5 Great Reasons to Switch From Coffee to Green Tea

Pouring a hot cup of Joe in the morning is such a deeply established habit that it is practically ingrained into western culture. Whether you drink it slowly on the front porch or pour it haphazardly into your mouth as you rush through your daily commute, it is not uncommon to be dependent on a dose of caffeine first thing in the morning. While coffee has some of its own health benefits, green tea has been proven to be a much healthier caffeine alternative. In the long term, green tea has been proven to improve brain function, boost fat loss, protect against cancer and lower the risk of heart disease. But if coffee is so rooted in your morning routine that you’re reluctant to let it go, consider some of these immediate health benefits you could reap from even a trial period of replacing your morning coffee with green tea.

1.You’ll still benefit from the advantages of caffeine while ingesting less of it.

One 250ml cup of brewed coffee contains between 80 and 200mg of caffeine. The caffeine content in one cup of green tea of the same size is around 25mg. Of course, small doses of caffeine can be very beneficial for your health; it has been proven to improve physical performance and mental alertness. In some cases, it’s even been proven to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative disease. It’s when you consume too much caffeine that it may negatively affect your day-to-day life. The stimulant properties of caffeine increase your blood pressure and heart rate, which means that it may give you what you’ll certainly know as caffeine jitters. Larger amounts of caffeine, however, may cause you to become irritable and even cause anxiety and diarrhea.

By switching your morning beverage from coffee to green tea, you can reap the long-term health benefits of caffeine, while minimizing the negative effects that accompany over-consuming it. Green tea will give you the same morning clarity and alertness, without the accompanying jitters, anxiety, sleeplessness and indigestion. 

2.You’ll improve your oral health.

Coffee is acidic, so drinking a lot of it can lead to gum damage, tooth enamel erosion, staining and bad breath. Switching from coffee to green tea can control inflammation and fight bacterial infections for your entire body, and that includes your gums and teeth.

Green tea promotes better breath because, unlike coffee, it does not cause the condition known as “xerostomia” or dry mouth. Green tea has been proven to reduce oral bacteria, which is beneficial for gum health, preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Green tea also kills the microbes that cause bad breath from minimal water intake or other factors. A study published in Oral Chemistry in 2016 found that the anti-microbial properties of green tea might reduce the risk of certain harmful bacteria building up in the mouth over time. In short, your mouth—and those people closest to you—will likely thank you for replacing your morning coffee with a cup of green tea.

3.You’ll improve your mental health.

Switching from coffee to green tea can help to improve your overall mental health in various ways. The first is through reduced caffeine intake, which can improve your sleep cycle and reduce harmful, mid-day energy crashes. As previously mentioned, reducing your caffeine intake can also reduce anxiety.

However, beyond the benefits of reduced caffeine, green tea includes the amino acid, L-Theanine, which can be extremely beneficial to our mental health in many ways.  As stated in the research carried out by Einother and Martens, 2013, L-Theanine is known to increase dopamine in the brain, induce a calming state, and improve cognitive function. These benefits can lead not only to a better mood and overall mental state but can also improve your day-to-day energy levels and productivity.

4.You’ll encourage fat loss.

When combined with a healthy diet and active lifestyle, drinking green tea can help you lose weight. While the amino acids in green tea can improve your physical performance, several studies have also suggested that the combination of the flavonoids and caffeine in green tea result in an increased metabolic rate and an increase in fat oxidation. Green tea has also been said to improve insulin activity.

The fat-burning qualities in green tea come from the combination of caffeine and antioxidants called catechins. The most important of these antioxidants is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a substance that can boost metabolism. If your goal in drinking green tea is to lose weight, consider choosing a tea with higher amounts of EGCG. To take full advantage of the benefits of these antioxidants, you may want to increase your tea’s water temperature and steeping time in order to extract more caffeine and EGCG. 

5.You’ll improve your skin.

Green tea is a skincare routine’s best friend. When compared to coffee, green tea has been found to fight acne, minimize the effects of ageing, prevent skin cancers, and can even balance your skin’s oil production. Studies have demonstrated that these benefits are due to the antioxidants found in green tea.

Furthermore, green tea applied to the skin topically can also be of great benefit. Using products that include green tea in their lists of ingredients can also prevent acne, reduce oil and sebum production, moisturize the skin and improve skin elasticity to prevent ageing.

 

In summary, if you’re looking for a simple way to improve your mood and overall health, replacing your morning coffee with a cup of green tea is a great place to start. Just remember not to offset the benefits of green tea with too many sugary additives. Green tea also comes in a wide variety of natural flavourings, which all can carry their own respective health benefits. Exploring varieties of green tea rather than flavours of coffee beans may be a great first step to a healthier, happier you.