You might need this for St. Patty’s!
As healthcare practitioners, it’s important for us to stress (especially on “drinking holidays”) that alcohol is a known carcinogen, with a variety of side effects and we want to promote living a lifestyle that is as healthy as possible. We’ve had a lot of questions lately on what to drink without derailing your hard work. Well, first and foremost, it’s best to lay off the sauce altogether, but if you plan to partake, here’s a quick guide of things to consider over the weekend:
If you’re watching total calories:
Because ethanol (alcohol) is quite calorie-dense, the lowest overall calorie choices are drinks that have both a lower alcohol content and low sugar from mixers.
But let’s be real:
If you’re not aiming for low alcohol drinks, you can still keep your “high alcohol drinks” low-cal by adding only low sugar mixers like club soda, ice cubes, muddled herbs, coconut water, coffee, or freshly squeezed juice (like lemon, lime, or grapefruit)
If you’re limiting sugar:
The lowest carb options for drinks in general are pure distilled liquors like whiskey, gin, vodka (bonus points for gluten-free potato vodka), and tequila.
Things to Avoid:
Mixed drinks (like piña coladas, mudslides, and margaritas), wine coolers, most beers, liquers, sodas, and syrups, and driving!
If you forgot and went a little overboard:
Sweat it out!
The best thing you can do is drink extra water, make sure to eat, and work out! Happy St. Patty’s!