Connect with us

Nutrition

From Coffee to Tea: Why You Should Make the Switch in Your Home Today

Published

on

The world is divided into two camps: the coffee drinkers and the tea drinkers.  While each side has its own legitimate arguments, here’s why you should consider switching the coffee in your kitchen cabinet for tea bags instead.

For your health

While coffee has been linked to a variety of health benefits – it’s high in antioxidants and can protect you against Parkinson’s Disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver cancer, it has many negative effects as well. Regular coffee drinkers have a higher chance of getting hypertension, heart disease, and other caffeine-related health issues. Like coffee, tea is also high in antioxidants, but also have a slew of other health benefits that outweigh coffee. A small sample:

  • tea contains tannins and catechins, which have been associated with the prevention of heart disease and cancer
  • tea has less caffeine than coffee, and unlike coffee, tea has almost no carbohydrates, fats or proteins
  • tea lowers your blood pressure and has been known as a stress reliever
  • tea is a digestive aid and helps flush out your digestive system
  • tea has been shown to boost your metabolism, so it’s a good beverage to have after you eat

For your wallet

Generally, a cup of tea tends to be cheaper than a cup of coffee, both in cafes and in the supermarket. It’s also much less of a hassle to make at home: making tea only requires a kettle, a mug, and a teabag (plus milk, if you want it), most of which you will already have at home. Making coffee requires a coffee machine or a grinder and filter at the very least. Along with good-quality beans, this can get a bit on the expensive side.

For the Earth

Coffee filters can only be used once and then thrown away, which is incredibly wasteful. Tea doesn’t need any kind of filter, and if you use loose-leaf to brew, a cup of tea ends up with very little waste. Tea leaves can also be used as mulch and fertilizer in your garden. While you can do the same for coffee grounds, the overall creation of coffee produces waste that is more harmful to the environment.

For history and culture

According to legend, Chinese emperor Shennong was the first to discover and drink tea in 2737 B.C. It has since enjoyed a long history beginning in China and India and has spread out to the rest of the world over time. For many, tea evokes a sense of home and memories of sitting at home  – tea is a comforting drink for many.

In comparison, coffee has had a much shorter history, being founded around 800 A.D, and doesn’t share the same culture as tea does. It may seem like a petty argument, but thousands of years of drinking tea has to count for something.

If you’re a long-time drinker of coffee and quitting coffee cold-turkey is far too frightening a concept, consider just taking it a day at a time. Morning coffee is alright, but you could skip the one after lunch and before dinner. When catching up with a friend at a cafe, consider drinking juice instead of a coffee. Little substitutions throughout the day should make the transition away from coffee a lot easier.

The divide between coffee and tea is still strong and is relevant whether you live in Allura or Zetland but only one beverage can emerge victoriously. Today, that beverage is tea.