it works its magic slowly and energizes you for a longer period oftime. Green tea is also packed with antioxidants, so it’s actuallyhealthy to drink it and it’s much harder to overdose on tea than itis on coffee.
Coffee boostsanxiety
Being a highlystimulating drink, coffee destroys whatever peace and quiet of mindyou managed to gather and sends you into a rush of excitement,heightened emotions, and anxiety. If you have a tendency toexperience anxiety in any form, coffee will surely bring it up to thesurface, it reduces levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that isresponsible for your good mood. The less you have it, the moredepressed and anxious you are. Some teas, on the contrary, have acalming effect, so depending on your mood or needs you can usedifferent teas, blends, or herbs to boost your health.
Types of teasto drink instead of coffee
If you like your caffeine strong, you can opt for Guayusa – this tea packs almost the same amount of caffeine and will give you a mild, but strong boost. Yerba Mate is yet another drink that has a highly rejuvenating and energizing effect. Shou Pu-erh tea, when brewed properly, looks much like coffee and has a taste that is a bit similar, but there is less caffeine in it. Among other coffee-like substitutes you can try: houjicha, roasted Oolong, white tea, etc.
