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When you’re trying to lose weight, you know that every little 100 calories – like those in a glass of wine – can really add up.
One way to deal with it is to reduce alcohol consumption permanently, instead of giving it up altogether. Because just adding a large splash of Seltzer to your glass of wine saves calories and lets you mingle with your dinner companions or other party goers without having to explain why you’re not drinking.
Unfortunately, this solution fails to address one major problem: drinking alcohol can stimulate your appetite while relieving your inhibitions (like your willpower with an appetizer) .1,2
A number of studies have found that after drinking, you tend to eat more. In addition, your body has difficulty tracking liquid calories, so you are unlikely to adjust your food intake after drinking it as you would after consuming the same amount of calories
You may want to get soberly curious, a new term that describes the adoption of the concept that drinking alcohol – even in difficult peer pressure situations like parties, happy hours, and tailgates – is an option rather than a requirement.
You don’t have to have a serious alcohol problem to use all or part of the alcohol-free substitutes. If you have health concerns or are trying to lose weight, this is a healthy lifestyle with science-based benefits. For example, a 2016 UK study published in Health Psychology found that people who attended a “dry January” – a month of abstinence from alcohol – had better blood pressure, improved blood sugar levels, slept better, and stayed on Lost weight, and felt a sense of achievement. 4
Getting sober and curious doesn’t mean you feel deprived or stand out among your peers. There are non-alcoholic beers and wines, and most decent bars carry “mocktails,” delicious, non-alcoholic versions of your favorite cocktails (think Virgin Bloody Marys or non-alcoholic mojitos). Just pay attention to the sugar calories in beverages that use plain syrup.
And when you are in control of the bar food at a dinner party or barbecue in the garden, you can make your own soft drinks and mocktails that allow your guests to add their own alcohol. Since the alcohol doesn’t affect the way the drink looks, no one will know if you’re leaving out that one ingredient!
To get you started the non-alcoholic route, here are 15 great and terrifyingly low calorie recipes you will love:
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
This 55-calorie mocktail is so easy to make: throw a cup of fresh strawberries, a cup of frozen strawberries, half a cup of water, and the juice of half a lime into the blender and blend everything until smooth. That’s it! It’s a simple, berry-like drink that you will be sipping on all summer long. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 extra
Skip the sugary simple syrup and replace this flavorful non-alcoholic version of the Mexican kitchen classic with light soda or lemonade. Jalapeno slices diced together and lemon or lime slices intensify the taste of this summery sip without a lot of sugar. This recipe for two has only 14 calories per serving! Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
Orange and mangoes are an unbeatable combination. Frozen mangoes and orange juice swirled in the blender with ice and water make a delicious, naturally sweet drink that is so filling you won’t even miss the alcohol. Plus, it’s only 78 calories per serving. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: ½ SmartCarb
It’s a drink, it’s a dessert – you decide! Coconut water and lime give this refreshing summer drink a tropical touch. With half a cup of ice and some Truvia sweetener, your blender will turn watermelon into a trip to the islands. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
Use pink grapefruit juice to give this fake mimosa a pretty color. No mixer required: Simply mix grapefruit juice with OJ, lime juice, honey and sparkling water. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
Who doesn’t love orange cream beads? It’s the taste of the summer of your childhood. This 66 calorie soft drink recipe is easy to make in a food processor or blender. Add unsweetened almond milk to the orange juice, toss in some ice and Truvia natural sweetener, and it’s done. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: ½ SmartCarb
You will never miss the wine in this red, white, and blue blend that combines strawberries, blueberries, and green apples with selters and crystal light lemonade. One serving only has 53 calories, making it an unbeatable drink for summer vacations. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
This brew is made for fans of sweet and tart flavors. With just 86 calories per serving, it combines frozen raspberries, lemon juice, ice, water and Truvia sweetener into a refreshing mixed drink. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 extra
You could call this one “berry good” because it starts with blueberries and raspberries mixed with lemon juice in a glass. Finish the recipe by adding low-calorie soda powder, lemon sapphire water, and ice. Garnish with berries and enjoy this 19-calorie drink to cool off while you lose weight. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 PowerFuel and 1 SmartCarb
It tastes indulgent, but it isn’t! With one you start this delicious smoothie Vanilla Nutrisystem Shake, then add pineapple juice, ice, and coconut extract. This mixed drink – with protein to make it filling – is the perfect replacement for the classic coconut cocktail we all know and love. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
Take out the chic glasses. This mocktail is as pretty as it is delicious! It combines peaches, strawberries, white grape juice, soda, ice, and the juice of a lemon. No mixer required. Simply confuse the fruit to release its juices, but leave it mostly intact. You might even think that you are having dessert while sipping this delicious drink. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 2 PowerFuels
This quick refresher begins with a Vanilla Nutrisystem Shake mixed in a blender with skimmed milk, lemon juice, lemon peel, vanilla extract and ice. It’s creamy and dreamy, yet light and refreshing. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
No pitting necessary: this recipe starts with frozen cherries! Mixed with lime juice, lime rare water and ice, you won’t even miss your favorite kirsch ice cream with all its high-calorie syrup. Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 extra
Gardeners can simply cut a few sprigs of mint to make this alcohol-free version of a summer favorite! It combines lime club soda with ice, lemon wedges and their juice in a shaker. Each mojito is only 11 calories (have a second!). Click here for the full recipe! >
Count on Nutrisystem as: 1 SmartCarb
You’ve probably never thought of mixing these ingredients into a drink, but from now on, you will. The fresh ginger gives this lemonade, which combines two cups of watermelon cubes with lemon juice, a pleasant bite. No water needed: the watermelon is full of it! This refreshing summer drink only has 57 calories. Click here for the full recipe! >
Sources:
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938401005984?casa_token=8cwIrvu3ZmIAAAAA:lUPblLQ2oLVFknK5ZDdIvgywYJex3e7EFko_hqNHTvgEQKunfi4e_5s
- https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/am-i-drunk-hungry-or-both-alcohol-appetite-stimulant
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938410000259?casa_token=8rp7x3FspbYAAAAA:OeWhXxrdz65kDI-Faq4xUKH5SCN5Z5X-ska1oTu5luTOfiPQizDyc .BM1
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26690637/
