Healthier Beverage Options
Whether you want to lose weight, bring your androgen levels back to a healthy level, or support your liver, alcoholic beverages can slow your progress down. But that doesn’t mean that you need to miss out on the social aspects of your life. If your friends are headed out to the bar, there are things that you can do to feel included. If you choose to drink, before leaving, set a limit to the number of beverages you can have. Then, follow these tips to make a healthier beverage selection.
Clear liquor on the rocks
Usually, when my clients try to take a guess at healthier beverage options, they say wine first. But when you take a look at what’s in wine, it’s no surprise that many people react poorly to it. Between the sulphites, the sugar, and the yeast, wine is a recipe for a headache and a bad hangover.
You may be surprised to find that many hard liquors are a better option. I’m not referring to sugar-laden options like Grand Marnier or amaretto. No, I specifically mean clear hard liquors.
Clear liquors are distilled after the fermentation process. As a result, a lot of the symptom-causing ingredients are left behind. And since no sugar is added back in, these options are (relatively) easier on your system. Safe options include:
- Vodka
- Gin
- Some rums
- Unsweetened whiskeys
Whiskey is often forgotten on the list of healthier beverage options because it’s dark. However, the darkness usually comes from the barrels where it’s aged.
Serve these drinks on a bit of ice, or drink straight. But don’t forget to pace yourself!
Healthier mixer options
If you’re more of a mixed drink kind of person, there are ways to keep drinks decently healthy. The important thing to keep in mind is that sugar isn’t a great thing to add to alcohol, health-wise.
If your acupuncturist has mentioned that you have a lot of “Heat”, which translates into inflammation, this option might be easier on your system than hard liquor on ice.
Let’s start by finding safe mixers. Then, you can mix and match these mixers with the hard liquor listed above to make drinks to your liking. Healthier mixers include:
- Soda water
- Lacroix carbonated waters
- Zevia
- Iced coffee if you tolerate it well
You may have noticed that tonic water is NOT on the list. I can’t stress this enough. Tonic water is not any better than your average soft drink. A can of tonic water contains 32g of sugar. Soda water, on the other hand, is unsweetened.
The fun thing is that you still have so many beverage options if you want to watch your health. You could have a gin and soda with lime, a scotch on the rocks, or a martini.
You also have the option of not drinking at all. If you want to feel like you’re taking part in the social aspect of having a beverage with friends, you can order soda water with a lime. I opt for this choice often enough myself. It saves me so much money, and no one has to know I’m not drinking!
What do you like to drink when you go out?
