Coffee VS Tea: Which would You Prefer?

It is without a doubt that the most popular beverages today are coffee and black or green tea. But, which would you prefer? We all know that both beverages can give various health benefits. It is also a fact that both can give undesirable side-effects because of their caffeine content. So, what now? To answer the first question, let us compare both coffee and tea. Hopefully, in the end, we can crown one winner and end this never-ending debate.

Similarities

As mentioned earlier, the similarities of coffee and tea are brought to you by their caffeine contents. First, let’s discuss their health benefits. Basically, these two beverages have antioxidant and stimulating effects. They can also be used as an aid in your weight loss programs. Lastly, according to several studies, both beverages are also good for the heart when taken in moderate amounts.

What about their side-effects? Since, both coffee and tea contain caffeine they will also have similar undesirable effects. Insomnia is the most popular effect you will experience if you exceed the recommended daily dose of caffeine. Other side-effects such as nervousness, elevated blood pressure and restlessness will also be experienced with too much caffeine. In addition to that, you can also expect frequent bathroom breaks when drinking any of these beverages because of their diuretic effects.

Differences               

Going on to their differences, coffee and tea have varying amounts of caffeine content. This is actually one of the  few reasons why most people prefer one from the other. Some studies have noted that the tea leaves have higher caffeine compared to coffee beans. However, because of the brewing process, this may significantly differ. To give you a precise illustration, a 6 ounce coffee has an average caffeine content of 80 to 200 mg while a 7 ounce of tea steep for 3 mins will only contain an approximate amount of 58 to 59 mg.

The calorie content is another variation between coffee and tea. This would actually depend on the additives you use. Take sugar, cream and liqueurs as an example. Adding these flavor enhancers to your coffee will greatly increase their calorie contents. But, if you prefer to drink these beverages in their purest form, studies have shown that both have comparable calorie contents.

Considerations

Now that both the similarities and differences of coffee and tea are given, it's time for careful deliberations. Clearly, if you’ll base your decision from their differences, tea would be the sure winner. But, what if you drink 6 or 10 cups of tea per day? Technically speaking, this is very unhealthy. So, the key here is moderation whether you are a tea or coffee aficionado. But, of course you have an advantage if you’re a tea lover. You can drink as high as 5 cups of tea per day compared to coffee drinkers who are strongly advised to limit their consumption to  4 cups a day. With that, the winner between coffee and tea will evidently depend on your preferences. As long as you limit your intake within the recommended dosage and drink lots of water, you can opt for either one of them.