arts & life
dining in
Good Spirits
Kick off New Year’s
Eve with gorgeous
cocktails that are
good for you.
Stacy Goldberg
Special to the Jewish News
Brett Mountain
Photography
ABOVE: Matt Carter
mixes at Townhouse
Birmingham
T
he holiday season is upon us, which means family celebra-
tions, office parties, tropical vacations and ski trips.
For some, however, this equates to indulgent meals, deli-
cious desserts and festive cocktails. When the social calendar gets
busy or we take time off for extended vacations, we often fail to recog-
nize the number of alcoholic beverages we actually consume in a given
week.
While drinking alcohol in moderation is not detrimental to your
waistline, consuming excess calories from sweetened, creamy and
sugary drinks can pack on the pounds. The 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary
Guidelines for Americans recommends that if alcohol is consumed, it
should be in moderation — up to one drink per day for women and
two drinks per day for men. A standard drink size is 12 ounces beer,
5 ounces wine and ½ ounce liquor. Keeping the size of your drink in
check is critical for both your diet and your safety. In fact, your festive
spirits may be more caloric than your lunch and dinner combined.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on average:
■ a 12-ounce regular beer has 153 calories and a light beer has 103
calories
■ 5 ounces red wine has 125 calories and 5 oz. of white wine has 121
calories
■ ½ ounce distilled spirits (gin, vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila) has 97
calories
■ 9 ounces pina colada has 490 calories
■ 8 ounces fruit daiquiri has 448 calories
So how can you keep your calories in check while still enjoying your
favorite spirits?
Here are some of my tips on how to make healthier choices at the
bar:
CREAMY COMFORT
Sitting on a cruise ship enjoying a cool ice cream-filled cocktail or
Hummer is refreshing to the palate but can add up to well over 500
calories. If you crave a creamy alcoholic beverage, consider the follow-
ing swaps:
If your cocktail calls for ice cream, heavy cream, Baileys or whipped
cream, ask for an alternative non-dairy ice cream or beverage such as
almond, coconut, soy or rice milk. Substituting with a non-dairy bev-
erage decreases alcohol content — and provides nutrition.
Try frozen Greek yogurt, which provides a boost of protein, or coco-
nut milk ice cream, which provides healthy fats.
Limit the serving of whipped-cream topping to no more than 1-2
tablespoons (about the size of a ping-pong ball).
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December 22 • 2016
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