The festive season is now well and truly in swing, which means there seems to be a different social event on every second night. While it’s a great opportunity to blow off some steam and celebrate the wins for the year, it can also mean healthy habits go out the window. Between all the canapés, cheese boards and cocktails it’s easy to go overboard and before you know it, that dress you bought for NYE is feeling a little bit too tight.
And there’s nothing wrong with that! The silly season is there to be enjoyed. But social events usually mean drinking and if you’re downing the wrong kind of bevvies, that can easily add up to a few extra thousand calories per day. Switching to alcoholic drinks that are lower in calories, carbs and sugar is a super easy way to minimise the damage. Read on for 6 of the healthiest alcoholic drinks to enjoy this Christmas.
Vodka soda and lime
Vodka with soda water and fresh lime is the OG healthy drink and for good reason—it’s extremely low in calories and carbs. It clocks in at 64 calories per serve (and basically all of those come from the vodka) and zero carbs! They’re also extremely refreshing and some would argue that you get less severe hangovers, as you’re hydrating with the water.
Dry wine
Dry wines (AKA not sweet) are a decent choice for the festive season, as they tend to be low in calories and sugar. A small (125ml) glass of dry white wine contains around 85 calories, while the same amount of red wine would have around 150, but is loaded with good-for-you antioxidants to make up for it.
Low-carb beer
While beer used to be a no-go for the health conscious (especially those watching their carb intake), there are plenty of beers on the market now that are not only low calorie, but also low in carbohydrates. For example, in Australia, the Summer Bright Lager has only 94 calories and 2.7g carbs. For those who are on a keto diet, there’s even a beer called Bighead from Burleigh Brewing Co that was literally zero carbs!
Rosé
Yes way, Rosé! The French wine can actually be a healthy choice, provided you go for the dry (rather than sweet) variety. Look for the label ‘brut’, as this indicates that it’s on the dry side and will contain less sugar. On average, a 120 ml glass of dry Rosé contains around 83 calories and 2.9 grams of carbs.
Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary isn’t just good for helping you recover from your hangover the next day. Made with vodka and nutrient-rich tomato juice, this savoury drink is not only low in calories (around 125 per serve) and sugar, but is also loaded with antioxidants. Just make sure you check it doesn’t contain fruit juice or any other sweet ingredients.
Guinness
Known for being an extremely rich and creamy beer, Guinness probably isn’t quite what you think of when you think healthy alcoholic beverages. But the Irish stout is surprisingly low in calories—around 166 calories per pint! It also has a relatively low alcohol content, too. While the heaviness probably isn’t ideal for an Aussie summer Christmas party, it can be the perfect winter pub drink for those in colder climates.
