When the sun starts to shine, don't you just want to slurp down an icy cool Pina Colada? When I'm watching my weight (which is - let's face it - all summer!) I've been told I should stick to the low-card option of rum and diet cola. That's fun for about a week. Then I get bored and reach for a strawberry margarita. Turns out I don't have to feel so bad about that. Studies now show that the ethanol present in most hard liquor boosts antioxidant levels of fruit. Antioxidants are chemicals that create the pigments that add color to fruits and vegetables in addition to being packed with vitamins. They attack free radicals, helping to prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Awesome! The best kinds of fruit for your cocktails are cherries, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. I can taste it already! Just remember to use fresh fruit for guilt-free sipping. I'm pretty sure you won't receive the same health benefit from a bottle of mixer!
Face it. If you need to chill, you need to chill.
Fruit is a great way to keep your body healthy and you happy.
Alcohol has side effects; it's a downer after the uppity feeling is over.
Why not just workout or take a nice healthy walk?
It just seems that there are other ways to achieve "feeling good" without having to drink alcohol.
Nothing personal -- just a thought.
BTW: About century ago, alcohol was consider a stimulant but has since become a depressant.
If you're watching your weight, alcoholic drinks will NOT help, especially the sugary sweet ones. A typical margarita has 300-500 calories!!!!!! That's because of the additives and each shot of alcohol is 100 calories. Steer clear, my dear.
it's better that it be a fruity cocktail versus just a mere liver-corrosive libation, right? I agree that it's probably not a good idea to make a habit of breaking out the cocktails, but every once in a while, especially on a warm summer night, I think it's probably fine, just as long as you take measures with your dietary habits to soak up that excess alcohol.
I understand where Lela is coming from. Of course, this isn't an encouragement to drink fruity cocktails Every chance you get.... but when you Do find yourself in those once-in-awhile incidences where you're out with friends at a bar, you shouldn' t feel AS bad when having hard liquor with fruit. I experiment a lot with creating new drinks rarely using mixers (great point Lela) but actually dropping fresh fruit IN the hard shot. A drink once in awhile will not hurt, but at least we can be aware of the spectrum of healthiness of our different choices (and I would think fresh fruit dunked in a little shot of gin doesn't have as many calories as a glass of beer). Hey... even water in large amounts can be a poison ;) ... but that's beside the point, of course. ;)
Lela, I use frozen strawberries, water, light rum, and splenda to make myself a daquiri that's only about 200 cals all together. It's a treat that's way healthier than sugar packed wine coolers and very easy to incorporate into any diet, even low carb.
Yay! Fruity Cocktails Are Healthy!
Posted by Lela D.
When the sun starts to shine, don't you just want to slurp down an icy cool Pina Colada? When I'm watching my weight (which is - let's face it - all summer!) I've been told I should stick to the low-card option of rum and diet cola. That's fun for about a week. Then I get bored and reach for a strawberry margarita. Turns out I don't have to feel so bad about that. Studies now show that the ethanol present in most hard liquor boosts antioxidant levels of fruit. Antioxidants are chemicals that create the pigments that add color to fruits and vegetables in addition to being packed with vitamins. They attack free radicals, helping to prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Awesome! The best kinds of fruit for your cocktails are cherries, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries. I can taste it already! Just remember to use fresh fruit for guilt-free sipping. I'm pretty sure you won't receive the same health benefit from a bottle of mixer!