Going Green

I used to drink a lot of coffee.  I loved going to Starbucks and getting a frappucino or a caramel latte or a cafe mocha-- I loved it all.  I even drank strong, plain, black coffee.  But every time I drank one of those things, my stomach hurt.  Like, really hurt.  I ignored it because I really liked coffee and I liked the caffeine buzz that kept me up studying for finals, or getting through a day after not enough sleep the night before.  I liked the energy it gave me.

Well, it turns out that plain coffee isn't that bad for you.  (I can't really say the same for the other high-sweetened sugary drinks, though.)  But it was bad for me.  The stomach pains and headaches were symptoms that maybe I shouldn't be drinking them.  It's kind of like how lactose intolerants take Lactaid so they can eat dairy-- just don't eat dairy!  It's your body's way of telling you not to!  So I gave up those drinks and went cold turkey on coffee.

But I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get through my days without the caffeine. (Little did I know then that a plant-based diet and things like hummus, tofu, and almonds had natural energy in them.)  So I started drinking black tea because it has the most caffeine in it.  Then I heard about all the health benefits to green tea, and I made the switch.

 Research has shown that green tea can boost your metabolism, fight cancer and heart disease, lower cholesterol, and prevent diabetes.  I even give it partial credit for helping me beat the swine flu without antibiotics-- I probably drank eight to ten cups a day during that time.  Despite the wide range of medicinal benefits, it also tastes good.  It actually tastes like you're putting clean, natural things into your body.


I still go to Starbucks, but instead I order their Tazo Green Tips tea.  They used to only have Zen Green Team, which I didn't really like because the spearmint flavor was overwhelming.  The new Green Tips is fantastic, though.  Every few months, I'll enjoy a soy caramel latte.  But my daily drink of choice is green tea.