Coffee and tea are an essential part of most people's morning routine or evening wind down. Everyone has that one friend that “can not live” without their coffee in the morning. But at the end of the day, what are you actually putting into your body?
While there have been various studies in the past showing how caffeinated beverages can be harmful to our health, the new consensus is that coffee and tea are generally safe to consume and offer a variety of health benefits. But that still begs the question, between the two of them, is coffee or tea better for you?
Coffee Versus Tea
When it comes to coffee vs tea, there are alot of things that separate the two beverages. Coffee tends to provide a quicker buzz while tea offers consistent energy throughout the day.
Similarly, both tea and coffee contain some amount of caffeine and antioxidants. However coffee tends to offer more caffeine than tea does.
Caffeine Intake
Caffeine is a stimulant that offers the awake and energized feeling associated with coffee or tea.
Studies have shown that people who consume a moderate amount of caffeine have a lower risk for Type 2 Diabetes. They are also said to be less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and some forms of cancer.
Caffeine In Coffee Vs Tea
The general rule of thumb is that people can safely intake up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.
When it comes to coffee vs tea caffeine, one cup of coffee has roughly 90 to 100 milligrams of caffeine while one cup of tea only will contain around 30 to 50 milligrams of caffeine.
Coffee Vs Black Tea Caffeine
What's the approximate ratio of caffeine in coffee vs black tea caffeine? Coffee will have two to three times the caffeine amount when compared to a similar sized cup of black tea.
Green Tea Vs Coffee Caffeine Amount
Another popular question is “does green tea or coffee have more caffeine? Coffee has more than three times the amount of caffeine than green tea offers. An 8 ounce coffee has close to 96 milligrams of caffeine while an 8 ounce cup of green tea will only have around 19 milligrams.
Keep in mind that there are alot of factors that go into caffeine measurements and potency. Everyone's caffeine tolerance is different as well and plays a big role in how someone feels the effects of caffeine.
It's important to remember tea vs coffee caffeine amounts, especially for pregnant women that want to consume these beverages. The effects of high caffeine intake can play a role in birth defects and pregnancy issues. So in that regard, it's worth talking to a healthcare professional if you‘re pregnant and wanting to consume any caffeine.
Remember that decaffeinated coffee or tea still will have trace amounts of caffeine in them. Unless it says caffeine free, assume that there is caffeine within the beverage.
Tea Vs Coffee
Tea, having less caffeine than coffee, will still provide a longer sustained boost in energy than coffee. This happens because tea contains L-theanine.
This is a chemical that allows your body to metabolize caffeine over a longer period of time than coffee. Both coffee and tea improve cognitive performance and attention. But those that consume tea with L-theanine did better on attention tests.
Is Coffee Or Tea More Acidic?
If you suffer from acid reflux you already understand the pain of drinking or consuming acidic foods and beverages.
If you think that tea is more acidic than coffee you’d be right, right? Wrong.
A cup of black tea is less acidic than a cup of coffee. On a ph scale, black tea was found to have a ph of 6.37 while coffee had a ph of 5.35. But on the other hand, a cup of lemon tea ends up being more acidic than a cup of coffee.
This is because the acidity level is dependent on where the tea or coffee comes from, steeping time/brewing time, amount of water, type of tea & more. There are lots of different types of coffee and tea from all over the world and they all have different properties, even if they are the same type.
Is Caffeine Dehydrating? | Are Coffee And Tea Diuretics?
Drinking beverages that contain caffeine does not cause fluid loss. Most caffeinated drinks will have diuretic effects but do not increase the risk of dehydration. With that being said, yes, coffee and tea are both considered to be a diuretic, causing the drinker to have to use the bathroom a bit more frequently than normal.
Does Tea Or Coffee Stain Teeth More?
There's nothing fun about stains on your teeth. When pearly whites start to look tan and caramelized, people tend to look for answers. While it's tempting to blame that change in color on coffee, it could actually be from tea.
Tea is said to stain your teeth much more than coffee. Both coffee and tea contain tannins which cause tooth color discoloration. Whether it's an acidic tea or coffee, the acids soften tooth enamel which provides tannins with a surface to easily stick to.
The reason that tea is worse for your teeth than coffee is because tea has a higher level of tannins than coffee. This results in more teeth stains. Typically the darker your tea is the more potential it has to stain your teeth.
Is Tea Or Coffee Better For You?
Coffee is said to have cancer fighting antioxidants, has a high amount of caffeine and is supposedly good for heart health. On the other hand, tea has less caffeine than coffee and tea offers more antioxidants than coffee.
Antioxidants reduce inflammation, lowering someone's risk for chronic diseases and cancers.
So between the two, which one is better for you?
We’re going to have to say tea. Both plain coffee and tea offer health benefits. What is added to either can play a big role as well as to which is going to be better for you.
When it comes to coffee, there’s often a lot of creams, sugars and flavors added which lower its overall health appeal. But the same does apply to tea as some drink their tea with cream, whip or sugar.
From a plain (tea or coffee) standpoint, tea is much better than coffee. There are alot of different teas (herbal or not) that can provide countless benefits for your body and overall well being.
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