green tea/ normal tea or just coffee page

[robwa1984]

Sorry for the boring subject but I've just been reading Marks book. He says a coffee with cream twice a day with a pinch of sugar isant going to hurt. I read on the homepage that the antioxidants in the green tea are very good. Would normal english breakfast tea with cream and sugar break the rules. I wasn't sure if its more harmful. I understand that in the states its rarely used so i wonder if any of my european friends could help me out on this one,and the quantity per day ect

thanks

[Lewis]

Tea has far less caffeine in it than coffee, so a couple of cups a day are unlikely to be any sort of a problem, and the anti-oxidants, as you say, will do you good.

I think green tea partly has a very good reputation for its health benefits because a lot of the research into the health effects of tea have been done by Japanese scientists, and the japanese drink their tea unfermented (i.e. green), so that's what they looked at. It may be a bit better than black tea, but if you really prefer tea black ...

Black tea is traditionally in many cultures mixed with other foods—milk, cream, butter, salt, sugar, jam, citrus fruit. It has a less delicate flavour, so that's probably why it's often mixed with other things. In Victorian times in England hostesses used to pour tea and then hand it round with a jug of cream and a dish of lemon slices, so the guests could take which of the two they preferred. People working in fields often took it black (either hot or cold). Quite when most people started using milk instead of cream I don't know.

I haven't used sugar in drinks for years myself and now prefer the taste without—I think you just get to like whatever you're used to to some extent. But I guess a pinch, as opposed to a spoonful, isn't going to do much harm. I have drunk black tea with a half-and-half mixture of single cream and full-fat milk, and I quite liked it, but I found the tea needed to be quite strong to compete with the taste of the cream.

[robwa1984]

Thanks for your reply. I usually drink black tea with cream in the morning. and green tea the rest of the day. I read at some point the caffeine in coffee first thing is good for you as it released adrenaline. and therefore you would be less reluctant to eat carbs early

[Juliemama]

I just recently quit my morning coffee, about a month ago, I suppose..and yesterday and today I made a delicious blend of mint and green tea..double brewed and served over ice as is, no sweetener or cream, delicious. (it is very hot/humid here right now). I have no desire to eat carbs in the morning, or the rest of the day, actually.

[geostump]

I drink 1 cup of black coffee in the morning then have a cup of green tea in the afternoon after lunch. I eat VLC to begin with and don't seem be having any cravings for carbs.

[Nion]

I wouldn't analyse it too much. Just try to lean on the side of less is more. Like he said, a cup a day isn't going to hurt (as long as you're not loading it with sugar or something)

[pdovers]

I am a tea lover. I chalk it up to my Irish grandmother. We always had black tea with milk and sugar when I was growing up and I love it. Over the years my love of tea has expanded to the many varieties that are available. I have a large cup of black tea (usually chai) in the morning with almond milk (the low sugar variety) and a few drops of stevia. In the afternoon or evening I love a nice cup of bush tea (rooibos) and I have found some of those with citrus and other fruity flavors. They are lovely! I find if I stick with the caffeinated varieties in my morning cup and go with the herbals during the other times of the day that is best for me. Don't want to be wigging out on caffeine especially on my IF days.

[Leida]

All of these have benefits, so I mix and match all three, as well as herbal teas and copious amounts of water depending on the mood. Generally, every few weeks or so, there is yet another discovery of this or that in favor or against each of the flavorings.