Booze Through Life The Healthy Way
By Kyle Thacker in Food on Jun 21, 2012 8:20PM
In March, Brigham and Woman’s Hospital in Boston conducted a study that produced eye-catching results that bucked conventional wisdom about drinking. The study, conducted over a 13-year span, revealed that women who are moderate drinkers tend to gain less weight than their non-drinking counterparts.
The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, defines moderate drinking as no more than two servings a day of wine, beer, or liquor. We’re assuming you haven’t read the Archives, based on our assumption that reading the Archives would be like having your eyes gouged out by the blunt tips of absolute boredom materialized.
The results of this study could be misinterpreted as promoting drinking habits. But this doesn’t mean that all women should chug the nearest bottle of Ketel One or (gag) Skinny Girl Margarita and it means they've ingested a diet elixir. The study showed that a main cause for this trend is that women are more likely than men to replace a meal with a cocktail. As the New York Times reported, a 2003 British study showed that men are more likely to pack on pounds while drinking because they will drink their pints in addition to their fish ‘n chips.
Studies suggest that drinking alcohol has different effects on eating habits among men and women. Men typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake, whereas women are more likely to substitute alcohol for food. In the Archives study, women who drank alcohol reported fewer calories from food sources, particularly carbohydrates.
Now neither of these habits—substituting drinks for meals or binging on fried food and lagers—is a particularly good way to maintain a healthy trinity of mind, body, and soul. But as 21st century drinkers on the go, missing a meal in favor of drinks can happen to the most diligent of us. So if it were to happen that you opted for drinks over food, how can you get the nutrition you need to make it through the night?
There are a lot of obvious ways to avoid unwanted calories in drinking. Add soda water to as a mixer to help dilute the drink. Ignore artificially flavored liquors like marshmallow vodkas or chocolate martinis. We went a step further to create our own nutritious cocktail, one that would give you the most health benefits to combat the toll booze will make you pay.
The Garden Vitality
2 ounces Crop Cucumber Vodka
Infused flavors avoid the sugar content of artificially flavored liquors
¼ cup fresh cucumber juice
Low calories, high water content for hydration, alkalinity neutralizes acids in the body
1 ounce Golden Beet Juice, peeled
Milder flavor than red beets, source of Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, Dietary Fibers and low in Calories
1 ounce Green Tea
High in antioxidants that help improve blood flow
½ ounce Honey Syrup
Invert sugars are a better source of energy than Sucrose, low glycemic index avoids sugar rush in bloodstream
¼ - ½ ounce Float of Fruit Lab Hibiscus Liqueur
Add beet and cucumber juices, cucumber vodka, honey syrup and green tea to shaker. Add ice. Shake vigorously to create a nice foam, strain into Collins glass over ice. Float hibiscus liqueur. Garnish with cucumber coins.