Mate vs Coffee – Mate Has Better Benefits
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Mate vs Coffee – Mate Has Better Benefits
Coffee has become the norm for millions of people around the world seeking a beverage to give them a boost of energy. It has grown as a socially acceptable drink for meetings, a work pick-me-up, breakfast beverage and is served with desserts. Almost every home, office and eatery keeps a pot brewing. Thousands of coffee shops have even popped up to provide a place for people to gather and drink coffee.
I personally have never understood the attraction of coffee as a desirable beverage. The bitter flavor is an acquired taste. We don’t allow our children to drink coffee, calling it an adult drink. Coffee has no nutritional benefit and instead contains over 200 acids and loads of caffeine that deplete potassium and lower body pH to unhealthy levels. The boost of energy people feel is the energy used by the body trying to neutralize the negative affects of this beverage.
The norm used to be to drink teas in social settings. Teas have many nutritional benefits, can aid in digestion and are available in many natural flavors. Made from leaves, these beverages are loaded with various flavonoids and nutrients. Today, teas are more often offered as an alternative for non-coffee drinkers. The downside to most teas for many people is that they contain little or no caffeine.
Let me introduce you to mate (pronounced mahtey). Mate is known as an alternative to coffee, produced from the evergreen leaves of the yerba mate plant, a large shrub or small tree from South America, particularly Southern Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and southern Chile. The leaves are served either green or dried as a tea, using hot, but not boiling water. Yerba mate has been used for centuries and is touted for its many natural minerals and antioxidants.
Similar in taste to many green teas, it is not boiled because of the bitter taste this produces. It is available with various herbal flavors added. The leaves are often used twice by natives with the same positive effects of alertness and mental acuity for each use. Available in tea bags, mate is a perfect healthy change to coffee.
The caffeine level of mate is much lower than coffee, but still gives the body an energy boost. Whereas coffee is stripped of nutritional value as the beans are processed, dried and ground, mate contains an abundance of nutrients, including potassium, magnesium and manganese. Many regular users claim that it will not affect the ability to sleep when consumed at night, which is probably due in large part to its lower caffeine levels and higher nutritional benefits. Caffeine levels in mate vary from 0.2% to 2.0% of dry weight, with coffee often measuring 3.2% of dry weight.
The natural substances present in mate have been shown to have a relaxing effect on smooth muscle tissue, and a stimulating effect on myocardial (heart) tissue, while coffee stimulates the central nervous system. This makes mate a much better choice for dieters. It stimulates energy production without the negative affects of supplementing with caffeine stimulants intended for short term use.
Need the morning and afternoon pick-ups you get drinking coffee without the negative affects? Consider trying mate. You will probably find you enjoy the benefits of mate over that of coffee.