Coffee is what most people reach for in the morning. A study commissioned by the National Coffee Association published in 2018 found that 64 percent of the nation drinks at least one cup of coffee every day. However, coffee is not the only choice for morning caffeine, green teas are a good way to get that boost to start your day. It also has plenty of health benefits that will improve your well-being. Here are 5 benefits of replacing your morning coffee with green tea.
You Ingest Less Caffeine
Coffee has a lot more caffeine than green tea, according to Brigitte Zeitlin, RD., coffee has about 100 milligrams in an eight-ounce cup compared to about 30 milligrams you would get in green tea. The amount of caffeine you ingest from green tea also depends on the variety you choose. Whether it involves leaf tips or buds, or if it’s powdered or uses whole leaves. If you stick to the non-powdered varieties of green tea, your caffeine intake will drop. “If you drink a lot of coffee, you may get headaches when you try to cut back,” says Edo Paz, M.D. Switching from coffee to green tea may not cause symptoms of caffeine withdrawal, because it still has some caffeine, your body might just need time to adjust.
Helps with Anxiety and Sleeping Issues
By switching from coffee to green tea, you are cutting back on caffeine that can be affecting your anxiety and sleep schedule, especially if you happen to be sensitive to caffeine. People who are sensitive to caffeine my experience, “anxiety, insomnia, and heart effects like increased heart rate or blood pressure,” according to Ramzi Yacoub, the chief pharmacy officer at SingleCare. Switching to green tea can help with decreasing your body’s anxious response to the high amounts of caffeine in coffee. But it still has enough that it helps you get started in the morning.
Has Antioxidants
Green tea has a variety of antioxidants that have many health benefits. According to Kris Gunnars, BS, green tea contains a catechin called epigollocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) which is a natural antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage and provides other benefits. It can reduce the formation of free radicals in your body, protecting cells and molecules from damage. Free radicals play a role in aging and many types of diseases. According to Gunnars, the antioxidants can help improve brain function, fat loss, and even lower the risk of heart disease.
Good for Your Oral Health
The catechins in green tea can also help your oral health. In research published in the Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, it suggests that catechins can suppress the growth of bacteria, potentially lowering the risk of infections. So, green tea will not leave you stained teeth like coffee sometimes does. There is some evidence from studies done by the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine that suggests that green tea may also help reduce bad breath. Switching to green tea in the morning will eliminate you having morning coffee breathe.
You Can Still Reap the Benefits of Caffeine
According to Zeitlin, green tea has an amino acid, I-theanine, that has been linked to improved alertness, which can help with productivity and focus. The small amounts of caffeine that you get from green tea can still benefit your productivity in the morning. “Caffeine is an effective stimulant to help improve physical performance and mental alertness,” says Yacoub. So, green tea can give you the benefits that coffee would but with less of jitters. Switching from coffee to green tea may not be easy, but the benefits are worth the try.
