Coffee Vs. Green Tea: The Beverage That Improves Overall Performance

The theatre world is tremendously competitive and highly active. Within the film industry, call-time and working on set can range anywhere from 3am to 12pm, and actors can be called in later as well. As fun as acting is, it is a highly active job and can wear a person down quite rapidly. So what do we turn to? Coffee. The instant caffeine booster that wakes the crew up within a matter of minutes. This world is extremely fast paced, and as the workdays tend to get longer, workers wear out faster and turn to coffee on a constant basis to keep them alive and awake. However, this highly addictive drink has been sending people to the hospital on a constant basis because of the overdosing of caffeine. This actually happened to a close friend recently who is actively involved with theatre, and nearly died. Her recovery was ferocious as the doctor ordered her to quite caffeine cold turkey. This resulted in intense headaches, tantrums, anxiety attacks, and lack of concentration. After this incident occurred, it was high time to search for an alternative to coffee in order to save the rest of the hardworking entertainment industry.

It was long ago that coffee was initially encouraged to drink in the coffee houses of Mecca as caffeine was then seen as a health benefit. With this in mind, it’s rapid popularity swept across the globe and became apart of the Arab culture as well. It was not until 1615 that Venetian traders brought it to Europe, where it became the fastest growing market in the world. However, one cannot help but question whether such a good tasting, beneficial beverage has a hidden catch.

An abundant amount of articles have been hitting the newspaper stands and consuming the web on the health risks of coffee. For example, the Coffee Science Information Center announced a discovery that claims that a total of “two studies have confirmed that high doses of caffeine promote anxiety.” More importantly, this research program also strongly urges athletes and physically active people “to abstain from consuming [coffee]. It is assumed that caffeine, which is a mild diuretic, will exaggerate the dehydration and electrolyte loss caused by exercise and lead to impaired athletic performance or health” because of the electrolyte imbalance it produces. With acting being considered a highly active both mentally and physically, this information should be taken to heart.

With the world’s fast paced, high energy levels, it appears almost impossible to give up coffee or caffeine altogether. Green tea however, appears to be an excellent alternative to coffee. It has lower caffeine levels, but highly effect health benefits, and with catching the common cold, flu, or fever being such a community within the performing arts, green tea can actually put those sicknesses to a halt. In on recent study, researcher Lisa Marshall of the Daily News Transcript found that green tea has “the ability to fend off cancer, reverse heart disease, and promote mental clarity, to name a few.” Tea has been around for centuries from all parts of the world, including the most popular tea consuming countries China and Japan, as shown above, and it is because developing a complete and full state of well being that tea is, and has been so centered among these cultures. It wasn’t until the early 1900’s, claims Marshall, that research in the United States became centralized for finding the health benefits of this green tea.
With such high interest in this new phenomenon, it has been found that green tea “contains an amino acid called theanine, which can cross the blood-brain barrier reducing stress and possibly promoting better cognitive function,” states Marshall. Along with this rather exciting information, green tea can also help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. John Foxe, a professor of neuroscience studies the effects of tea on the brain and found that "within 20 minutes of drinking a cup of tea, there was an impact on the brain's alpha waves," which are lowered due to the theanine content within tea increasing levels of concentration.

On top of all the mental benefits green tea has on the human mind, there are also several findings of physical benefits. To name one, the fluoride levels in green teas “are generally comparable to those recommended for the prevention of dental caries (cavities)” states Jane Higdon, a PHD at Oregon State University. She also found that green tea could help reduce reception of kidney stones. The favorite physical finding to many is the result of higher metabolism, which can lead to weight loss with the correct diet. On top of this, drinking this tasty tea also takes care of water consumption without the added calories or sugar. There are still several research studies being conducted, leading to even more reasons to drink green tea. However, even though green tea contains much lower levels of caffeine compared to green tea, as shown on the chart to the right, highly active people should still be cautious of their caffeine consumption. So how much should be consumed to get just the right effect of all the benefits? Marshall found that “people should drink between three and six cups per day” in order to get the maximized “bang”.

Next time the urge for caffeine and energy consumes the body, grab a cup of green tea to rejuvenate and energize both the body and mind. The performance world is upbeat, competitive, and demanding, and it is essential to be on top of the game at all times. Since coffee can actually lead to a trip to the hospital, ruining the career and body, why not switch? After all, the exchange of coffee for tea may actually save a life or two.