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Which is the better choice: Coffee or tea?
Results so far:
| Coffee | 41% | 427 votes | Total: 1053 votes | |
| Tea | 59% | 626 votes |
Coffee
by Lori Savery-Hinze
Created on: April 23, 2008 Last Updated: March 14, 2012
Coffee is the beverage of choice for hard working Americans. For doctors, lawyers, construction workers, and stay-at-home moms, it is the fuel that gets them through a long day. At the risk of turning an innocent debate about beverage preference into a cultural clash, I believe the preference of coffee over tea is as American as apple pie, served with a strong cup of black coffee, of course. Maybe it's because we dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, but the general stereotype is that the British love tea and Americans love coffee.
I'm not alone in noting this stereotype. My favorite episode of Garrison Keillor's radio show, Prairie Home Companion, draws a comparison of "coffee people" to "tea people." The voice representing "coffee people" imitates John Wayne, while the voice representing "tea people" has an accent that is, you guessed it, British. "We're coffee people," Garrison Keillor said. "We have a coffee sensibility. Sometimes we try tea for a while - for a change - but eventually we come back to coffee. That's because we're Americans. We're about action. We're about saying what we want and what we think."
Coffee spurs us into action and productivity. Forget the rumblings from health nuts about the post-caffeine crash. Hogwash, I say! That's why twelve-cup coffee makers were invented. We can always brew more coffee in stronger, heart-racing quantities. When I'm faced with a deadline, the stronger the coffee, the faster I work.
Tea, on the other hand, is associated with the need to maintain calm and exchange pleasantries. Fans of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer may recall an episode in which the British character, Giles, switched to coffee while researching an enemy. Another character, Xander, asked, "Aren't you supposed to be drinking tea anyway?" Giles replied: "Tea is soothing. I wish to be tense." Apparently, the British can turn to coffee when the need for action arises, just as we can turn to tea on the rare occasion we allow ourselves a sick day and submit to the need for rest.
There have been a handful of dark times in my life when coffee was forbidden by sadistic doctors who claimed it was unhealthy during pregnancy and lactation. I dutifully set my coffee aside until the day each child was weaned, but each time I had that first allowed cup of coffee was a glorious moment. My nose lingered above the steamy, almost nutty aroma of that freshly brewed cup. The first taste of that strong, rich drink was like a heavenly reward for all the sleep deprivation I had endured. The taste of coffee was a welcome reassurance that I was slowly being allowed to acclimatize into the world of grown-ups once again. I still keep some tea on hand, in case Supernanny ever pays a visit, but the coffee grinder and coffee maker hold the most prominent location in my kitchen.
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Tea
by Lady Z
Created on: August 27, 2008 Last Updated: November 26, 2010
Much as I love coffee, I would have to agree that tea is absolutely the better choice where health benefits are concerned. I believe the choice is very hard to make for those who are neutral drinkers of the two well-reputed beverages. There is no way to rule out one of them as being unhealthy as both have their own merits.
What makes tea a better choice is due to its polyphenols content called Quercetin. Quercetin is a type of flavanoid that has cancer-fighting properties which can ward off free radicals from damaging our body cells by neutralizing them. There are findings to support evidence that the polyphenols found in tea could even stabilize and shrink cancer cells that are forming in the body. Besides, the polyphenols combined with other compounds in the body has the ability to speed up fat oxidation through thermogenesis. This will definitely improves our insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance.
Also, drinking tea on a regular basis is proven to lower the chance of getting heart disease. This is particularly so as tea could hamper the oxidation of bad cholesterol in our body, coupled with relaxing the blood vessels and inhibiting blood clots; factors which make up the heart disease.
Coffee, on the other hand, is believed to be a contributor of heart disease, largely due to its caffeine content. Apparently, the caffeine content in coffee is at least two times higher than in tea and it has been suggested that it has the propensity to raise the blood pressure as we consume more cups of coffee in a day. Not only that, a high amount of coffee consumption could raise the level of homocysteine as well. Homocysteine is an amino acid which could harm the arteries. Doctors even suggest that an average person should limit their coffee intake to a maximum two cups of coffee per day but encourage an unlimited regular intake of green tea especially.
I believe the goodness of coffee is only in its contribution towards a country's economy since the olden times. It is ranked among the top ten as an agricultural export commodity in the world market today and still plays an important role in boosting the economy especially in African and Middle American countries. In fact coffee plays an integral part to third world countries as a vital cash crop.
Where health benefits are concerned, studies have tried to establish as association between the regular consumption of coffee to type 2 diabetes. It is suggested that coffee contains certain kind of antioxidants that may assist in regulating blood sugar, which would ultimately reduce the risk of contracting diabetes. In a separate issue, coffee appears to help in reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease especially in men as the caffeine content could increase a supply of dopamine in the brain.
Doctors have strongly encouraged pregnant women to stay away from drinking coffee as it could speed up bone loss as well as increasing the risk of miscarriage. As the caffeine content could stir anxiety, rapid heartbeat and heartburn in ordinary people, this could be further harmful to the mothers-to-be. In fact it is so much better to consume tea during pregnancy, as the calming effect it imposes will alleviate the crankiness and mood swings of the mothers.
Whichever type of tea you choose to drink the black or green ones, they both come from the same plant Camellia Sinensis. The difference between them is that the black tea goes through the process of wilting, drying and fermenting while the green ones do not. Green tea has constantly been associated with many health benefits such as an increase in metabolic rates, boosting mental alertness and the immune system and it is also said to have played a part in weight loss.
Tea that is made from herbs and flowers are also proven to have medicinal benefits. For instance, the Chinese believe that drinking chrysanthemum tea during hot weather can eliminate heat from your body, hence preventing ailments like sore throat and rash from starting. Tea made from hibiscus flower is believed to promote longevity and is very rich in Vitamin C. Chamomile tea has a calming and cooling effect and is good in warding off fever and cold while peppermint tea is said to aid in digestion and promotes sleep.
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