Coffee as a drink did not exist until the 15th century when a goatherd discovered that his goats became unusually energetic after eating berries from the coffee plant.
Ever since then, coffee has become a very important drink worldwide and few people would dare start their morning without a nice cup of their morning joe. While most people add sugar or dairy products to their coffee, you can make your cup of coffee even more beneficial by adding L-theanine to it.
What is L-theanine, you might ask, and why would you ever add it to your coffee? More than that, what kind of benefits does it have to offer, and in what form can you add it to your coffee? Keep reading and learn more about what this substance is and why you should start adding it to your coffee.
What You Need To Know About L-theanine
The first thing you should know about L-theanine is that it is an amino acid. An amino acid is a chemical compound and there are many types of amino acids found in nature. The human body produces some of its own amino acids while others are found in plants and other consumable substances.
In general, amino acids are very important for allowing basic life functions to happen and for life to exist.
L-theanine is not an amino acid that the human body produces but rather one that certain plants produce. In particular, some mushrooms produce this unique amino acid along with the tea plant that produces black and green tea.
Researchers have found that this amino acid is similar to another amino acid known as glutamate. The human body has a great need for glutamate for a variety of reasons. In particular, this amino acid is important for nerve and neuron function.
The brain would not even be able to function if not for the presence of glutamate. Because L-theanine is quite similar to glutamate, it seems to do a lot of the same things as this amino acid does once it's introduced to the brain and body. In particular, some believe that the use of L-theanine may affect the brain's ability to remember information in a similar way as glutamate.
The Details
This may also be true because L-theanine may influence other important chemicals in the brain. Specifically, it may influence the function or production of serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Dopamine levels are closely associated with the brain's ability to remember new information and recall old information.
However, it is important to note that research concerning this amino acid is still ongoing. Research so far seems to find that L-theanine is indeed healthy for the brain as well as memory. But more research is necessary to understand the entire extent of the benefits this amino acid has to offer.
Even so, research so far shows that L-theanine is not harmful to the brain or body. On the contrary, it may be a very good supplement to consider. But what exactly does the existing evidence have to say about the potential benefits of this amino acid?
What Are the Benefits of Using L-theanine?
One of the most prominent benefits of adding L-theanine to your coffee seems to be that this amino acid may be able to diminish feelings of stress. You might think that if L-theanine does this, it must make you feel drowsy, but this is not the case. L-theanine seems to be able to take the edge off without making you feel tired.
This is known to be the case after a study involving this amino acid and more than 100 people got conducted. In the study, it was found that a large number of people taking L-theanine experienced lower levels of stress compared to those who did not take L-theanine. Another study found similar findings, but that study involved the use of people suffering from schizoaffective disorder and similar mental disorders.
The use of L-theanine, again, seemed to help reduce the feelings of stress in these people. Keep in mind, however, while these two studies had positive results, they do not necessarily have enough information to definitely say whether or not this amino acid is a good treatment for stress.
What You Need to Know
For that reason, you should not view this amino acid as a treatment. Instead, you should view it as a supplement that may or may not help you. In general, taking this amino acid can't really hurt you, and there are plenty of good reasons to try it.
Another potential benefit is that L-theanine may improve the effectiveness of the immune system. It is not yet known how or why this amino acid can do this. Even so, some studies have found that this amino acid may be particularly helpful in alleviating infections of the upper respiratory tract.
Yet another study found that L-theanine may have implications for soothing inflammation in the intestinal tract. Inflammation in the intestinal tract can cause all sorts of digestion issues. It may even cause damage to the intestinal tract in some cases.
But if it is true that this amino acid can help reduce inflammation in this area of the body, then it would certainly be a good thing to try. There is also a possibility that L-theanine may help people to not get sick from the flu. However, there is not a lot of information or research concerning this, in particular, so the information should be taken with a grain of salt.
The Connection of L-theanine and Coffee
You might be wondering if there is any real connection between this amino acid and coffee. As a matter of fact, there is. Some research studies have shown that consuming both this amino acid and coffee together can be extra beneficial for one's health.
But why? First, let us consider what kind of benefits coffee alone has to offer. The main and most beneficial component of coffee is, of course, caffeine.
Caffeine naturally has a variety of benefits, the most obvious of which is increased energy levels. When you drink coffee, you will feel more awake and alert once your body breaks down and absorbs the caffeine molecules from the drink. This is possible due to the way caffeine blocks certain receptors in the brain that are usually responsible for the modulation of a person's energy levels.
The consumption of caffeine may also be linked to improved brain health and function, much like the consumption of L-theanine. However, many of the potential benefits of caffeine are still being tested, so as of yet, it is not possible to definitively say whether or not caffeine will improve your brain health.
Overall, it is known that caffeine is certainly not bad for you, as long as you don't take too much of it. But what happens when you mix coffee with L-theanine? As it turns out, this amino acid and coffee seem to have a unique feature in that they become even more effective when consumed together.
In particular, studies have shown that combining these two ingredients can increase a person's levels of focus. This was discovered after conducting a study involving several participants. After consuming both caffeine and L-theanine, the study found that the participants felt far less tired than before.
The Science Behind the Connection
More than that, they also felt much more focused and alert. It is believed that the effects of the combined substances were more substantial than the effect of only consuming either caffeine or L-theanine alone. There are several theories as to why these substances work so well together.
In particular, it may have to do with how these substances affect a person's stress. It is known that when a person drinks too much coffee, the excess caffeine may make the person feel stressed or jittery. L-theanine, on the other hand, is known to have stress-relieving effects.
So, combining these two will cancel out the potential stress-causing effects of caffeine. At the same time, the amino acid will not counteract the alerting effects of the caffeine. In a way, consuming this amino acid along with coffee will allow a person to enjoy all of coffee's benefits without having to worry too much about its downsides.
As a result, taking these two substances together would be perfect for improving your mental performance and overall focus. Another reason why these two substances are perfect partners is that L-theanine is a nootropic while caffeine is not. A nootropic is a substance that is meant to improve brain function to some extent.
Caffeine, on the other hand, is not a nootropic but instead can make a person feel less tired. L-theanine's brain-boosting properties along with caffeine's ability to stave off fatigue make these two ingredients, of course, a perfect match. But how exactly should you go about adding L-theanine to your coffee?
After all, it is an amino acid, so what is the best way you can add it to your morning cup of joe?
How To Add L-theanine to Your Coffee
Fortunately, adding this amino acid to your coffee isn't hard. You won't have to go to some elusive laboratory to get this amino acid formulated for you. On the contrary, this amino acid is relatively easy to find.
In fact, it is easier to find than ever before since more and more people are starting to get hyped up about the potential benefits that this substance has to offer. Today, you will find that L-theanine comes in all sorts of useful forms. Capsules of this amino acid are very common, but of course, you won't be adding any capsules to your coffee directly.
However, some people enjoy taking a capsule of L-theanine to drink with their coffee. But what if you want to add this amino acid directly to your coffee? In that case, you'll have to find a product, like The Good Stuff, that will dissolve easily into your coffee.
Using L-theanine
Once you stir the powder into your coffee, the powder should dissolve completely or at least almost completely.
Your coffee should look more or less the same as it did before. More importantly, the L-theanine will not affect the flavor of your coffee. So, you can enjoy your cup of coffee as usual without having to suffer through any unusual flavors.
As soon as you start sipping your coffee, the combined benefits of the caffeine and the amino acid will start to work their magic. Keep in mind that you won't feel like superman as soon as you finish your coffee. You might even feel the same after drinking your coffee.
The benefits of L-theanine are known to become more prominent the longer you take it. This is often the case with most supplements and vitamins. For that reason, you should stick to this supplement for at least a few weeks, if not a few months.
After some time taking coffee and L-theanine together, you will likely find yourself feeling much more alert and focused than ever before. This should benefit you in a variety of ways whether you're at work, at home, or an event. But if you are thinking about getting an L-theanine supplement powder, where should you get yours?
After all, there are many brands out there that produce this sort of thing, so how can you know that you're getting a high-quality product?
The Good Stuff - Performance
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One scoop will infuse your coffee with healthy ingredients
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Ditch the bad stuff like sugar, dairy, and artificial creamers
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Fights inflammation and supports skin and joint health
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Makes your coffee taste great
The Good Stuff From For Wellness
If you want to make sure that you get a high-quality supplement powder for your coffee that includes plenty of L-theanine, you should consider The Good Stuff supplement powder from For Wellness. But what is so special about this particular supplement powder, you might ask? It all has to do with the powder's unique formulation and ingredients.
Of course, one of the main ingredients in this powder is L-theanine.
However, besides that, it is also enriched with all sorts of other important ingredients that can help you lead a much healthier lifestyle. In particular, this powder does not have any GMOs, preservatives, or added sugar.
It also is free of dairy and gluten. These are all factors that many other supplement brands don't tend to take into consideration. So whether or not you have trouble processing dairy or gluten, you certainly won't have any problems when trying The Good Stuff supplement powder.
Besides that, the powder is full of very healthy ingredients such as collagen, Himalayan pink salt, C8 MCT oil, ceylon cinnamon, and more. Collagen, in particular, is known for improving skin health. This is not surprising since a large portion of your skin cells is made of collagen.
The Details
More specifically, collagen acts as a scaffolding for your skin cells so that they stay firm and elastic. This is especially true in young people, but less true in older people who have less collagen. It only makes sense that consuming collagen will keep your skin quite firm, youthful, and overall healthy.
In conjunction with L-theanine, this powder will ensure that both your brain and body are as healthy as possible. It also has a very pleasant flavor. This is in contrast to other brands which may have supplement powder that completely ruins the flavor of your coffee.
Using this powder is very easy. All you need to do is use the scooper tool that comes with the powder bag. All you need is one scoop of this powder in your coffee and you'll be good to go.
As soon as your stomach starts breaking down the nutrients in your coffee, those nutrients will get absorbed into your body and brain where the benefits will really start to take effect. There is hardly a simpler way in which you can reap the benefits of so many important ingredients in such a delicious and relaxing way.
But what about the dosage of L-theanine? As mentioned before, the dosage of this amino acid can be quite important. So, how much should you take?
The Correct Dosage of L-theanine
The ideal caffeine to L-theanine ratio is 1:2. This means that you should consume around 100 mg of caffeine for every 200 mg of L-theanine. In general, it is a good rule of thumb to make sure you are taking more L-theanine than caffeine. Of course, you don't have to measure each substance down to the very last milligram.
However, having a general measurement of both substances can be very helpful. After all, there is no point in taking L-theanine if you are taking such a low dose that it won't even do anything. You also don't want to accidentally take too much.
While taking too much L-theanine generally isn't dangerous, it can cause some unpleasant side effects such as headaches and an upset stomach. Your average cup of coffee is usually already around 95 mg of caffeine, so you won't have to worry too much about measuring the amount of caffeine you consume.
What to Know
But what's a good way to measure the amount of L-theanine you consume? As mentioned before, most L-theanine supplement powders already come with a cup that is designed for measuring the precise amount of L-theanine you should consume. For The Good Stuff powder, in particular, you should aim to only use around one scoop for every 8 oz cup of coffee.
This will ensure that there is a perfect ratio between the amino acid and caffeine. If you are feeling a bit daring or want to ensure that you have a relaxing day, you can add two scoops of the powder to your coffee. You should not add any more than that to your coffee, especially within 4 hours, otherwise, you might end up with an upset stomach or other side effects from taking too much L-theanine at once.
As long as you follow the dosage instructions, you should be able to benefit from the supplement without any problems.
All About Adding L-theanine to Your Coffee
Adding L-theanine to your coffee doesn't have to be difficult and it can be quite beneficial as well. Studies have shown that this amino acid is quite good at improving focus and calm especially when mixed with coffee. You can do this by using a supplement like The Good Stuff.
Click here to learn more about The Good Stuff.
