WEEKLY ARTICLE
Are Your Holiday Spirits Naughty Or Nice?
Hello Everyone. How were all of your holidays? Great we hope. It is good to be back with you, although we are still finding it hard to believe how quickly the entire holiday season flew by. Our heads are spinning, but in a good way. There is spinning, and then there is spinning. Our heads are spinning from the whirlwind of activities, lights, people, places, friends, relatives, and parties, whew! But we did run into some people during (and after) the holidays whose heads seem to be spinning from the various holiday spirits they ingested, which thereby prompted the subject of this newsletter article. The holiday sprits we are referring to here are not of the other worldly type you see, but rather of the fluid type. You know: Spirits, as in the type you drink. Okay, okay, we know that these particular holidays are over, (enough of the holidays already), but correct us if we are wrong: Aren't there endless holidays throughout the year, and equally endless occasions throughout the year in which spirits play a big part? There are for us, and one of us (me) doesn't even indulge in spirited beverages, or necessarily frequent places that do, or even hang out with people who do (for the most part). Yet still, being amongst those who do indulge is inevitable, and can lead to feelings of deprivation, frustration, and to some extent, to a falling off of the wagon so to speak. The drink thing can be tricky in an otherwise solid and healthy lifestyle, which is why I wanted to offer you several fun, healthy, and delicious alternatives to alcoholic spirits. And to be clear, this is not about alcoholism, it is about health. If you choose not to drink alcohol, what can you drink instead? You can drink:  Kombucha. Kombucha is a naturally fermented non-alcoholic beverage made from a super healthy fungus / mushroom medium that has extraordinary healing properties. It is full of natural probiotics that form during the fermentation process, so is an excellent source of good for the gut - friendly bacteria. It also contains active enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which support digestion, metabolism, immune function, liver function, alkaline balance, and cell integrity. It is quite festive, very bubbly, and comes in different (natural) colors depending on the particular blend that you purchase, so it looks gorgeous in a nice glass! It comes in plain, ginger, or various fruit flavors such as cranberry, blueberry, cherry, etc. It is not sweet at all, but rather quite tart / sour. Because it looks so great in a glass, you won't feel deprived, and more importantly, you can feel good at the end of the evening knowing you filled your digestive system with healthy, balance producing and vitality promoting ingredients. The plain kombucha, unflavored, is very much like a glass of champagne, (with a little imagination of course), especially if you are like me, and made the choice (17 years ago) not to drink alcohol anymore (for health reasons), so have not tasted real champagne since!
 Martinelli's Sparkling Cider is another fun choice. It is a naturally fermented non-alcoholic sparkling cider, and quite a bit sweeter than kombucha. Naturally sweet, no sugar added (of course), but so sweet in fact, that I find that squeezing the juice of a fresh lemon or lime wedge into it cuts the sweetness. Another option is adding a splash of unsweetened pomegranate juice to it, (pomegranate juice is somewhat sour), which makes it feel like more of a mixed drink, and not only adds an almost effervescent burst of color to it, but adds a healthy dose of antioxidant rich phyto-nutrients as well. Martinelli's actually comes in a few flavors, such as apple, grape, and mixed berry. It is another festive beverage that looks good in a glass, is such fun to drink, and is a very healthy choice. It could be compared to a sweet champagne, or a dessert wine, although it is very bubbly, not flat.
Over the holidays I ran into an acquaintance of mine at two  different parties. At the first party she made a point of telling me (and pretty much everyone there), that she didn't drink alcohol because she had had breast cancer several years ago. But she was drinking a diet coke!! I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the diet coke was worse for her than the alcohol. I am pretty sure it was. I was drinking Martinelli's, with a lime wedge. No ice. She asked me about it, so I told / showed her the bottle I had brought for myself, gently explaining to her how bad diet coke was for her health. She tried my Martinelli's and loved it. At the second party, I had decided to bring a bottle of Kombucha for myself. My acquaintance was there, and she had brought herself a bottle of Martinelli's, with a bottle of pomegranate juice on the side. So this time, I showed her the kombucha (she asked). She was pretty amazed at the many health benefits it extolled on the bottle, but of course, because it wasn't nearly as sweet as the Martinelli's, she decided to stick to her new found love: Martinelli's, despite the health benefits of the kombucha. In other words, in the health food world, kombucha is a little more hard-core than Martinelli's. But try them both, and decide for yourself.  Amasake is the perfect choice if you are looking for something rich and creamy to fill the void / satisfy the craving for eggnog, brandy Alexander, or similar creamy drinks. It is a giant step above health wise. Amasake is a totally natural, thick rich blend of fermented brown rice that becomes sweet and creamy during the fermentation process. It has absolutely no sugar. And like the beverages above, comes in several assorted flavors as well. It is best to stick to the plain, almond, or coconut in most cases  (because the fruit flavored do contain fruit sugars, in concentrate form, which is quite a bit more (naturally) sugary than eating a piece of fresh fruit), although there is an eggnog (egg and dairy free) amasake that is pretty awesome, and several fruit flavors that can be mixed with the coconut, for a pina colada type experience.
And of course, in a pinch, there is always Bottled Water. Opt for flat (not carbonated) spring water, and be sure to add a splash of fresh lemon or lime to it. The sour flavor stimulates the liver and the bile it produces to function better.  Sparkling waters are unnaturally carbonated with carbonic acid, which is acidic. And we don't want to be acidic, we want to be alkaline. (Kombucha and Martinelli's are both naturally carbonated via fermentation, and there are a few naturally carbonated mineral waters available as well, but most are not, so be a good detective: read the labels and ask questions so  that you can choose wisely!) Non-carbonated natural spring water is best. It is alive with minerals found naturally in the spring from which it came. And fortunately at most (classy) places, they carry very nice bottled spring water, from remote yet powerful natural springs. Or purchase a bottle of your own choice (in glass preferably), and bring it yourself.
Drink water, and all beverages, without ice. Ice-cold beverages are not good for the digestion or for the kidneys. And drink in moderation. A little kombucha, Martinelli's, amasake, and even water, tastes great, is fun to drink, and is good for you, but as in all things, more is not better. Flooding your kidneys and bloodstream with glass after glass of the good stuff does not a happy body make! It is easy to lose track of how much fluid you have ingested when out partying, but all of the above mentioned drinks come in 8 - 12 ounce bottles, as well as larger sizes. I always bring a few of the smaller bottles just in case I want to share, but pretty much make it a point to consume only one bottle (or less) during the course of the evening myself.  A warm option / hot beverage, especially for those of you in a cool climate could be Hot Mulled Apple Juice / Cider mixed with Kukicha Tea. The alkalizing nature of the kukicha mellows the sweetness and acidity of the apple juice to create a relaxing digestive, similar to an after dinner drink. I often bring plain kukicha or kukicha mixed with apple juice (mulling optional) in my can't live without stainless steel thermos which keeps beverages hot for a good 15 hours!
 And of course there are Fresh Vegetable Juices as well. I love carrot - kale juice. Or carrot, kale, apple. Or carrot, apple, parsley, and ginger. I have a non-thermal stainless steel water / fresh juice bottle that I carry fresh veggie juices in. And they look gorgeous and taste even better when placed in a nice glass upon arrival at your destination.
Not to be a total party pooper, if you do like an occasional alcoholic beverage from time to time, there really are many wonderful options to choose from. There are several creative and interesting organic beers on the market, many locally produced in fact. Sake is also a healthy choice as far as alcohol goes. Beer and sake are grain based so contain less natural fruit sugar than wine. But speaking of wine, wine is also available organic / sulfite free of course. (As are many hard liquors as well, such as Vodka, Rum, etc.) We would always choose the organics. And as we found out during our Mediterranean adventure this past summer, many of the French and Italian wines are locally produced (in France and Italy), using ancient traditional methods, so are therefore chemical free. Opting for one of them would be a smart and flavorful choice. As you can see, there are no shortages of nice, healthy, spirited beverage options. You don't have to be naughty. So have fun with it, and cheers to all of us. Let's start 2012 out right. We have just the thing too: Our January 11, 2012 first of the New Year, super delicious Wholly Macro menu, which you will find directly below. Welcome back to us all!! Thanks for waiting for us. Gayle and Jaime / Wholly Macro |
