How to break up with sugar, part II
Warm weather, in my house, means mugicha. I buy the big family pack of Japanese barley tea and stuff a large sachet (or two) into that glass IKEA jug with the green plastic lid we all have. Then I fill that with water and stuff it into the fridge. Mugicha isn’t effervescent like beer, nor does it have the same complexity of sweet and sour, but it does have that toasty malted grain flavor that’s so satisfying when you’re tired and thirsty. On a hot day, I can gulp down multiple glasses in row, easy (hence the family pack). I don’t think of mugicha strictly as a beer substitute — I still drink beer, especially on a patio somewhere after a long bike ride. But I do appreciate how mugicha scratches that grain-based beverage itch sans sugar or alcohol. It’s the sort of swap that Pete Wells has found really helpful in his quest to reset his appetite after years of dining (and drinking) in restaurants. Cutting back on alcoholic and sugary drinks still leaves plenty of room for satisfying beverages that heighten a meal. “I have water with most meals now, though sometimes not, because I’m still an interesting person, OK?” Pete writes in this week’s column. “Especially with Mexican food, I make a lot of agua frescas and find that they don’t need much sugar if they’re made from sweet ingredients like melon, cucumber and pineapple. In Mexico, they are often strained, but I usually leave the pulp in, which slows the rate at which the sugar hits the bloodstream.” Featured Recipe Cucumber, Mint and Pineapple Agua FrescaPete continues: “Last summer I experimented with Indian spiced lemonade, known as shikanji or nimbu pani, to see how sour I could drink it before I made a face. The toasted cumin and black rock salt, with its sulfurous aroma of boiled eggs, distracted me from the reduction in sugar, up to a point. Maybe next summer, I’ll cut out the sugar entirely, as some people in India do.” Acidic drinks can really cut through rich flavors and refresh a palate, and I often turn to seltzer or sparkling water for the same reason. Years ago, my husband and I bought ourselves a soda maker as a joint Valentine’s Day present, and it’s probably one of our most used kitchen tools. It makes any meal feel a bit more special; a plate of reheated leftovers feels a little fancier when there’s a cold, tall glass of sparkling water bubbling excitedly next to it. Find more recipes for resetting your drinking here and below. This concludes our Reset Your Appetite series, but — as frequent readers of this newsletter know — we’ll continue to bring you healthy eating and drinking recipes all year. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
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