Sing with me now!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year (enter Andy Williams)
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you “Be of good cheer”
It’s the most wonderful time of the year
It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap- happiest season of all (*music slowly fades out)
Ok, ok, I digress. But…because the holidays give us so many excuses and opportunities to gather with friends and family, IT IS the most wonderful time of the year. From friends-giving to holiday office parties to family gatherings, the holidays are the reason for plenty of celebration.
Whether you’re a socialite or not, there are more dinners and parties on our calendars than usual – often with plenty of food and drinks; especially adult beverages. If the food and drinks are the primary reason you show up, you won’t get any shame from me. Still, constant social drinking & indulging has consequences.
If you’re anything like most of our Lady Leader Lifestyle community then you’re looking for a healthy tension that allows you to enjoy the eats, drinks, and indulgences of the holidays without feeling guilt, shame or hungover and craving like crazy afterwards.
What’s The “Healthiest” Alcohol To Drink?
Because of all of the festivities this time of the year I also start getting a lot more questions about…
“How do I stay on track during the holidays?” or “How do I stay healthy through the holidays?”.
More specifically, I get questions like…
“I’m going to X party this week, what should I drink?” or “What’s the healthiest alcohol to drink while I’m at Z’s gathering?”
What these ladies are really asking is…
“How do I enjoy the holidays, but still feel healthy doing it?” or “How can I stay healthy & still indulge?”
Let’s face it, the holidays can bring some serious anxiety, FOMO (fear of missing out) & a heavy dose of social pressures, emotional associations, and tons of temptations. As for my professional perspective for living in optimal health, alcohol is BAD and I believe it’s best to not drink.
However, I’m no different from anyone else and I appreciate a good glass of wine or a fun night of responsible drinking occasionally. Let’s look at how we can enjoy a drink (or a few) without feeling too lousy and without many of the side effects after a fun evening out.
***This information isn’t intended for those who want to stop drinking or struggle with alcohol. For this, we instead recommend talking to a professional.
Your Guide to Drinking “Healthier” At Your Next Holiday Party
When going to your next gathering, there are less damaging alcohol choices you can make to feel better and remain healthier while still indulging and enjoying yourself. Let’s take a look.
White Wine (dry)
Wines are unfiltered and therefore many of the distilled spirits are better, however the toxins in dry white wine tend to be lower than other whites and reds. If you prefer wine or liquor I recommend leaning toward dry whites over reds or other sweeter wines.
Whiskey
Although whiskey is made with grains that have toxins, the distillation process can help to remove a good amount. Whiskey also contains unique types of free-radical fighting antioxidants better than wine. I’m not much of a whiskey, but if you are then you’re happy it has made the list.
Gin
Long before gin was a popular alcohol, it was considered an herbal medicine. The fact that it has medicinal properties along with antioxidant properties make it a “healthier” choice when drinking. If you’re a gin & tonic type of gal, then choose diet tonic since regular tonic has sugar.
Tequila
Since tequila is made from agave, some will argue it shouldn’t be on this list because of high fructose (the bad sugar) content. However, tequila’s fermentation process removes the sugar prior to also being distilled and filtered.
Brandy
Odds are that you want to relax with a drink every now and then. Choosing any distilled, low-sugar, clean alcohol choice will be a safe selection. Even the best alcohols impact performance, brandy is one of the better ones we like when we decide a little fun is worth it.
Champagne (dry)
Champagne has very low levels of mold toxins and very high standards for how it’s made. A good dry champagne for your holiday libations is a solid choice for more than just NYE.
Cider (dry)
Ciders are made from apples rather than grains. This makes them both gluten free and low in mold toxins. The primary toxin made by apples does not survive the fermentation process, making it a better choice than most beers, wines, liqueurs, and colored, sweetened spirits.
Vodka
The gluten and sulfites are removed from the ingredients of highly filtered and distilled Vodka. Also, Vodka doesn’t contain sugar or sweeteners. An even better choice is to go with a potato vodka to completely eliminate grains from the process all together.
“Healthy” Holiday Drinking
The funny thing is when I learned the above list I couldn’t remember it for the life of me so I made up a way to help me recall it when I needed it most. It’s a little phrase I now have memorized…
When going to bars, choose vodka.
Now obviously, as the previous list shows there are more options than Vodka but, vodka is my #1 choice if you were to ask. The rest…lies in the first letters, WGTBCV, in that phrase. I’ll explain…
W in “when” stands for whiskey or white wine.
G in “going” is for gin.
T in “to” equals tequila and so on.
So although you may not only be going to the bars, you can use this phrase to help you choose a better option anytime you’ve added a holiday party or other event to your calendar.
Remember what I said, alcohol isn’t good for you. It’s not good for your liver, the brain, it decreases performance, dehydrates you, and adding sugar will make you feel worse the next day. If you’ve had a hangover then you know what I’m talking about. Studies have also shown liquor mixed with an artificially sweetened mixer can raise blood-alcohol levels more. Simply put, stay away from sweetened spirits (aka limit the sugar as much as possible).
So how do I make my drinks or guide my clients if they choose to drink?
Here’s my quick take on making less damaging drinks fast and still fun for your next party. I call it a…
“Tis The Season Spritzer”
- Start with 2-4 ounces of vodka, dry wine, champagne, or whichever spirit you prefer from the list above.
- Match it with 2-4 ounces or more of soda, water, sparkling water, or diet tonic
- Add a splash of a low sugar (do the best you can here), fresh juice for flavor. ie. cranberry, lemon or lime juice, orange juice, cherry, grape, etc. Cranberry is my go to, but I also like using kombucha as an option.
- Garnish with fresh rosemary, cranberries, & an orange slice. No garnish needed (it just makes me feel fancy. Haha!)
Lastly, if you still happen to overindulge, I understand it happens. Trust me…I’ve been there. 🤢🤮 . The goal then is to get back on track as quickly as you can.
And for you ambitious ladies, if you’re wanting to hack the whole holiday season and arrive at the New Year with energy and purpose rather than disappointed and discouraged contact us here to learn more about coaching.
