Thursday, September 18, 2008

Coffee Vs. Tea

Every time the 9-5 life sets in, I begin to down coffee like it's part of my job. Not only does my checking account begin to go down (because I have fallen for the Starbucks lure) but my addiction sky rockets. In college, I would drink about 6 cups a day. Yes, you heard me: 6. I loved it. Loved the sound of it brewing, loved the taste of it, loved watching the milk swirl like a Monet painting as I poured it in....ok I sound crazy. But so was my addiction. I'd take it anyway that it came: steaming hot with a biscotti, over ice, no frills in a double shot, flavored with vanilla or carmel, or toffee nut, frozen and blended...you name, I would drink it. My addiction came to a halt when I came down with an awful cold and could not eat or drink anything except herbal tea. The bite the tea gave to my coffee-loving tongue was almost unbearable, but it was the results that kept me drinking it. Perhaps my other addiction you should know about it my love for buying books. (Which is why, although I think it's the neatest thing to be able to buy a book at the tip of your fingers, I will never buy a Kindle because just as Video Killed the Radio Star, I fear that Kindle will kill the smell of brand new turning pages....) So as I am sick, and beginning to like tea, I purchased The Ultimate Tea Diet. And in it I found a few daunting facts:

What coffee does for your body:
1.a lower risk of type 2 diabetes

2. a reduced risk of parkinson's disease

3. A reduced risk of liver damage in people at high risk of liver disease

4. A 50% lower risk of developing gallstones

5. traps body fat

6. increases stress

7. causes insomnia, anxiety and irritability

8. causes heartburn and indigestion

9. increases cholesterol levels in people who drink unfiltered coffee (including espresso)

10. contributes to an increased risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

11. contributes to a worsening of PMS symptoms in some women

12. reduces fertility in women trying ot conceive

13. increases blood pressure

14. raises blood sugars

15. slows metabolism

16. negatively affects sleep, which can increase your appetite

17. leads to higher levels of inflammatory substances that have been linked to heart attacks and strokes.



Things tea can do for you:

1. raise the rate of your metabolism, causing an increase in fat burn

2. tea has an amazing success rate of helping to prevent cancer:

tea has EGCG that can inhibit the formulation of tumors and slow the growth of those already formed
the antioxidant power of tea is 100 times greater than Vitamin C and 25 times greater than Vitamin E in protecting DNA from free radical damage that can cause cancer women that consumed at least 26 ounces of green tea leaves each year had a 39% reduced risk of breast cancer...this equal 300 cups a year, which is not even a cup a day! Woman who consumed two cups of black or green tea a day reduced the risk of ovarian cancer by 46%


So as I have put down my coffee mug and picked up my kettle, I can't help but think about other addictions in my life. If a drink can control my body, what philosophies, or ideas are addictions that no matter what I know about it to be addictive, control my way of life?

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