1-Page Guide to
1-Page Guide to
COFFEE AND TEA Coffee and tea are the most popular drinks on the planet. If you’re like most people, your daily routine involves savoring a few cups. This habit might even be considered healthy, but it depends entirely on what you add to your brew.
3 Simple Guidelines Drink coffee and tea in moderation. Three to five cups a day of coffee or tea is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Skip the sugar and creamer. Tea and coffee have benefits but they can’t outweigh the negative health effects of added sugar or trans fats. Swap your creamer for milk to cut out added sugars and oils. Notice how your body responds to caffeine. If you feel jittery or anxious, reduce your intake.
Shopping Tips Avoid milkshakes that pose as coffee. Popular coffee shop drinks often have an entire meal’s worth of calories plus large amounts of sugar. Check the caffeine content. Dark roasted coffee typically contains less caffeine than lighter roasts. Black tea has more caffeine than white or green varieties. Coffee and tea should smell and taste fresh; be sure to check expiration dates. Buy unbleached filters and loose leaf tea to avoid contaminants like chlorine.
We Feel You Q. I drink a lot of coffee. Should I cut back? A. While caffeine can make you feel more alert and productive, be careful not to overdo it. Too much can leave you feeling anxious, unable to focus, and can cause digestive issues. If you notice these symptoms, replace a few cups with decaf or cut back gradually.
Research Highlights Coffee may have health benefits. Coffee consumption is not associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, as once thought. Benefits may include protection against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease. However, if you don’t drink coffee or tea, there’s no need to start just for health’s sake. Too much caffeine has side effects. Consuming more than 400 mg of caffeine daily can cause adverse effects in sensitive individuals such as headache, insomnia, anxiety, and upset stomach. SOURCES: Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei. Coffee and Health: A Review of Recent Human Research, Critical Reviews In Food Science And Nutrition Vol. 46 , Iss. 2, 2006 Melanie A. Heckman, Jorge Weil, Elvira Gonzalez De Mejia. Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) in Foods: A Comprehensive Review on Consumption, Functionality, Safety, and Regulatory Matters. Journal of Food Science Volume 75, Issue 3, April 2010, Pages R77–R87
COFFEE AND TEA Coffee and tea are the most popular drinks on the planet. If you’re like most people, your daily routine involves savoring a few cups. This habit might even be considered healthy, but it depends entirely on what you add to your brew.
3 Simple Guidelines Drink coffee and tea in moderation. Three to five cups a day of coffee or tea is associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Skip the sugar and creamer. Tea and coffee have benefits but they can’t outweigh the negative health effects of added sugar or trans fats. Swap your creamer for milk to cut out added sugars and oils. Notice how your body responds to caffeine. If you feel jittery or anxious, reduce your intake.
Shopping Tips Avoid milkshakes that pose as coffee. Popular coffee shop drinks often have an entire meal’s worth of calories plus large amounts of sugar. Check the caffeine content. Dark roasted coffee typically contains less caffeine than lighter roasts. Black tea has more caffeine than white or green varieties. Coffee and tea should smell and taste fresh; be sure to check expiration dates. Buy unbleached filters and loose leaf tea to avoid contaminants like chlorine.
We Feel You Q. I drink a lot of coffee. Should I cut back? A. While caffeine can make you feel more alert and productive, be careful not to overdo it. Too much can leave you feeling anxious, unable to focus, and can cause digestive issues. If you notice these symptoms, replace a few cups with decaf or cut back gradually.
Research Highlights Coffee may have health benefits. Coffee consumption is not associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, as once thought. Benefits may include protection against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease. However, if you don’t drink coffee or tea, there’s no need to start just for health’s sake. Too much caffeine has side effects. Consuming more than 400 mg of caffeine daily can cause adverse effects in sensitive individuals such as headache, insomnia, anxiety, and upset stomach. SOURCES: Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei. Coffee and Health: A Review of Recent Human Research, Critical Reviews In Food Science And Nutrition Vol. 46 , Iss. 2, 2006 Melanie A. Heckman, Jorge Weil, Elvira Gonzalez De Mejia. Caffeine (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine) in Foods: A Comprehensive Review on Consumption, Functionality, Safety, and Regulatory Matters. Journal of Food Science Volume 75, Issue 3, April 2010, Pages R77–R87
