One of the most festive parts of the holidays is often the drinks. But drinks are a pitfall because most people have no idea how many calories some of the drinks have.
Additionally, alcohol lowers your inhibitions to the point that before you know it, you’re scarfing down a few pieces of that pumpkin pie at 9 in the evening while laughing and talking to your family and friends.
- Drink Virgin Drinks – A great way to cut the calories is to drink virgin drinks. Even a frozen daiquiri (made with fresh strawberries) still tastes good without the alcohol but cuts the calories and the issue with losing inhibitions.
- Watch the Coffee & Hot Chocolate – When it’s cold it’s tempting to drink lots of coffee and hot chocolate. But, caffeine can stimulate your appetite and dehydrate you. Hot chocolate can often be very high in calories, fat, and sugar. Consider limiting it to one a day, and then diluting them with extra skim milk, almond milk, or water when appropriate.
- Reduce Them – There are always lower calorie and lower alcoholic recipes to be had. For example, you can make a lower calorie eggnog by simply cutting the full version with some skim milk, coconut milk, or the best is super rich and thick cashew milk. You can also add sparkling water to many drinks, even champagne, to keep the essence of the drink yet literally cut the calories and alcohol in half.
- Alternate Drinks with Water – One problem with the holidays is staying hydrated. When you drink beverages that aren’t water they’re often not really very hydrating. Drink the drink you want, then don’t get another one until you’ve drank at least 8 ounces of water.
There are even brands of drinks devoted to lowering the amount of alcohol and calories you ingest such as the Skinny Girl brand of beverages that you can find in your liquor store. Pour them into a different picture and no one will have a clue.
