Water Or Coffee?

Why is drinking water better for teenagers than drinking tea or coffee?

Everybody needs water to be hydrated and it is important for keeping our body temperature even. Teenagers need to be drinking a minimum of 2 litres of water every day, more if you are active
- to be healthy. Water is the healthiest liquid you can drink. It is free and readily available for most people, it doesn't contain any sugar, salt or fat. Water is an essential nutrient and is needed to transport oxygen and nutrients to cells, protects organs and regulates body temperature. 

Coffee is widely drunk in New Zealand, often to help people wake up in the morning. This waking
up effect is because coffee contains large amounts of caffeine. According to the NZ Nutrition
Foundation there are 60 - 80mg in one cup (250ml) of instant coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant
drug which affects the central nervous system. Too much coffee causes increased heart rate,
alertness, can worsen anxiety and in some cases cause insomnia or nausea. 

Tea contains caffeine as well but not as much as coffee. However it can still cause anxiety and
other side effects. Tea also has tannins which prevent iron absorption, this can cause an iron
deficiency and lead to osteoporosis, which is a bone disease caused by the lack of iron. There
are some health benefits of tea because it contains antioxidants which can protect your cells
and prevent damage. This can prevent heart disease, cancer and other diseases caused by
free radicals.

Water is by far the healthiest drink for everyone and even though tea is better for you than
drinking coffee, it too has some negative health effects. So if you want to be as healthy as
possible, start drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water each day.