Should you start drinking matcha instead of coffee? Matcha is a ground up version of Japanese green tea and is used in hot and cold drinks and foods. While a cup of coffee or two daily is safe for your health, many people report feeling anxiety, stomach aches, headaches, and the “jitters” when they drink too much coffee. Matcha has none of these side effects, though it does still have caffeine–which is good news for those who get the dreaded caffeine “withdrawal headache” when they try to skip their daily cup of java. Matcha has less caffeine than coffee (about 1/3) and is much more gentle on your GI tract. In fact, matcha has several health benefits–such as controlling your blood sugar, improving your metabolism, and providing you with a dose of anti-oxidants. It also contains L-theanine, which is an amino acid that gives you a natural energy boost. Coffee is also very hard on your adrenal glands, and after repeated use of excess caffeine, your adrenals become sluggish or shut down entirely. This is an unpleasant side effect for many coffee drinkers. My daughters love going to a matcha bar in the city called ChaCha, and experimenting with delicious new matcha “green drinks” with their friends. Their menu is extensive and the drinks are quite tasty! Why not give matcha a try? Let me know what you think…