Healthy Holiday Drinks
Raise your glass, not your weight, this season
How Caloric Is That Drink?
Take your pick—a glass of eggnog or 16 chocolate kisses. They have the same number of calories: 460! Here’s the chocolate equivalent of some popular holiday drinks…
| Drink |
Chocolate kisses |
| Eggnog (4 oz.) |
16 |
| Irish Cream liqueur (4 oz.) |
16 |
| Red or white wine (4 oz.) |
3 |
| Regular beer (12 oz.) |
4 |
| Champagne (4 oz.) |
3 |
| Sparkling cider (4 oz.) |
2 |
| Traditional hot cocoa (8 oz.) |
9 |
| Holiday fruit punch (8 oz.) |
4 |
| Coffee-shop white hot chocolate (16 oz. grande) |
21 |
The average person gains 5-7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day—and it’s not all about cookies and peanut brittle. The liquid part of your holiday diet also can add inches to your waistline. Traditional drinks like eggnog and hot chocolate are high in fat, sugar and calories. And the alcohol in some of these drinks plays its own role in weight gain, says registered dietitian Susan Littner of Lehigh Valley Health Network. “Alcohol lowers your blood sugar, which sends an ‘I’m hungry’ signal to your brain,” she says. “That’s why you get the munchies when you’re having a few drinks.” What’s a health-conscious celebrator to do?
Go light. “For that next eggnog, use skim milk and a sugar substitute to cut fat and calories without sacrificing taste,” Littner says. For cocoa, use a mix that lists dark chocolate as its first ingredient, or melt a dark chocolate bar that’s at least 70 percent cocoa. (Dark chocolate, in moderation, is actually good for you.)
Be aware of serving sizes. Having a small amount of a rich food or drink can satisfy your taste buds without wrecking your diet.
Watch the alcohol. It’s true that a little red wine can be heart-protective, but too much alcohol can impair your judgment and your driving as well as your calorie intake. Men should have no more than two 4-ounce glasses of wine daily and women no more than one.
Drink plenty of water. It prevents dehydration and a possible morning hangover.
Cranberry-Apple Cider
4 cups cranberry-apple drink
sugar substitute (to taste)
1/4 cup thawed frozen lemonade concentrate
2 sticks cinnamon
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/4 tsp. whole allspice
1/4 cup light rum (if desired)
Combine cranberry-apple drink, sweetener and lemonade in a large saucepan and add cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice tied in a cheesecloth bag. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard spice bag. Stir in rum. Garnish with lemon slices, cinnamon sticks and a clove-studded orange. Six 8-ounce servings, 48 calories each
Published from Healthy You Magazine, November-December 2007
This page last updated 12/16/10 09:37 AM
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