I Drank This Instead of Coffee for a Week and Experienced Shocking Effects

There’s nothing quite like starting your day off with a hot piping cup of coffee. In fact, it’s a ritual that most Americans hold dear. 

Coffee is considered one of the most popular beverages in the United States, and for good reason. 

Not only is it delicious, versatile, and comforting, but it gives us that much-needed energy boost to be productive. But what if I told you another drink may be better for boosting our focus?

Green Tea vs Coffee

Green tea is considered one of the healthiest beverages in the world. With benefits ranging from weight loss to reducing cancer risk, this green beverage is loaded with antioxidants. 

Like coffee, green tea contains caffeine, but in much smaller amounts. Coffee can contain anywhere from 100-200mg of caffeine per serving while green tea only contains about 20-40mg. (gardensdental.com.au)  

Despite the lower caffeine content, green tea is believed to help boost focus and energy better than coffee (1, 2).

I decided to give this a try. Instead of opting for a large cup of black coffee first thing in the morning, I chose a small cup of green tea. 

Although the flavor is a lot different, it provided an equally comforting effect. Because of the high caffeine content of coffee, it took some time for my body to adjust to the green tea and see its effects. 

Towards the end of the week, once the caffeine withdrawals had reduced, I could feel the difference. But if the caffeine was less, why do I have more energy?

Benefits of Green Tea

Aside from caffeine, green tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid associated with boosting our body’s dopamine levels. L-theanine also helps to reduce anxiety. 

Studies have found that the combination of caffeine and L-theanine can have a powerful effect on brain function. 

Instead of providing a quick and short boost of energy like coffee, green tea provides slow steady energy throughout the day without the afternoon crash (3, 4, 5).

Green tea can be just as versatile as coffee. In fact, next time you visit your local grocery store, take some time to browse through the tea section. 

You can find green tea mixed with all sorts of fun flavors. Or, you can add a little lemon and honey to flavor yourself at home. 

Takeaway

Be aware of premade teas that contain high amounts of added sugars as these may not be as effective and can still result in an afternoon crash. 

Everyone likes to be productive. It makes you feel good, it makes your boss happy, and there’s really no downside. 

So, if you haven’t already, give green tea a try in place of your regular cup of Joe. You may be surprised by the difference you feel.