Calm Your Restless Stomach With These Calming Drinks
It would be a great understatement to call things “stressful” right now, and stress can lead to anxiety, which – for some of us – can lead to nausea and other stomach problems. And while I would never tell you to give up Pepto or Tums, I have found that adding a soothing drink helps calm my insides.
All my anxiety lives in my stomach, which means that it is very difficult for me to chew and swallow food during times of stress. Since I am an anxious person who gets through stress rather easily, I had to develop several fluid strategies to deal with the nausea caused by general fear. I understand that there may be at least a partial placebo effect, but I also know that the drinking ritual is soothing and that certain aromas help relieve my nausea.
Ginger tea for what bothers you
Ginger ale is a common home remedy for nausea, but I’ve found that ginger tea, which contains much more real ginger (obviously), is more effective. (I’ve also found that 7up is more potent than ginger ale, but that’s because it’s slightly more acidic.) To make ginger tea, take a 2-inch handle of ginger, peel and cut into thin slices, then boil. slices in a couple of glasses of water for 10-20 minutes. Strain, add lemon or honey if desired and drink. For a sweeter, colder drink, you can add pickled ginger brine to soda, which has the added bonus of delicious flavor.
Embrace the bitter
Bitter energizing elixirs also help soothe my stomach, and some of them turn out to be alcoholic. Created to enjoy after a hearty meal, Underberg takes an aggressive approach, forcing your stomach to almost paralyze calm with an overwhelming blend of herbs, spices, and ethanol. Campari and a lot of sodas take a similar but softer approach, and bitters and sodas really make it easier for you with a hint of herbal bitterness and lots of bubbles. If you want to skip alcohol entirely, a tonic or Italian bitter soda (like Stappi Red Bitter or Sanbitter) can give you an invigorating effect. (If the tonic is too sweet for your condition, dilute it with soda.)
Calm your inner child
If there is soda or tincture you drank during childhood colds and stomach upsets, consider returning to it. Our family was 7 years old when we got sick and the lemon-lime drink still calms me down, even though the effects can be completely psychological. (Attention calms me down, and I associate 7up with maternal attention and affection.) I also find Mexican Coca-Cola to help fight nausea, but I can’t explain it.
Make sure you are hydrated
At the very least, make sure you drink water. Dehydration and the associated dry mouth only aggravate the nausea and can cause headaches and all sorts of troubles. The sour taste of lemon water hydrates and fights nausea, but if you can handle plain room temperature water, drink it. (If you can’t handle plain water, see your doctor because it’s not good.)
You can also try A. A. Newton’s remedy: Alka-Seltzer dissolved in Gatorad; or mine: undiluted pickled juice. Both sound a little harsh, but decisive times call for drastic action.