Phase: Any phase once you are tolerating fluids and food. Gentle and low acid. On an active flare day, follow your team’s guidance on what to drink.
There is a particular kind of tired that comes from being the only adult at the table holding a glass of tap water. This is the drink for that. It is cold, it is sharp, it looks like something, and it has almost no fat and no alcohol. Make a jug of it before guests arrive and you never have to explain yourself.
Makes: 2 tall glasses · about 15 kcal a glass, no fat
Ingredients
- Cucumber, half a large one (about 150 g / 5 oz), sliced thin, plus a few slices to garnish
- Fresh mint, 10 to 12 leaves, plus a sprig per glass
- Lime, 1, juiced (about 30 ml / 2 tbsp)
- Sparkling or still water, 500 ml / 2 cups, well chilled
- Ice
- Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons honey, only if you want it sweet
Method
- Put the cucumber slices and mint leaves in a jug. Press them gently with a spoon a few times to release the flavour. Do not pulp them, just bruise them.
- Add the lime juice and the honey if using. Stir until the honey dissolves.
- Fill the jug with ice. Top with the chilled water.
- Stir once. Pour into glasses, add a mint sprig and a cucumber slice to each.
Fat note: Essentially zero fat. The honey is the only thing to watch if blood sugar is a concern, so keep it small or leave it out.
Safety note: If carbonation tends to bloat you, use still water instead, it is just as refreshing. Make it fresh and keep it cold.
Stepan’s Rule: Serve it in a proper glass with a garnish, not a plastic cup. Half of feeling normal at a party is holding something that looks like everyone else’s.
Patient experience, not medical advice.
More drinks like this get swapped in the free PancreasZen community. Come and share yours.