Jun 9, 2009 12:13 pm US/Pacific
Drinks That Don't Have Booze Can Still Pack Punch
Delicious And Healthy Alternatives To The Empty Calories Of Liquor
by Dr. James Rouse
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
-
-
Drinks don't have to contain alcohol to please the taste buds!
CBS
Summer season is just around the corner, though for many of us it feels like summer begins right after Memorial Day.
Summer concerts, backyard barbeques and parties often coincide with a little overindulging – not just with food, but with alcohol. Nobody likes a hangover, and your liver certainly doesn't enjoy having to deal with the toxins that you put in your body in the form of too much booze, so here are some healthier, non-alcoholic alternatives to summer beverage fun!
Of course one of the easiest and lightest ways to celebrate and party without the alcohol is to take one of your favorite juices and add a little sparkle.
One of our favorites is to take organic strawberry lemonade and add unflavored carbonated water. Use about 1 part lemonade to 2 parts sparkling water and add a little fresh fruit like strawberries and/or lemon rind. Put it on ice – and voila, delicious! Of course you can do this with any juice/sparkling water combination.
Knudsen makes a lot of sparkling beverages that are always party pleasers. Sparkling apple is the signature beverage, but there is also sparkling pear, grape, and strawberry. Remember juice alone contains a lot of sugar and not so much nutrition, so you don't want to overdo it on juice alone (just as you don't want to overdo it on alcohol).
How about a ginger-mojito alcohol-free version?
You can find ginger syrup at any natural food store or make your own by combining 1 cup water, ½ cup sugar, 5 tablespoons fresh ginger, simmering for about 5 minutes, then removing from heat and allowing to cool for about an hour. You can strain the syrup or leave the ginger in for stronger ginger flavor. For the mojito, first crush (or muddle) about 6 sprigs of mint in your glass, add 1 tablespoon ginger syrup and 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and stir together. Add club soda or sparkling water and a fresh sprig of mint and you're good to go.
For a citrusy treat combine an ounce each of fresh lemon juice, orange juice and pineapple juice and add 5 ounces sparkling water or ginger ale.
For tea lovers you can make a pot of green tea (we use jasmine green tea) and then strain and refrigerate until cold. Drink cold on ice with fresh mint, or combine with your favorite juice. We love a little iced green tea with about ¼ cup of fresh lemonade.
Don't be afraid to combine a little vegetable juice with your fruit juices either. A little fresh carrot juice combined with orange or pineapple juice is certainly refreshing. Adding sliced cucumbers to water also hits the spot on a hot day. Thinly sliced oranges and lemons added to ice water with a few organic strawberries is equally refreshing.
Remember alcohol can be really dehydrating and disruptive to the body's production of glucose, so if you do overindulge here are a few healing tips. Upon waking do a little exercise if you can. This will help sweat out the toxins and get endorphins moving to help you feel better. Take a hot shower. This will also help your body release toxins and tension. Eat breakfast to help replenish much needed nutrients and absorb lingering toxins. Drink ginger tea or make some homemade gingerale with the above ginger syrup recipe plus sparkling water or club soda.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
