Black Tea, Green Tea, Kombucha, Herbal Tea, Coffee, Decaf, Mushroom Coffee- it’s cool that they all have nutrients and helpful compounds. Learning about the benefits of these has been great and recognizing that maybe the only negative is taking in too much caffeine. For me, right now, I try to limit the caffeine to 1-2 cups of coffee worth, or less- whether it’s coming from coffee, tea or kombucha. But feel it out, there may be times where you want to not have any, or very little caffeine.
So overall to improve health and energy and ability to heal, tea and a little coffee and a lot of water are far better than sodas or other substances, including ones that spike blood sugar. So even making that simple change, let’s say soda to water, tea, and a little coffee- much better for you. You might notice a drop in weight, more calm and overall the body’s ability to heal.
Green and Black Tea
Drinking tea can be a meditative experience. I’ve heard that there are monks who drink green tea because there is a little caffeine, around 30mg (a cup of coffee has closer to 100mg), but also theanine- an amino acid that induces calm. So green tea is great for calm/focus- the monks know it helps with meditation and mindfulness in other activities. Black tea also has caffeine and theanine, but the caffeine content is higher (50mg) so green is preferable for calm and focus. Overall, tea is full of polyphenols– these compounds are very protective, especially of the heart and against things like cancer.
Noncaffeinated and Herbal Tea
There are tons of different non caffeinated herbal teas that offer all sorts of benefits. And again, drinking tea can be a meditative experience- like having chamomile before going to sleep. Including it in a night time routine can help you get your body in the right rhythm to sleep better. Another tea that has a lot of benefits is ginger tea which helps with digestion. Along with ginger, turmeric tea is very anti inflammatory and helps keep the body in balance and with the healing ability on.
Mushroom Coffee
If you’re working on reducing caffeine intake, you can try Mushroom Coffee. This type of coffee has half the caffeine of a regular cup of coffee, but also the benefits/energy of mushrooms. So you still get some of the antioxidants and nutrients from the coffee, but less caffeine and also some power from mushrooms. And just as an overview, chaga mushroom is great for immunity (most of the medicinal mushrooms are), lion’s mane can help with focus, cordyceps can give energy (sometimes it’s used for workouts), and reishi can help with calming. So they all have their unique purpose.
A Note On Caffeine
Everyone responds to caffeine differently, so again, feel it out. Remember that it doesn’t actually GIVE you energy- it blocks a chemical that let’s us know we’re tired. So when your body says “I’m tired”, it’s not a problem, listen to it. A 5-10 minute meditation can rejuvenate you, and some exercise and some water and sunlight can many times be better overall and get the energy moving. And one other note is that if there is adrenal burnout or fatigue involved, limiting or having no caffeine is smart- and focusing on healthy foods and some herbs (consult doctor or other specialist) can help rebuild.
So do a little research- there are some interesting and amazing protective features of tea and coffee.
Wishing you health and strength!
Ryan
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