Chocolate is lower in caffeine than tea, coffee and coca cola. A one ounce bar of chocolate contains about 6mg of caffeine, whereas a five ounce cup of regular coffee contains over 40mg.
Caffeine can be good for you (in moderate amounts). Chocolate has fat, sugar and carbs in varying amounts depending on the type of chocolate. I drink my coffee or tea straight (ie - no sugar, milk, etc).
I enjoy chocolate as much as the next guy, but it's not going to replace my coffee or tea.
A large amount of caffeine is released from tea after the first 30 seconds of brewing. Dumping this content out and pouring new hot water is a neat trick for caffeine conscience tea drinkers.
Again. There's nothing wrong with caffeine unless you're ingesting high amounts of it. It's been shown in studies that ~100mg/day is actually good for you.
Caffeine isn't about keeping you awake. Sleep keeps you awake. But since you mentioned this myth about apples doing a better job, I'll address it. Apples contain no stimulant like caffeine. All they have is sugar, which is short-lived. Eating them will keep you awake for a while from the sugar high, but it won't last and comes with a crash. It also doesn't last as long as caffeine so no, they don't work better than coffee. Also, 100mg of caffeine isn't enough to disrupt sleep patterns or maintain awake-ness. I drink a cup of coffee with my toast b/c I like the taste. I'll eat a piece of fruit afterward.
If all you're drinking coffee or tea for is caffeine, then you might as well just take caffeine pills instead. Caffeine has been shown, in studies, to increase mental alertness and physical endurance. The only problem is when people overuse it. Kind of like people who eat too much chocolate. Fat, sugar and carbs are fine in moderation (just like caffeine), but it's all about balance.
One more thing about tea. I mostly drink aged or cooked pu-erh tea. Raw pu-erh loses it's caffeine content as it's aged. Cooked pu-erh has virtually no caffeine.
chocolate is a great natural antidepressant. It contains tryptophan which helps you create serotonin, your body's own antidepressant. Also, the phenylethylamine, found in chocolate has been shown to release serotonin and endorphins- two known chemicals that make us feel happy!
I'm confused. Is this a debate now? Or are you just telling me things about chocolate?
Your original claim was that chocolate is better alternative to coffee and tea b/c of caffeine content.
Here are some facts about puerh tea (there are too many teas in the world for me to list health benefits for all them):
It has antimutagenic and antimicrobial properties. Studies have shown that it can help with reducing body weight, blood triglycerides, and cholesterol. The Chinese have other beliefs about this tea, but since there is no medicinal explanation or study on other claims, I won't bother listing them. These positives all come without fat, sugar, etc.
A typical, 1oz piece of milk chocolate will contain ~157 calories. 10 grams of fat, 6g of saturated fat, 5g cholesterol, 15g sugar and 15g carbs. In half the amount of milk, there is double the amount of tryptophan. Tryptophan can be found in eggs, fish, oats, cheese, sunflower seeds, beef, pork, lamb, salmon, flour, and many other food items.
As another positive for chocolate, it also has antioxidant properties. Many types of tea also contain high levels of antioxidants. A single, 43g bar of Hershey's milk chocolate contain 210 calories, 50% of which are from fat.
Oolong teas have been known to aid in weight loss (probably due to the thermogenic effect of caffeine), aid in digestion, high amounts of antioxidants (although, green tea has the highest antioxidant properties), promotes heart health due to lowering cholesterol and triglycerides, can help treat eczema, assist in diabetes treatment, reduce blood pressure, and some others.
Coffee can lift your mood, and lower risk of diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, colon cancer, cirrhosis, gallstones, and others. It's been shown that it's the caffeine in coffee that offers all these benefits. There are more, but it would just make this already long post even longer. You can always check websites like WebMD for more information.
Twirl says 618 days ago