Did you say beer (or ‘adult beverage’ of choice)? – From Robb Wolf’s Weekly Newsletter
It’s summer, it’s hot and popping open a ‘cold one’ sounds like a darn good idea. Not a brewsky fan? How about an icy margarita, daiquiri or pina colada? Any and/or all of the above go down easy when it’s 90 degrees in the shade. Unfortunately, ‘drinking’ and paleo don’t quite go together like eggs and bacon. Don’t worry – I’m not going to be a complete ‘buzz-kill’, but I’m also not going to sanction three months of uninhibited imbibing either.
Truthfully, the best choice in terms of health and nutrition is probably to avoid the ETOH all together – but we all know too well that sometimes you just need to let go. I often get asked which drinks will do the ‘least amount of damage’. Here are a few tips to help keep your summer sipping sane and semi-healthy.
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Don’t go near traditional beer! Although, Coors, Bud and PBR used to be frequents in your fridge – beer is commonly made from barley – that means gluten. It’s best to avoid it all together, although ‘gluten free’ varieties are becoming more common. One caveat here; some gluten free beers on the market may not be so safe. Do your homework and if you have celiac disease it may be best to get your buzz from something besides beer.
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Drinks that come with umbrellas = rain is likely. You know these drinks, they’re concoctions of soda, ice cream, juices, crushed ice and liquors. They often have fancy names like ‘Cosmopolitan’, ‘Daiquiri’, ‘Pink squirrel’, ‘Margarita’, ‘Martini’ or ‘Sex on the Beach’. These bad boys go down EASY – like kool-aid. Loaded with sugar, they’re setting you up for an insulin overload.
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What about wine? It’s just crushed up, fermented fruit, right? For the most part wine and champagne are okay, but they do contain some sugar and sulfites. A glass or two of wine (not bottles) on the weekend is not the worst thing you could do.
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The best of the worst… When in doubt – go HARD and CLEAR! Tequilla, vodka, gin, etc. Mix these heavy hitters with club soda or seltzer water and add some lime or try the ‘World Famous’ – NorCal Margarita. Sip – don’t ‘shoot’ and getting ‘tanked’ is over rated, trust me.