Tea or coffee in the morning: which is better?
Whatever your morning ritual, chances are a cup of coffee or a mug of tea is part of it. We previously wondered whether drinking coffee on an empty stomach was bad for you; now we’re curious about what is actually better for you in the morning: coffee or tea?
Whether you knock back a strong espresso after getting up or around breakfast, or prefer to cautiously sip a steaming cup of chamomile tea, probably has a lot to do with whether you need a kick or rather some calm in the morning. And as for whether one is worse than the other, this doctor and dietitian have the following to say:
Excitable types
According to dietitian Tamar Samuels, a (large) 240 ml cup of black coffee contains around 95 milligrams of caffeine. The same amount of black tea contains 48 mg (theine), and green tea 29 mg. Quite a difference, then. But how your body responds to it obviously depends, according to Samuels, on the physical, mental and genetic makeup of the person drinking it. People who are constantly stressed do not respond well to caffeine, she says. Cortisol levels are already high in the morning, and caffeine can raise them even further, meaning you may not be able to calm down for the rest of the day, according to Samuels. She recommends that these people, if they cannot do without the taste of coffee, drink decaf and definitely eat something with it.
You know best
Dr. Kimberley Langdon confirms that, in general, caffeine affects the central nervous system in various ways. Some people respond to it better than others, and the only way to find out is simply to try it and pay attention to how you feel after a cup of coffee, tea or herbal tea. According to both experts, there is no clear-cut answer to what is better for you, because it depends on who is drinking it. You will be the best judge of the effects, so whether you find that an XL latte or rather a refined cup of Japanese sencha tea does you good: you do you!
Read also:
- Have scientists made coffee even better?
- Coffee first, then breakfast? You’ll regret it!
- 3 common misconceptions about tea
Source: Huffington Post
