TOTW Tuesday: Enjoy Your Coffee or Tea a Different Way

by Ashley on November 19, 2013

Hi friends! How are ya today?! Another week rolling by over here!

I recently read a research article that I thought many of you would find beneficial, so today I want to share that with you.

As a dietitian, people always ask me my thoughts on coffee and it never fails that when I order a cup of coffee people acted surprised. There is a lot of conflicting research on coffee, so to first clear that up, I want you to know that in moderate amounts (for most people) coffee or caffeine is actually beneficial (unless you have a specific health condition, and in that case you should always listen to your doctor).  It’s not the coffee that is usually the problem – it’s what goes in the coffee that should be monitored.

IMG 5691

On the other side, I also enjoy tea quite often too – green tea to be exact! Green tea provides more benefits than both coffee and black tea (the tea used to make sweet and unsweet tea), and therefore,  it is often my tea of choice during the day (and chamomile at night!). I enjoy a cup of green tea each afternoon, not only for it’s antioxidant benefits but to keep me warm on these chilly fall/winter days (iced in the summer!).

So you’re thinking, “Okay, Ashley? You haven’t told us anything we didn’t know before.”

Here’s what you may or may not have already known.

My tip of the week Tuesday is this: whichever beverage you choose drink, learn to love it and drink it alone (or with stevia instead of sugar!). According to some research, the health benefits that are found in your delicious cup of tea are drastically reduced when combined with any milk, honey or sugar. One interesting fact that was mentioned in the study was that stevia did not reduce these antioxidant health benefits. However, I do encourage that even stevia to be consumed in moderation (it is still highly processed after all). When purchasing stevia look for a brand that contains only stevia – no other fillers, such as maltodextrin.

IMG 3500

Once again, even when it comes to the beverages we drink, less is more. I’m not saying that you have to make the dive straight from enjoying your sugary sweet milk with a splash of coffee to black coffee or the same for tea, all I am suggesting is that you try stevia instead of sugar and reduce the amount of added milk to enjoy not only the strong flavors of your morning (or afternoon) pick me up but also the increased health benefits too!

How do you drink your coffee and tea? I take mine black!

Have an awesome afternoon!

Good health!

 

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Amanda November 20, 2013 at 2:39 am

Is there a good all natural brand of stevia you would recommend? (Preferably one I can get my hands on through iherb?) Thanks!

Reply

Cancel reply

Leave a Comment

CommentLuv badge

Previous post:

Next post: