Green Tea Vs Coffee – The Dichotomy of Caffeine.
Caffeine has become an essential jumpstart to every individual’s day, so much so that without it many of us struggle to get through the day. With our level of dependency on this many of us are forced to look for healthier options for the consumption of caffeine. With a healthy lifestyle taking a front seat in our lives many of us are starting to be mindful of our caffeine choices. The most common caffeine fixes preferred are either green tea or coffee. So is one healthier than the other? Let's explore, shall we?
So, What does Caffeine do for you?
Consumed mainly for mental alertness caffeine is a chemical that functions as a stimulant. It's found in popular beverages like coffee, tea, cola and helps you on those groggy mornings. Caffeine is also known to lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia. Other benefits include improvement of memory, a boost in metabolism, and alleviation of fatigue and headaches. However, like everything in life, it's advisable to consume caffeine in moderation and have downsides as well. Too much consumption of caffeine leads to side effects like heartburn, increased heart rate, and anxiety. Caffeine can be highly addicting as well and can lead to withdrawal symptoms as well. Caffeine has its own ups and downs, but with our lifestyles, we all need a caffeine fix so it's just a matter of finding a healthy way of consuming caffeine. And if we were to put coffee or green tea against each other, green tea would be the much healthier option, let's look at why.
More antioxidants in Green tea - Though coffee has a significant amount of antioxidants. However, the concentration of antioxidants in green tea is much higher. Tea is known to have Catechins, an antioxidant that also has anti-microbial properties, that help in reducing the risk of heart disease and diseases like Alzheimer's. Certain studies have suggested that the catechins present in green tea may help in reducing the risk of certain types of cancer, though more research is required to confirm it.
Better for sleep and anxiety – L-Theanine present in green tea helps in increasing alpha activity in the brain and also increases the levels of dopamine in your system, helping in the alleviation of anxiety. The caffeine content in green tea is also much lower in comparison to coffee so you can consume it after the end of a long day to unwind, without losing sleep.
No caffeine crash – Coffee drinkers experience an adrenaline rush, which eventually leads to a caffeine crash. When a caffeine high comes down, one can feel jittery and anxious which is absent for green tea drinkers. This is again because of L-Theanine present in green tea which is an amino acid and helps you avoid the sudden caffeine crash. L-Theanine also helps to increase the neurotransmitter activity in our brains called GABA, which helps you be calm and reduce anxiety levels. Caffeine and L-Theanine together help in improving brain functioning and also increase dopamine production.
Better Gut health – If you suffer from acid reflux, heartburn, or gastrointestinal problems, coffee may not be ideal. Coffee is more acidic and can aggravate these problems, whereas green tea on the other hand promotes building metabolism. ECGG, a catechin in green tea, has anti-inflammatory benefits which aid colitis and other IBD issues.
Though both Coffee and Green tea are perfect caffeine fixes, coffee is more popular because of its amazing taste and flavor. Green tea on the other hand can be an acquired taste and will take a while before you learn to love it. The right amount of coffee has tons of benefits but it's difficult to kick off an addiction to coffee and the process could have short-term negative effects on your body. So a lower level of caffeine that green tea has is better for your health in the long term.
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