Switching from Coffee to Green Tea

Okay, I confess, I was a little nervous about replacing my daily cup of java with a hot cup of green tea in the mornings, but I have to admit, it was a pretty painless transition. What surprised me the most is I find that I have more energy from drinking tea than I ever had with coffee... Seriously. Not to mention, the calming effect I immediately feel from taking those slow, relaxing sips is almost therapeutic. I no longer have to leave the house 15 minutes early for work anymore just to allow myself time to stop at the store to buy it. Needless to say, I avoid the hassle of standing in line and I'm also saving a ton of money since I'm no longer wasting it on such an unhealthy addiction. You may not realize it, but those daily dollars really add up. Now, I keep a box of green tea, honey and a package of disposable cups with lids in my desk drawer at work. I start making my tea before I even fire up my computer. Don't worry, I'm always early so there's more than enough time to spare.

There are also apparently a lot of benefits to drinking green tea on a regular basis. Green tea has a potent antioxidant that actually lowers your risk of breast cancer. That same anti-cancer agent slows the aging process. It's been found to protect neurons against dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Studies have shown that regular tea drinkers have lower body fat, lower cholesterol, and improved blood pressure readings than non tea-drinkers. Tea has also been shown to be a good way to control or suppress appetite, which can have a big role in healthy eating. Green tea has also been shown to have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties, lowering the risk of infections and improving dental health, while coffee stains on teeth are sticky, and are said to attract food particles and bacteria.

So even if you don't have any intentions of making the switch, it'd be great to enjoy an occasional cup of this healthy alternative every now and then.

Day 5 
Tuesday

Breakfast - 3 Scrambled eggs
Snack - Strawberries / Hot cup of Green tea with honey
Lunch - Baked haddock with spinach / A baked sweet potato with butter

Snack - 2 Plums
Dinner - Carrot drink w/carrots, apples and pineapple /
Cabbage salad w / red cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, dried cranberries and almonds

Water Intake - 20 oz bottle
Fruits - 5
Veggies- 5
Grains - Not today
Beans - Not today
Daily Exercise - Exercise is against doctors orders for now, having just left the hospital.

Notes - Unfortunately, I missed blogging yesterday, but all continued to go well. I tried a new recipe that turned out great. One of these days, I'll post the recipe.