At least a few times a week, many people around the world have a habitual addiction to drink either a cup of coffee or a can of soda. These days, especially when it comes to being stuck at home, we are all looking for ways to keep healthy and fit.
It may be easy to grab a 24 pack of soda from the store, but let’s investigate further why that may or may not be such a great life choice.
What is healthier Coke or coffee?
Some days you just want to reach into the fridge for an ice-cold bottle of Coke to get that sugar rush in or add a little caffeine spike into your day. However, when it comes to your health benefits, you may want to seriously think again.
Studies have shown that consuming one can of soda per day, either sugar-sweetened or diet, can increase a person’s risk of stroke over time by 16 percent!
Although soda can help with basic hydration, it has little nutritive value and therefore is not very beneficial to your health. Soda also has incredibly high levels of sugar, which can lead to a heightened risk of inflammation and a variety of other diseases and health problems.
But what about coffee? Well, when it comes to coffee vs soda, coffee definitely seems to be in the lead due to the benefits of its caffeine levels. However, not all coffee is created equally. It depends on what you are making at home or order in a local cafe. If you’re going for a shot of espresso or a straight black coffee, then it is definitely a healthier option. Tea would also be another wonderful alternative to consider while trying to avoid excess sugar.
However, let’s not forget the world of creamy cafe breves, sugary frappuccinos, and huge serving sizes; where sugar is king and the calorie intake can more than outweigh the health benefits received from the caffeine.
What’s more acidic coffee or soda?
One thing you don’t hear a lot of people discuss is the amount of acid in soda. While both coffee and any drink including coffee are associated with being acidic, it actually has a lower pH level than soda does.
Careful though, the pH levels and the state of being acidic are not to be confused with the actual acidity of the coffee.
When it comes to acidity, it also plays a crucial role in the taste of this daily drink. In its natural state of being green coffee, coffee contains various types of both good and bad acids. Some of these acids disappear during the roasting process, but some don’t.
The main culprits are acids known as chlorogenic acid and quinic acid.
Chlorogenic acids, also known as antioxidants, are usually broken down during the roasting process. Hence, why people often equate coffee beans that are roasted longer and darker with the perception of lower acidity when tasted.
Whatever chlorogenic acids are not broken down during the coffee roasting process then turn into quinic acid. This type of acid is found in darker roasted coffee beans and is responsible for a sometimes sour sensation in your stomach after drinking coffee.
Can of Coke vs coffee for caffeine?
Getting back to soda, specifically Coke, and the caffeine intake that can come from both drinks. Who do you think the winner will be for caffeine in coffee vs soda?
If you guessed that coffee has a higher caffeine rate, you are correct! A 12-oz cup of coffee has at least 140 mg of caffeine or more in it. That’s around three to four times more caffeine than coke!
You may be shocked to learn that Diet Coke actually contains more caffeine than its regular counterpart.
According to the Coca-Cola website, regular Coke’s caffeine content is 34mg for a 12-oz can, while Diet Coke’s caffeine content is 46mg.
But is there such thing as too much caffeine? Check out the great video by Coca-Cola on the recommended limit of caffeine per day.
Which soda has the most caffeine?
Too much caffeine is never a good thing, but what if you need a good pick me up at night?
Coffee contains more caffeine than tea, and both are certainly better for your health than any energy drinks on the market. However, if you’re craving a bit more sugar, soda may be a better choice to have on hand.
Pepsi One has been known to be the soda with the most caffeine in it. With a whopping 57.1 mg of caffeine, it should be your go-to beverage with nearly double the amount of caffeine as regular coke.
The verdict
If you need something to keep you up late, choose wisely, a regular shot of espresso or an 8-ounce cup of brewed black coffee may be the boost you need rather than a weaker drink like soda.
When it comes to your health, both coffee and even tea have health benefits that support free radicals and may prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s, heart disease, liver disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, gallstones, and can also aid in weight loss.
Adding sugar, syrups, cream, or creamers to your coffee will add some calories and possible health risks. If you’re looking out for these kinds of things, tea is a great option to keep your sugar low. But if you’re not a fan of tea and coffee has your heart, you can never go wrong with a straight black cuppa joe.
