Viewer Mail: Green Tea & Booty Shorts edition (giveaway post).

by

Hi Miz, I am just starting to think about switching my coffee for green tea. Do you drink green tea? What are your thoughts on it?  How might giving up my Starbucks coffee benefit anything other than my wallet? 🙂 Thanks!

Ahhh, my morning cup of coffee.

Im not ashamed to say, while I bound out of bed at the asscrack of dawn, I probably *wouldnt* if I didnt know a hot cup of coffee waited for me in the kitchen.

I’m aware green tea might (ok, would) provide more health benefits—yet Im a firm believer we all need a few vices (please to cross reference under penchant for Poptarts) & am wholly unwilling to give up my morning joe.

Translation? All I know is what I’ve been told.

Further translation? This is where I look to you, oh Bumbling Band, to jump in & proffer your tea tips in the comments.

Green Tea 101.  By MizFit, who mightcould have talked her own damn self into the tea after compiling the information below.

  • For 4000+ years the Chinese have used green tea to treat everything from headaches to depression. (MizFit note: Depression? who knew.)
  • Research indicates that drinking of the green can lower cholesterol levels & improve the ratio of HDL (good) to LDL (bad).
  • Research is beginning to indicate that there may be a compound in green tea which inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
  • Research is also beginning to indicate that drinking o’the green helps prevent tooth decay (!) as the bacteria-killing properties in the tea knock out bacteria which cause dental plaque (MizFit note: see what I mean? There should be some fear struck in the heart of my MizTer Coffee machine right about now).
  • Green tea contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).  This is a POWERFUL antioxident thought to be the reason behind why the rate of heart disease in Japanese men remains low even though almost SEVENTY FIVE% are smokers (MizFit note: FRICK. see? I told you all this research made me thisclose to surrendering the java).

    • Bottom line (or “What in the heck does this mean for us?”):

    What are the negatives to green tea?

    There’s seemingly only one: too much caffeine can trigger insomnia in some or cause them to become jittery/nervous.

    That said, green tea does typically contain less caffeine than coffee (30-60mg per 6-8oz versus 100+mg in an 8 oz cup of coffee) which to some people (the nameless faceless masses who would *never* be me at 4a) might be a drawback.

    What benefits we might reap from partaking of the green?

    one word: myriad

    more words: here’s where you chime in, Oh readers of mine.  (Especially this guy)

    save calories: If you are a fancy coffee drinker & tend toward the whipped topped ‘Bucks treats plain green tea can knock hundreds of calories out of your day.

    Even if you replace those calories (as Id suggest) with good clean food you *still* end up on the winning side of the daily intake equation.

    potentially lessen risk of heart disease & cancers.

    increase alertness: Theanine (an amino acid in green tea) is purported to keep one alert while NOT cause the shakes as can occur after too much coffee. (Anyone wanna chime in with real life experience?)

    burn fat: studies have shown that EGCG increases fat burning during exercise especially in abdominal area.  (Now this sounds tempting! Anyone drink the green & find this to be true?)

    strengthen your bones: (MizFit note: this one has me intrigued yet simultaneously skeptical. Skeptitrigued.) Green tea’s mix of caffeine, fluoride, and phytoestrogen has been shown to increase bone mineral density in people who consumed it for 10 yrs +.

    That’s what I’ve learned, People, from friends, family & reading.

    I know many of you have some real life green tea experience to share—please fumigate your wisdom in the comments (movie? anyone?).


    Miz, remember those booty shorts you wrote about once? What was the brand?? I can not find them on your site.

    OK. I seriously LAUGHED OUT LOUD at this email. Booty shorts?! Me??

    *and then I remembered*

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nxOGbf4ZPU

    Not so much the booty part—-but the comfort, the wicking, & the fact I finally had a place in which to put my money, key & drivers license.

    And the charity.  Gracie’s Gear is one of the most philanthropic apparel companies I know.

Through GRACIE GIVES they support foundations that focus on improving health & enriching lives.

Gracie Gives sponsors local races that raise money for charity, donates time (which I think is more of a challenge than money) & products to homeless shelters for women *and* 30% of the proceeds from their black with pink tops go toward raising funds for the treatment & prevention of breast cancer.

Very, very cool huh?

In need of  a gift for yourself or a running-friend check out Gracie’s site and throw some support her way.

And not just because she has been generous enough to throw some shorts ours.

    So lay it on me.

    Gimmie your tea-tips.  Share with me your unrelenting java-love. Chat me up about the booty shorts (*snort*).

    One lucky USA commenter shall win her OWN pair of Gracie’s Gear shorts (sizes m-XL available).

    Winner announced Friday.

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Comments

  1. Morning, Miz!
    I haven’t been to bed yet so coffee/greentea is not happening here.
    I’m covering my bases … I drink both coffee and green tea throughout the day. (I just don’t tell one about the other … shhhh.)
    I like both and refuse to feel guilty about my caffeine consumption.
    instant espresso (i *like* it don’t hate me) with 1/2 cup heated almond milk
    or
    mint green tea ~ plain.

    Have a great Day!

  2. I am a coffee drinker. The only green tea I have ever tried is that Tazo Zen tea and for anyone who wants an easy introduction to green tea I totally reccommend it. It is green tea but it is infused with some other flavors also like mint and citrus.

    As for coffee I don’t see me giving it up any time soon. I drink it black so it is calorie free and it is an important time with my husband each morning where we talk and hang out.

    As for the booty shorts: You look great in them but it might be illegal for me to be seen out with the size of my booty! Good luck to all the small booty gals out there in the contest!

  3. I drink both. I love my coffee and though I only have 2 cups per day at most I enjoy every single drop.
    I enjoy the green tea as well… I’ve always liked the taste and I find it relaxing of an afternoon to take time out from work, make up a cup and stare off into the yonder whilst drinking. (people think I am being awfully zen, but in truth it’s just me ignoring people LOL)
    I don’t know about green tea helping with depression, fighting cancer or burning off the belly fat – but if it does help then yay! If not I can still drink it knowing that for that moment I won’t be concentrating on spreadsheets, budgets or annoying co-workers. Win! 🙂

  4. I drink green tea pretty frequently but would LOVE TIPS on how to make it.

    I end up using the store bought bags which are fine but I would imagine loose tea is better tasting?

    MizTer Coffee LOL

  5. I have read that alot about the tooth decay (does that mean I should let me son drink it? 🙂 he is 6 and has the worst teeth!!) and green tea.

    I am still a coffee lover 🙂

    I am a runner too and would love to try those shorts although after seeing your twirl I might need to tie a sweatshirt around my waist to cover my ample booty LOL!

  6. I’m a tea lover myself. I usually have 2 tea bags in my 16 oz mug every morning (one green and one black) to get some more caffeine than just one bag. I figure this way I’ve got more caffeine in the black tea, since black typically has more caffeine than green tea, but still the benefits for the green tea? Ha. It seems to be enough caffeine for me at least.

  7. Good moring…
    I drink both.
    Gave up my morning jolt of java for a bit and only drank the green tea, but you know what life is short and I LOVE my morning coffee.

    I usually make a large batch of green tea and we all(whole family:DH, DS14, DD10 & DS5)drink it iced throughout the day.

    I checked out Gracie’s site, very inspiring and and personally motivatinal. I would love to train to run someday…I will train to run someday and would love to waer Gracie’s gear.

    Thank you Miz for sharing her.

  8. Love, love, love the green tea. But, then again, I have more than enough “other” vices to make up for it. Iced, hot…it’s all good.

    Not interested in the booty shorts myself, but do know some that would like them!

  10. If you can tolerate the caffeine, I also think drinking both coffee and green tea is a great idea–they both have tons of health benefits.

    Personally, I love my coffee in the morning and could never give it up, but I cover my bases and have green tea later in the day.

    Love all the research you collected, thanks for that!

  11. When I worked, I used to stop by Starbucks every morning for a Venti coffee, plain. I added up how much money that was costing me and decided it would be better to make it at home. So, that’s what I do now, 1/2 a pot every morning. Probably too much, but it’s a vice I’m not going to give up. My grandparents drank coffee everyday well into their 90’s. Isn’t “well into our 90’s” what we’re all aiming for?

  12. I know that movie.
    I can hear the line in my head and can’t think of it!!

    (Does that mean I need more green tea?)

  13. I drink coffee and green tea. I have a very handy iced tea maker (like a coffee maker) and I make a couple batches of green tea in it each week so I always have some iced green tea handy. Sometimes I mix up the tea bags and use a little black or chai with the green. My caffeine weakness is diet Coke. I try to avoid it by drinking more tea or coffee but I just like it so much….

  14. quick peek as I get my morning (read: child) under control.

    I can’t say ENOUGH how I love Gracies Gear.

    She does so much good in the world.

    please to click thru and peruse.

    And Debra? WHO KNEW about the Diet Coke!

    Why does that make me feel better about my penchant for the DC?

    (Debra is one of my dayjob ‘bosses’ how sweet is she to read here, huh?)

  16. I’ve weaned myself off of coffee through green tea. I even drink the decaf green tea sometimes! I have tea bags but prefer the loose tea. I have one of the wacky tea balls and a container of green tea in my desk. I’m sure it looks weird but it’s so much better than the bags!

    I also have to say how weird it is that I’m excited to see if I won this giveaway – who would have thought last year at this time that I would even be interested in booty running shorts?

  17. Can’t quite make it over to the green tea world. I should maybe try it iced?

    No shorts for me (but thank you very much), but I’ll mention that Gracie’s Gear has a cutecutecute hoodie marked down from $65 to $35. Am currently in fiscal “cooling off” period while I ponder the purchase.

  19. I love me some honeybee tea on ice. I like cold tea in the morning and hot tea before bed. I’m also a huge fan of mate… not exactly tea but in the “must steep it to drink it” family.

  22. I love those shorts!

    Perfect to run in since where I live it is still HOTHOT.

    And I’m with KIKi 😉 we need to enlighten you and your emailer what booty shorts really are 😉

  24. so if we wear the shorts, we’ll look like you… to boot? 😉 haha i crack myself up.

    i love green tea, but i can’t do coffee so i’ve not compared the two… iced is good too!

  25. I have never been a coffee person but I used to have a REALLY horrible diet soda habit. I kicked it with the help of green tea. Specifically, Harney & Son’s Organic Green Tea with Citrus and Gingko.

  26. OK, I hate to admit that I do NOT like tea. I know all those great benefits but I just don’t like it! I did put a cool smoothie recipe on my blog awhile back that I should try since it may cover the tea taste! 🙂

    As for “bootie shorts”, I will check out that site. I wear them babies all the time as you can see in my pic on my blog & I am in desperate need for new ones for sure!!! I don’t have but a couple & the way I work out, well, I wear them out before I replace them.. OH NO, not good!

    Thx for all the great info!

  27. I love coffee and consider it my indulgence. Well, okay, one of several, but I restrict myself to two cups a day most of the time.
    As for green tea, I really don’t care for it and that’s currently a good thing as I shouldn’t have it. Green tea has a great deal of Vit K which aids in clotting blood and therefore cancels out the works of Coumadin, which inhibits clotting. Gingko is also restricted for rat poison takers, and that I miss. Perhaps as a gesture of protest one day I’ll try the Harney & Son’s Organic Green Tea with Citrus and Gingko.

  28. There are benefits to a daily cup of joe as well. I recently read in Oxygen about drinking a cup before a morning workout.

    I treat myself to one cup in the am. I will drink a cup of tea every now and then in the afternoon. I prolly should outta maybe make it more of a habit. A healthy habit.

    I’m confused though. I thought green tea was naturally decaf??

    I have some Nike booty…wicking, pocket, drawstring waist. But, in my current condition, I don’t wear ’em. I do have some Gracie tops. Pretty cool with the iPod pocket.

  29. All I know is MY green tea is chock full of caffeine and I adore it.

    No booty shorts for this booty.

    I’d say for now but I’m thinking ever!

    Thanks for all you do to educate us, Miz!

  30. Coffee has so much caffeine and so little calories. What could be more awesome??

    I do enjoy a spot of green tea with a splash of milk in the evening.

    The booty shorts…look out Daisy Duke!!!

  31. So, um, being LDS, I don’t drink tea (or coffee) and, being self-conscious about my pastiness, I don’t do booty shorts either. And yet I still loved reading about them! Go, Gracie! Sounds like an excellent charity.

  32. So I love green tea, don’t get me wrong, but I cannot just completely get away from the coffee. And coffee has benefits too! (At least that’s what I keep telling myself.)

  33. I don’t drink coffee or tea. However, I do have a caffine-full diet soda every morning. Just one. My vice.

    Wanted to say thanks for the comment this morning. You’re a blogging super hero to visit and leave heartfelt, thoughtful comments on so many peoples blogs.

    knowing you keep an eye on me is reassuring….lol Makes me important.Woman, you totally totally made my morning.

  35. My coffee love knows no bounds. Nearly all my updates on FaceBook have something to do with coffee in one way or another. Coffee is the one bright spot in an otherwise dark dayjob world. I loves me some java.

    I could give it up if I wanted (hello 3 pregnancies sans caffeine), but I don’t want to. Not now, and probably not ever. I only drink it in the morning or occasionally if I’m meeting a friend in the evening at Starbucks for some much needed “mommy getaway” time, but that’s really it. So I cherish those times – mornings and getaways when I have my beloved Magical Morning Elixir to look forward to.

    Like I said, I loves me some java. Green tea, not so much.

  36. I don’t drink coffee….never developed the taste for it. Although I love the smell and sometimes wish I liked it. I’m a tea drinker. I usually have a cup of hot green tea in the morning and iced tea with lunch. In attempt to cut out some caffeine I added in Crystal Light peach tea….although of course there is the trade off with artificial sweeteners. Oh well…it works for me and I like it. 🙂

    Checked out Gracie’s site. Love it!!!

  37. Jill? I LOVE this:

    Magical Morning Elixir

    I have been known to oft refer to my Diet Coke as Mommy Merlot.

  38. “yet Im a firm believer we all need a few vices” –> I LOVE you. 🙂

    I believe this, too! Though my vice is much much much worse than coffee. Diet Coke (the horror!). I’ve given it up before and (this is so sad) I really kinda get depressed without it! It seriously puts me in a good mood instantly. I HAVE cut back, though, so I guess that is good.

  39. I have the Gracie sports bra and it’s AWESOME.

    I’d love the shorts.

    I’d also love to know what on earth the green drink is someone mentioned above that you drink.
    It that a shrek shake??

  40. Trying REAL hard to ditch the a.m. coffee. I’m switching to tea to see if it helps my pains any. I’m not loving the tea. It used to be okay, but coffee has taken over as my first love and it’s so hard to be without it. Did I say how HARD it is???? ;P

    As much as I would love to wear them, I would just have too much booty hanging out of the shorts -lol!

  42. I have to tell you about my coffee experience. I actually gave it up for about a year and switched to herbal tea. (I’ve never really been able to stomach green tea unless it was in a green tea frappucino). 🙂

    And you know what? I miss coffee when I don’t get to have it. Not just the taste, but the whole coffee ritual. It’s comforting, through and through. I went back to the bean, and I don’t think it has a negative effect on me. I usually stop drinking coffee before noon, and I only have a cup or two per day.

  43. I need to get me some of those booty shorts! PLEASE pick me! However,not much to say about green tea-I’m a huge coffee lover.Cannot live without it-gave up cigarettes 4 yrs ago,but never my coffee.I do live in the South though, and we love our sweet tea,but I try to stay away from it as much as my willpower allows-too many empty calories.

  44. I am a tea drinker: black, green, white, and tisanes too. Occasional coffee if I’ve had a really short night or as a treat, but mostly it’s too much caffeine in the coffee for me. I start in the morning (right now, looking at a cup of hot peach black tea) and work my way through the day with iced and hot cups.

    Would love those shorts! Thanks for the opportunity.

  45. I am a big drinker of green tea but a recent one.

    The EGCG you mention is why I started (I did not know there was a name for it I just have friends who swear by green tea as the best way to shed belly fat) and I’ll let you know if it works!

    Andy

  46. I can’t even stomach a sip of green tea, and I have tried!! No shame in the coffee here, love it!

    I do love those booty shorts too!! (obviously any title containing “booty shorts” is an attention grabber) 😀

  47. Although coffee is a beverage, it does not fit into the food category- it is not nourishment, but rather a substance that sustains life for those of us who are completely reliant on it. It is necessary to live! Non-Coffee drinkers just don’t get it!

  48. I am a huge iced tea drinker (unsweet, of course!) but I have never tried green tea. Maybe I’ll test drive it at Starbucks one of these days since it’s so good for us!

    As for those shorts, you rock them! I, however, would not – my saggy, jiggly thighs are not fit for other eyes. So don’t enter me in the giveaway. But I love the philanthropic concept behind Gracie’s Gear and am having fun checking out their website!

  49. I’m a coffee drinker, and to me, green tea can’t fill that spot. I do like it however. Yummy with honey in it.
    I love Gracie’s Gear. 🙂

  50. COFFEE! I will not accept any substitutes. I mean, I drink green tea too, but NEVER in place of my coffee. I’m pretty sure I would get fired if I didn’t have my morning coffee.
    I’m not addicted; I’m in LOOOOOVE. Iced, hot, lukewarm, frothy, black…I’ll take it any which way!
    I once heard an apple can wake you up in the morning as well as a cup of coffee, but that was LIES. (I tried it. Two hours later, I was brewing coffee)

    As for Grace’s gear, I think the whole pocket for stashing your ID, keys, ipod etc is a great idea. (You can tell a woman invented it as a runner’s substitute to the “mom purse,” which is never cool to bring to the gym, no matter how hardcore you are.)
    Sometimes when I’m running alone I wonder if I will trip and fall and be left an unconscious, unidentified body on the side of the road…something like this would let me carry enough stuff to put my mind at ease, I think. 🙂

  51. Non-Coffee drinkers just don’t get it!

    YES Tricia Z yes! And I do not get them.

    I laugh I went all through college and grad school drinking nary a drop (or much diet coke for that matter).

    Im not sure when it started (Ren Man? Care to chime in?) but when it did it started with a MorningVengeance.

  52. I HAVE to have my one cup of coffee first thing in the morning. After that I’m happy to switch to tea, but I’m not that fond of the mossy taste of most green teas. Anyone have recommendations on a green tea that tastes great?

  53. Forgive me if it’s been mentioned but Self magazine had a huge article about the benefits of coffee (including the teeth plaque thing) in their August (?) issue. I think most of the bits of info can be found here: http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2009/08/coffee
    That being said, I’m not a fan of how you have to drink 4+ cups to get some of the bigger benefits they list. OOOH I HAD NO IDEA/not seen the article. Thanks!

  54. No booty shorts for me lol. But about green tea, I love tea but green is just kind of yucky. If it’s store bought it seems ok but if I try whipping a cup up myself I just haven’t found any I like. So I find myself just sticking with my black tea. As for coffee, it’s ok but I always want it souped up with milk and splenda.

  55. I drink neither coffee nor green tea, so it seems I have nothing to contribute. I mainly drink water, with the occasional diet soda (I know, I know). That’s it. If I had to choose, I’d be more likely to drink green tea than coffee because of the taste. I love how coffee smells, but I don’t like the taste at all, unless it’s heavily doctored with sugar and cream. 🙂

  56. Although I don’t drink all that much of it, I can’t imagine giving up my coffee! I drank a LOT more of it (and the way high calorie kind) when I passed a drive-thru Starbucks (aka FourBucks, according to my hubby) on my way to work every morning. When I got pregnant with my first I stopped the daily trips, started eating better, and lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks!

    So far I haven’t found a green tea that I really enjoy, but perhaps I’ll keep trying.

  58. THANKS FOR THIS INFO. LYN:

    I used to hate the taste of green tea. I found out I was steeping it WAY too long and too hot. Now I steep it in LESS-than-boiling water for a minute or less. I also dilute it with water (I add a mug of green tea to another 8 oz water) and squirt a little lemon juice in there (which is said to make the healthy compounds more bioavailable) and drink it iced.

    Why bother? For me, because there is a VERY significant decrease in your odds of gettin OVARIAN CANCER if you drink green tea daily. Google it for research. My mother died a horrific death 11 days after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I will avoid this at all costs. So green tea it is… until I am 50 and can get my ovaries out.

    I used to drink 2c coffee in the morning but the problem is the heavy use of creamer w/sugar. Now I drink Chai tea with agave nectar instead.

  59. I typically drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon. I love all kinds of tea. With green tea, Lyn is right, you want the water temperature to be below boiling (around 170 degrees). Obviously, at the office, I can’t measure the temperature, but I put a dash of cold water in with the hot water from the water cooler. I’ve also found that other flavorings make it a bit more palatable; jasmine green tea is really nice.

    Chia goes nicely in green tea…and coffee, too. (I don’t care for it in foods, though, such as soup.)

  60. I’m a recent lover of green tea… I have the Keurig coffee maker with the little insert to make tea and other ground coffee, and tried a mug of green tea with it. It was DELICIOUS! I’m aiming to cut some caffeine out of my diet to work on sleeping better, and the anti-depressant qualities you mentioned? Lets say its much needed…

    I’m a huge iced green tea fan too… mostly because my classroom can double as a sauna.

  61. Hey Mama!!! First of all, awesome job on the caffeine post. I think I will always drink my cup of Jo, just because a) it gets the job done BEST – is the strongest in my opinion, unless I make some crazy powdered tea where I can have it super concentrated, and b) there are many studies that show health benefits to a couple cups of coffee a day.
    I went without caffeine for a couple weeks, but it just wasn’t worth it. I get more done with it, I like the taste, and I’m more alert. True dat on the calories though!! Good thing I drink mine all ways: black, sweetened black, with soy, with milk, with half and half….etc.

    ANDDDDDDDDDD, nice shorts Mama! You have such a rockin bod!! those look handy!! I need to buy some new shorts now that I am playing tennis so much more…all of mine are kind of wide/cotten from when I wore them at skating.

    I loveeeeeeeeeee you Carla!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY WEDNESDAY SWEET LADY!!!!!!!!!!!!

  63. Lifelong coffee drinker. Cannot start my day without it.

    But I’ve switched from coffee to green tea later in the day. I’ll drink a cup or two after a workout. or with my mid-afternoon snack.

    Do I think about the benefits of the tea when I’m drinking it and feeling all superior? Nope.

    However, when one (and by one I mean THIS ONE) needs a calm meditative moment – I’ve picked up whole green tea -and jasmine tea- flower pellets. Place one in a gorgeous cup and pour hot water over it. As it seeps, the flower blooms. Adding a beautiful visual aspect to the tea experience.

  64. I am a true coffee addict. Ok addict wouldn’t be the best way to describe it because I CAN go without it, I just choose not to 😉

    Those shorts look soooo comfy! I hate the “digging in” factor they talk about on the website so I think I would love these!

  65. i used to drink green tea near daily a few years ago (had a paid internship with a magazine in cube land – kept a box in my cube), but haven’t had much lately. i do, however, drink more coffee than i probably should, though that’s a direct result of me working at starbucks. i don’t drink their green tea … because i hate the tazo green teas. black? love. green? yuck.

    still, i do like tea and i should probably get back into drinking it.

  66. From what I’ve learned on my geeky reading about green tea is that to get the antioxidants from the tea you want to use water taht hasn’t quite boiled yet (85090 degrees C) as boiling water (which makes the tastiest tea) can damage/destroy a lot of the antioxidants. I know that white green tea has more good stuff than oolong or black tea because of how it’s dried.

    As for me, I just like green tea…I boil water with cranberries in it and once it’s cooled a bit I toss in some green tea bags and let it steep. Once the joice/tea has cooled off a lot I fish out the tea bags and blend it up into a super awesome antioxidant drink. Run it thru a cheesecloth to catch the greebles and adda bit of honey to taste and I have the elixer of the gods…yum.

    But honestly…I love me my coffee more than anything else. Drink far too much of it.

    PS – it’s good I’m from Canada…noone needs to see me in booty shorts. Trust me.

  68. I couldn’t stand coffee until after child #2 – now I would prefer not to live w/o it. Sometimes when my stomach is icky I have to though. Not a fan of the green tea primarily because of the flavor, but I don’t mind mixing it with another fruity decaf tea.

    Those are WAY to modest to be booty shorts. But I still have too much booty (and belly, and thighs) for them! But that’s not negative self talk; I’m curvy and like me that way!

    🙂

  69. I’m a big time coffee drinker, too, MizFit. Infact, it’s the main reason I, too, am able to wake up for my pre-work runs at 4:30 a.m.

    However, I might start adding in an afternoon cup of green tea after reading all those benefits! Wowza!

  70. Another coffee drinker here. (Although I do LOVE the green tea lattes at the ‘Bucks! Do those count?)
    COMPLETELY agree on the need for a couple of vices! As long as their legal and not too harmful, right?

  71. I like green tea, but I LOVE coffee. It’s not quite as powerful as green tea, but it has antioxidant powers itself.

  72. I don’t drink coffee, but I drink the odd cup of green tea – about 2-3 per week. My favorite is red tea, which is also full of antioxidants, but doesn’t contain caffeine.

  73. i’ve learned to like green tea, but cannot have it first thing in the morning-it makes me naseaus on an empty stomach. i also remember reading (though i cannot remember where except it was a fairly trustworthy site) that if you have green tea with food it helps to absorb the benefits.

  74. I can’t really offer any tips on green tea, or share coffee anecdotes, as I don’t really drink either one. I love the smell of coffee, but the taste, not so much.
    But I’m all about some booty shorts.

  75. I’m a coffee drinker but have recently limited my intake due to creamer & whatnot.

    I do love an iced chai tea (@ Panera – yum!) but haven’t ever gotten into green tea. I mainly drink lemon lift zinger or whatever it is called in the cooler weather.
    After reading all this…might just have to try some green w/lemon this winter instead. 🙂
    Thanks for sharing!

  77. I will NOT give up my morning coffee. I gave up everything else … I’m hanging on for dear life. LOL

    I drink tea at night sometimes, always decaf though. If I have caffeine after 4, I can’t sleep. On cold nights up at the observatory, I will take a thermos of hot, decaf Earl Gray.

  78. My tip is to drink some red raspberry leaf tea! I much prefer it – delicious! and it makes great iced tea in the summer…

    My booty is a bit large, but I believe everyone should be able to wear booty shorts!

  79. im a big coffee lover however, chai tea is my other love. Oregon Chai tea with soy milk = heaven in a cup! Booty shorts are a must! Why not show off our booties? lol

    xoxo
    Lo

  80. i just tried a new green tea drink recipe I found in clean eating today. 5 green tea bags, 5 cups hot water, 1/4 c. honey then you chill it that add ice and fresh squeeze lemon. I love tea in general though

  81. I have enjoyed coffee for a number of years and I have enjoyed iced tea for even longer. I made the switch from a morning cuppa joe to a morning cuppa tea about a year ago. Although I still indulge in a cuppa joe now and then.
    But not green tea. bleugh. tastes like somebody brewed up some grass clippins from the lawn. bleugh.
    I like coffee you can taste and I like tea you can taste. My daily brew is a loose leaf Irish Breakfast with light vanilla soymilk and a little splenda. My evening drink is a glass of iced decaf bagged tea like liptons or whatever is on sale.
    If you like the taste of grass then green tea might float your boat but if not, you can get all the same health benefits of green tea with black tea. They are made from the same plant, just different stages of oxidation.

  82. The problem is that Green Tea does not taste like coffee. I’ve had some good tasting Green Tea. I’ve had some bad tasting Green Tea. I am willing to drink the good tasting tea on a chilly winter afternoon. But I can’t see it ever replacing my morning coffee with Green Tea. Because, you know, it doesn’t taste like coffee.

    I like coffee.

    🙂

  83. Aha. Yes. Must have the coffee immediately on opening eyes in the a.m., and lots of it. I do try to cut back now and again.

    HOWEVER, I succeeded in reaching my goal number 51: Try green tea. I tried it, and I liked it, and I am extremely pleased with myself, especially so after reading this excellently informative post.

    🙂

  84. javachick? this totally sums it up for me as well.

    whatever it says about me 🙂

    But I can’t see it ever replacing my morning coffee with Green Tea. Because, you know, it doesn’t taste like coffee.

    I like coffee.

  85. I am actually just now in the midst of pondering a blog post about my thoughts on coffee! I actually drink both coffee and green tea nearly daily (though less tea now that I own a juicer), and love both, but for different reasons. Mostly, I drink one or the other just for the love of it! Any health benefits are an added bonus. I’m aware that doctoring up coffee can have a caloric impact, but over the years I have gotten all hippy dippy and now lighten with hemp milk and sweeten with agave, so I think that’s about the best I can do, short of drinking it black! Tea, on the other hand, I cannot stand adding anything to. I don’t even like lemon in it, which is unfortunate from the nutrient standpoint. I tried giving up all caffeine and lasted less than a week before I decided that the pleasure and the boost I get from it outweighs the negatives, primarily because I drink only one cup of each per day, on average. Diet Coke, on the other hand, is something I would like not to lust after, and while I’m rarely drinking it anymore, it still catches my eye every so often. I hear ya when you call it Mommy Merlot. Minus the mommy part. 😀

  86. I am a sucker for anything that has weight loss on the label. Yes I have tried every green tea that includes shrinking stomaches as a benefit. I just have to call BS on this one sorry. Nothing is going to do that for you other than proper diet and exercise green tea or not.
    I do believe in the other benefits it has to offer and drink it regularly but there is no way in h*ll it will ever replace my cup-a-joe in the morning 🙂
    P.S. My booty would not look hot in booty shorts right now so please re-do this prize in 6 months. Then I can win them and I will rock em!
    XO

  87. I only drink tea. I guess I just don’t need caffiene to wake me up! Also when I do have it I never notice a difference in energy or have a “crash” later. I love all the different kinds of tea and find it exciting to pick them out each day.

  88. I love coffee. I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to it. But, I do drink green tea too, maybe a cup or two a day, especially after dinner. And to be honest, I have noticed the difference in the waistline, although that could be just because I happen to have been working out hard or eschewing chocolate cake at the time. In any case, if it works as a placebo only, then that’s good enough for me.

  90. I am sticking to my daily 2 troughs of coffee and there is no convincing me out of it! 😀 No experience with tea really… My boyfriend drinks black tea all the time and loves it. He has a very cool and calm demeanor so let’s go ahead and attribute it to the tea 😉

    I’d love me some bootay shorts!

  92. MMM, coffee. I drink coffee in the morning, and try to get some green tea in later in the afternoon. But I don’t like most green tea: it makes my mouth feel dry and makes me thirsty. So the only green tea I drink is Decaf Honey Chamomile Green Tea from Celestial Seasonings. I know the decaffeination process probably leaves other chemicals in there, but whatever. D*mned if you do, d*mned if you don’t. 😉

  94. ok, so it’s a hundredty-o’clock and i’m sitting down with coffee. i know. bad. but i love coffee and sometimes it will comfort me at odd times. that being said, you totally reminded me of how much i actually love green tea! it has a wonderful wonderful taste and i miss it! it won’t replace my coffee, but i think i’m going to have to partake in some now and then! re: the shorts, i fear those might be a little tight for someone with thighs (i.e. me) what do you think? they are a little short, but i am desperately seeking a short that doesn’t ride up in the middle so I’m willing to try anything!

  95. Starting to sound like a broken record, but I also drink both – black coffee in the morning, and green tea in the afternoon. I prefer my tea iced in summer and hot in winter. I keep a package of green tea in my office, so I cna grab it and have a cuppa. Booty shorts? Bring ’em on!

  96. The tea got me through a 42 credit year at Cornell. I love the tea, and could easily name 5 different teas that help me with daily life, from waking up to reducing DOMS, to being light and refreshing, but I would seriously hijack your comments, and no one would read it as it’s so late.

  97. wow. so i used to be really good about drinking iced green tea throughout the day but have been lazy and not making it and just drinking water or *gasp* diet dr. pepper. after reading all of those health benefits i am off to brew some for tomorrow….

    oh and i won’t be giving up my morning coffee… it makes me happy in the morning! 🙂

    and thanks for the giveaway chance… i could use some new and SMALLER shorts!

  98. I love both coffee and tea (coffee more so) but I wouldn’t be able to give up either of them…
    I don’t know if this counts as a tea tip, but I drink tea with my lunch and dinner and it slows down my pace of eating as well as gets me full faster (they probably go hand in hand). In our office we have jasmine, roasted, and regular green tea. Mixing up your tea variation might be a good idea too 🙂

    (Btw I am non-USA so count me out for the shorts but they sure look awesome!)

  100. I have a great tea called Bohemian Raspberry.

    Yes. Really. Antioxidants and sing-along all in one cup!

    My best tip is one I learned from the Splendid Table (NPR is like my morning coffee, Miz; it wakes me right up). Cold-brew your tea by dumping a couple tablespoons of loose leaf tea into a pitcher of cold water. Good ration seems to be about a tablespoon of tea per quart. Let the pitcher sit in the refrigerator overnight. You’ll need to sift the tea before you drink it, but the cold brew gives the tea a soft, mellow taste that allows fruity flavors to come through really well. If you like a strong, bitter brew, this tip isn’t for you. But if you prefer a gentle, breezy iced tea during the summer, the cold-brew method is perfect.

  101. I can’t do caffeine — gives me painful, though harmless, cysts in my breasts if I have too much in my system. But “too much” seems to vary with my cycle, so I find it’s best to just avoid it altogether. As such, I’ve been drinking decaf for 22 years. It’s not that hard of an adjustment as people might think. However, I know that “decaf” doesn’t necessarily = “caffeine free.” So I still watch it. I drink decaf coffee most mornings, but I also like decaf green tea, esp. in the afternoon when it’s chilly here in Idaho. I add a little honey to it. I also like it iced in the summer. That’s a refreshing drink on a hot day.

  102. Ooooh….the only coffee I like is the kind that is super super bad for you – sugary and confectionary and dessert rather than coffee. ;o) I’m an occasional green tea drinker too, but nothing tremendous.

    The booty shorts look cute – but I’m still afraid of wearing em! I got a little “Extra” between the thighs, if you know what I mean, but they definitely look cute. ;o)

  103. I have been looking for a good pair of “Booty Shorts” for my Kettle bell class! I would love love love to buy a pair but I would rather save my (hubbys) hard earned $ and win them!!!!

    Java? I love me some Chai Tea more than coffee. BUT I have been drinking coffee these last few years and prefer a little milk sugar and cinnimon (occationally some chocolate too) in mine. Yea, I know, I’m wierd.

  104. Buying a Keurig was the best thing my husband and I did for our coffee habit. The Keurig coffeemaker allows us to each make one cup of the coffee of our own choosing — me: some sort of flavored coffee and him: the strong, dark, bold stuff. After one cup, we’re done with coffee for the day…unless we go back for round 2… 🙂

  105. Coffee>>>green tea. however, I must admit to a somewhat unhealthy obsession with celestial seasonings seasonal candy cane lane (decaf) green tea. I don’t know about the health aspects, but it is tasty! Adn those shorts are great. Must get some…

  107. I got into green tea at one point, but inevitable fell back to my tall soy latte ways. I can definitely appreciate both a good cup of coffee and some nice green tea. When it comes to green tea, I REALLY like the good stuff though. We have a Japanese restaurant near my school that gets all of its products imported from Japan including its whole leaf green tea. Expensive, unfortunately, but I’m lucky enough to have friends who love the stuff. It really tastes amazing.

    I would love those shorts as I am completely lacking in shorts right now. I think I donated my old shorts by mistake, well all of them by mistake.

  108. Hi Mizfit, I changed to green tea a couple of years ago and enjoy it – lemon, jasmine, plain. I tend to prefer normal tea with quite a bit of milk so for me it was the equivalent of cutting out maybe 100-200 calories a day.

    However when your dentist asks if you’re a smoker, and you find out green tea is staining your teeth brown its a bit off putting. An unpleasant side effect not mentioned that often.

    I believe if you buy more expensive brands this problem is minimised. Depends on how deep one’s pocket is tho.

    However I have cut back on the green tea now from about 4-5 cups a day to 1 or 2. I know cosmetic benefits shouldn’t outweigh health benefits but brown teeth are not pleasant.

  110. I love coffee, but it is so bad for my teeth. The idea that green tea might be good for my teeth AND help burn off some belly fat when I exercise has me considering drinking it too!

  111. I love really, really good coffee. You know, the kind you can drink black vs. the instant Flavia stuff they have at work for free. That requires dump truck proportions of sugar and cream to make drinkable. I try to drink green tea in lieu of the cream & sugar.

    Sometimes tea wins…sometimes coffee kicks tea’s behind. Actually flavia coffee has been winning a lot lately.

    Great compilation of reasons why I need to give tea a fighting chance again…

  112. I drink my coffee way too sweet! I gave it up for 2 weeks but went right back to it! maybe switching it up to tea is the way to go! I dont know how it could possibly replace my sweet coffee but I think I need a change! but I am weak!

  113. I lived in Japan as an exchange student for two months…and never had a sip of green tea. I did have some green tea flavored ice cream, though! Does that come with all the health benefits as well? I’d love me some new booty shorts! Ha!

  114. I don’t need any shorts, thanks, (tryin’ to reduce the amount of STUFF I have)… but I have to say I adore green tea. There are so many kinds also Starbucks iced green is a nice mild flavored intro, since it has the mint etc. in it. Ever gone out for sushi? Get the hot green tea there and you’ll find it completely different! Matcha is finely ground green tea leaves and tastes yet again different. So I guess my point is, is that there is a SOME green tea out for pretty much anyone’s taste buds – just keep trying different brands and flavors. If you’re lucky enough to have a Teavana near you, go have a cup; it’s like a wine bar for tea. You can try all kinds and figure out what you like. On the website are two pages’ worth…
    http://www.teavana.com/Loose-Leaf-Teas/Green-Tea/

    (No I do not work for the company; I just miss having one nearby!)

  115. Mmm coffee. It’s quite well known that Farmers actually run on coffee 🙂

    I actually switch to tea (all different kinds!) once the pot of coffee runs out. Unless of course it is a particularly cold, nasty day out — and then we make another pot!

  116. I used to drink coffee all of the time but I switched to green tea because coffee had way too much caffeine. Now I drink green and black tea and they wake me up and make me feel good!

  117. I started getting into tea more lately, given how great it is for you. There is a kind of “tea” not really a tea because it comes from south africa from the rooibos plant, also known as red bush, that is just as healthy if not more, than green tea. No caffeine, loaded with antioxidants, great for insomnia, stress, digestion, healthy skin and bones.

  119. Green Tea is the well-known “wonder drug” known to give its drinkers a host of health benefits. People who drink green tea have significantly lower risk of cancer. Green tea has been shown to counteract both the initiation and promotion of carcinogenesis. Green Tea has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels. The potent antioxidant effects of green tea inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the arteries. It plays a major contributory role in the formation of atherosclerosis.

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