‘I Swapped Coffee For Green Tea For A Week—Here’s What Happened’

This might not sound like that big of a deal, but a few home-brewed cups of coffee in the morning followed by a latte in the afternoon is my daily caffeine M.O. I rarely go a day without any sort of coffee. But over the course a few weeks, I found myself in multiple conversations with people about why they made the switch to tea—my mom, who said it helped her sleep better, and also a few coworkers who had temporarily given up coffee because it made them feel anxious during the day. Since I spend a lot of my day poring over studies about health and nutrition, I’m well aware of the health benefits of green tea. So I decided to switch from coffee to great tea for a week and see how it went. 

First, I consulted Brigitte Zeitlin, R.D., C.D.N, and owner of BZ Nutrition, for some facts and tips. She warned me that coffee has a lot more caffeine than green tea (about 100 milligrams in an eight-ounce cup compared to about 30 milligrams you’d get in green tea). However, Zeitlin added, green tea also has an amino acid, I-theanine, that has been linked to improved alertness, which can help with productivity and focus, minus the jitters. I was curious to see if that were the case for me.

RELATED: Is It Dangerous To Drink Too Much Green Tea?

Other benefits of tea she mentioned are its plentiful antioxidants (more than coffee) that can help fight off inflammation and chronic illnesses. Zeitlin also said that making the switch won’t result in headaches from caffeine withdrawal, which can happen from just giving up coffee altogether (thanks to that amino acid again).

With all that in mind, it was time to get started. Here’s what I learned: