Should You Start Your Morning With Coffee Or Tea?

Coffee or tea? You might be asked this question on an airplane, but you could also be asking it to yourself if you're wondering which is the better way to start your day. Dr. Kamelia Kashani, Chief Medical Officer at Lindora Weight Loss + Wellness, says there's no one answer, telling The Takeout, "It comes down to individual preferences and needs." Kashani bases her choice of morning beverage on her desired mental state. She feels that tea brings calm focus, while coffee provides a high-energy boost. As she shares, "In the mornings, I personally choose coffee due to its quick lift." Taste preferences and cultural habits play a role, but on the physical side, there's also digestive comfort and caffeine sensitivity.

Coffee tends to upset your stomach more because, as Kashani explains, the caffeine and chlorogenic acid content stimulates the secretion of gastric acid. "On an empty stomach," she says, "this can increase stomach acidity, potentially causing indigestion, heartburn, [and] irritation of the gastric lining. For lower acidity, you can drink cold brew or dark roast coffee, or add some type of creamer to serve as a buffer. (Don't use ghee in your coffee, though, since it's way too fatty.) Tea can upset your stomach due to the tannins, but its phytonutrients may help to mitigate the effect. Coffee is generally higher in caffeine, too, while black tea has a more moderate level, with green and white tea being lower still. Most herbal teas are naturally caffeine-free (as opposed to decaffeinated), with one notable exception being the tea-like herbal drink called yerba mate. This beverage has about as much caffeine as a cup of coffee.

Kamelia Kashani drinks coffee in the morning but prefers green tea for the rest of the day. Not only does it offer antioxidants and L-theanine, an amino acid that may help with relaxation, but, as she says, "It offers clarity without the crash." So why the switch? Kashani explains, "Drinking coffee in the morning aligns with circadian cortisol rhythms, which peak in the morning and can give the energetic lift." She also notes that morning coffee consumption is unlikely to interfere with sleep, but warns that drinking coffee after 2 p.m. may do just that. It could also raise your blood pressure as you sleep, stressing your cardiovascular system.

Other risks associated with all-day caffeine consumption include anxiety and adrenal fatigue, with the latter term describing symptoms such as sugar and salt cravings and, ironically enough, tiredness. It's also possible that the more caffeine you drink over the course of a day, the higher your tolerance will be, which might lead to a vicious cycle of mainlining Red Bulls to experience the same effects you used to get from a cup of coffee. For these reasons, it's best to start your day with a caffeine jolt if you need such a thing, then taper off to a less turbo-charged beverage by lunchtime. Tea can still power you through the day, but will do so in a gentler fashion. Kashani describes coffee as providing a "faster, sharper spike in energy," but says tea allows for "smoother, more sustained energy" thanks to the L-theanine and lower caffeine levels.

Coffee and tea both have their drawbacks, but each one has nutritional benefits, as well. Both beverages contain high levels of antioxidants, but Kamelia Kashani notes that chlorogenic acid, which is specific to coffee, may help lower your chance of contracting liver disease, Parkinson's disease, and type 2 diabetes. Coffee has also been linked to reduced risk of Alzheimer's, colon cancer, coronary heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.

Tea's benefits, as Kashani says, may vary with the variety. Most teas are high in flavonoids, L-theanine, and polyphenols. Green tea, her favorite, contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which reduces inflammation and may protect against certain types of cancer. White tea is also rich in EGCG, while black tea has theaflavins, which may support the heart and help to lower cholesterol.

So which one is better for you, coffee or tea? Science has yet to determine a clear-cut winner since it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges or spinach to kale. Overall, coffee is associated with more health benefits, although this may be because it's been the subject of more testing. Kashani's personal pick, however, is "Tea due to its diversity and gentle compounds."