A New Treat

 I've really been missing tea.  I used to drink 2-3 cups of decaf tea a day.  I'm now pulling out my favourite pottery mug and filling it with hot water, just to continue the ritual of having something nice and warm to drink.  I also have a guilty pleasure- Chai tea lattes.  Full of milk, sugar and caffeine, they are a definite no go for the Migraine trigger-free diet.

So, why don't I just drink herbal teas?  Well, most herbal teas started as medicines.  If you look into the history of mint tea or camomile, they have medicinal properties (mint is good for digestion and camomile is for relaxation).  To me, drinking herbal teas feels like taking medicine in a way.  My body really reacts to them, usually with a feeling of discomfort. So, I haven't found an herbal tea to replace my decaf tea, although I do like lemon balm, but it is too soothing to drink during the day.

You may ask why not just continue to drink decaffeinated black tea.  Well, it turns out that most decaf teas and coffees are decaffeinated using ethyl acetate or methylene chloride which aren't really good for you (they can impact your nervous system and liver).  As ethyl acetate is derived from fruit, companies can use the label 'naturally decaffeinated', but it's still not good for you.  Another method of decaffeination is using carbon dioxide, and this method is the only one that can be used for organic teas.  It is not harmful to the body, but it is difficult to find decaf tea that is processed in this way.  As well, both chemical and CO2 decaffeination do not necessarily remove all of the caffeine.  So, I have decided not to ingest tea for the duration of this diet.

A favourite ritual Scott and I have since being in lockdown, is to go for a Sunday drive and pick up a latte on the way.  We usually stop at Starbucks and then go for a drive in the country enjoying the warm, sugary goodness on the way.  But, now it seems that there's nothing I can have from Starbucks, so we have been going for our drives empty handed until I discovered Oat Steamers; it's a horrible name for a drink and I can't believe that Starbucks uses it, but I find them delicious.  It's heated oat beverage, with a shot of vanilla syrup.  They taste like a liquid oatmeal cookie.  Super soothing.  However, there are two potential problems with the Oat Steamer.  The first is that the oat beverage may have carrageenan in it, although their promotions say it is preservative free.  I would have to ask to see the packaging to find out for sure.  The second problem is the amount of sugar.  For a tall Oat Steamer, there are usually two shots of vanilla syrup, I ask for only one shot in order to reduce the amount of sugar.  Not a perfect solution, but it allows me to still have a delicious beverage as we drive around exploring our local city.

PS- I have discovered that I can make an Oat Steamer at home using Earth's Own vanilla oat milk, 1 tsp of vanilla and 1/2 tsp of sugar.  I put it in the microwave for a minute to heat it up and voila, a delicious after dinner treat.