Summer’s the season when it’s not just the temperature outside; even the insides of your body seem to be burning up. And when the heat is on, what better way to cool off than to down a glass of fresh sugarcane juice, laced with a dash of lime? It’s tasty, cheap, easily available and, importantly, will help you flaunt a flat stomach.
Yes, you heard me right. With summer come acidity, bloating, constipation and a host of ‘loss of electrolytes and dehydration’ issues. If you strain on the toilet seat and feel your chest burning with acidity, then it’s not just your stomach that bloats, your face looks swollen too. Jawlines disappear and eye bags appear. Apologies for sounding like a horror film, but you know I am not exaggerating.
Now, sugarcane juice is the perfect remedy for all that heat exhaustion, acidity and bloating. If your grandmom already told you so, she has good reason: Ayurveda recommends it too. The perfect time to sip it is noon, when the heat outside and inside skyrockets. Can you have a glass everyday? Yes, totally. Does it have calories? Of course! All food has calories but this one is loaded with nutrients, sugar, electrolytes and minerals. We need to count nutrients, and besides, counting calories is so passe.
Sugarcane is so significant and rooted in our culture that there are Sanskrit verses describing it, singing praises of its therapeutic value and taste. A glass is good enough, but have it the minute it’s squeezed out, as the juice loses its goodness quickly.
Do check that your gannawala stores the sugarcane in a safe, hygienic manner, away from buzzing flies. If you can, chew on the cane and allow the fibres to massage your gums. The juice is probably our earliest known detox tonic for the liver and its value in helping people recuperate from jaundice is well known. PS: Bel ka sharbat and nimbu pani are good too, but sugarcane juice is first amongst equals. Cheers!
(Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar’s latest book is called Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha.)
