When it comes to your morning meal, many people believe that coffee is an essential part of any healthy breakfast. It may surprise you to learn, however, that tea is a much healthier wake-up beverage than coffee. Read on to learn about the various advantages tea has over coffee.

Disease Prevention

In addition to being part of a healthy breakfast, tea can play a pivotal role in protecting your body from assorted health problems. Because of tea's high levels of potent antioxidants, it often proves helpful in preventing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and even psychological impairments like Alzheimer's. While coffee has also proven effective in combating Alzheimer's and diabetes, its health benefits essentially end there.

Furthermore, regularly drinking tea can help reduce your body's cholesterol levels, relax your blood vessels and impede the formation of blood clots. Drinking excess of three cups of tea can also reduce your risk for stroke by more than 20%.

Oral Health

As a stark contrast to coffee, tea is actually good for your teeth. While coffee is notorious for causing brittleness and discoloration in teeth, tea is able to help in the prevention of cavities as a result of its powerful antioxidants. Additionally, if visiting the dentist is a source of dread for you, people who drink coffee on a daily basis are strongly advised to visit a dentist once every six months, whereas regular tea drinkers can typically get by with an annual visit.

In another nod to oral hygiene, tea contains polyphenols, which help prevent the formation of the bacteria responsible for bad breath. To this end, tea has proven effective in staving off assorted bacterial and fungal infections.

Psychological Health

In some cases, tea, particularly green tea, can function as an effective antidepressant. Studies have shown that individuals who suffer from both moderate and severe depression experienced improved psychological outlooks after consuming two to four cups of green tea each day. In other words, a healthy breakfast item can go a long way in improving your overall demeanor.

Enhanced Metabolism

Not only does tea taste great, but its powerful antioxidants can help speed up your body's metabolism if consumed regularly. While it's a common myth that coffee can also boost your metabolism, the truth is that it simply acts an as appetite suppressant without actually helping your body burn fat.

Reduced Stress

Tea, specifically black tea, can prove very useful in lowering your stress levels. Drinking four cups of black tea each day can lead to a dramatic reduction in your body's levels of cortisol, a prominent stress hormone. So in addition to making it a part of a healthy breakfast, make a point of enjoying a relaxing cup of tea after a hard day's work.

A healthy breakfast can help set the tone for the entire day, so when preparing this important meal, it's crucial to choose the right beverage. When trying to choose between coffee and tea, remember to take the previously discussed health benefits of the latter into careful consideration.