Why I ditched coffee for tea!

I survived 18 years of life without a single “caffeine-induced” high...unitl I met my two, blonde-coffee-crazed, college roommates: Katie and Kristina. Freshmen year of nursing school the three of us sat though long, boring lectures while I whined 24-7 about my fatigue and lethargy. Every day, they would peer-pressure with words of persuasion, “Kelley, you wouldn’t feel tired if you drink coffee…coffee is the answer to your problem.”

My coffee-addiction started with cappuccino. Katie insisted that I needed to wean my way into the “real deal.” I slowly upgraded to Katie’s nifty invention: coffee mixed with a package of hot chocolate, and before I knew it I was a full-fledged coffee addict.

Seven years later, my coffee addiction was severe: I was chugging at least 4-5 cups of black, bold java daily! I couldn’t function without my daily fix, and I started to have embarrassing side effects: perfuse sweating, sleepless nightly, racing heart, nausea….my husband even forced me to throw away some of my favorite shirts because of…[I am embarrassed to admit this], “pit stains.”

This past October I fell dangerously ill, and I was unable to consume anything for at least five days. Of course, my coffee addition went out the window during this time. When I started to feel better, the thought of coffee made my stomach churn, yet my addition was evident with my nagging headache. I didn’t know where to turn, what had I got myself into?


My Mother-in-law encouraged me to drink a tea resolve my caffeine withdrawal induced headace, so like a wise little daughter-in-law, I took her advice. I started drinking green and black tea for about a week when I realized that I kinda enjoyed tea. I started to feel better, and I wondered if tea was good for me? I stuck with the tea experiment and did a little investigating, and here is what I uncovered:

I was sleeping like a baby!!

Caffeine remains in the body for 12 hours. I was drinking coffee well past 11am each day, so I decided to end my tea consumption before 11am daily. An 8oz cup of coffee contains about 95mg of caffeine whereas an 8oz cup of green or black tea contains between 30-40mg of tea. My switch from 4 cups of coffee to 4 cups of tea saved my body from ingesting about 300mg of caffeine which resulted in:

Falling asleep faster

Staying a sleep longer

Sleeping more soundly

Tea is a superfood!

Green and black teas are superfoods! I learned that the tea helps to prevent certain types of cancers, improve metabolism, reduce stress, improve irritability, and prevent risk factors associated with heart disease!

Drinking tea is relaxing!

Instead of chugging coffee, I sip my tea and enjoy the experience throughout my morning routine. I drink about four cups of tea, and I enjoy every minute!

James and I also started drinking hibiscus [non-caffeinated] tea before bedtime to help us relax and prepare for sleep. I read research stating that hibiscus tea may help to improve blood pressure. Since James had slightly elevated BP, we decided to try to launch our own “Strout- hibiscus tea” research. After three months of drinking the tea nightly, his last blood pressure reading: 118/67!!

I still enjoy a Starbucks, venti, soy mocha [my personal favorite] or a cup of jo- every now and then, but in my day-to-day routine, I am sticking to the tea!