Lately, I’ve been attending several blog-related events and happy hours with the same question in mind – is it possible to drink on a healthy diet?  Obviously, the healthiest option is to say no to alcohol entirely.  But living where we do now, surrounded by delicious breweries and friends that like wine as much as I do, that’s not the option I’m likely to take in the immediate future.  So I decided to explore further…

Can you drink on a healthy diet?

This is  topic that my girlfriends and I have talked about a lot, especially recently as we get older and have started watching our intake a bit more closely.

First of all, let’s start with the fact that drinking alcohol is not a healthy habit.  That being said,  many of us over the age of 21 have decided that having a bit of alcohol during social engagements will most likely be a part of our lifestyle for many years.

So what’s a girl to do?  Let’s start with my usual selection for most events I attend.

Wine

If you’re a wine drinker, you may have done the personal research and picked your favorite varietal of choice.  This is truthfully more of a taste preference than selecting one varietal over another for the nutritional benefits.

My recommendation, to both fit your preference but maintain that healthy diet, is to sip slowly on 1-2 glasses of your favorite type of wine while enjoying the evening.

However, if you’re in the process of training your taste buds or if all wine tastes the same to you, try to go the red wine direction.  There are some health benefits that can be found in red wine that make it better for you than white wine.  While are slightly more calories in red wine, those calories pack less natural sugars, more iron, more magnesium, more phosphorus, more potassium, more lutein & zeaxanthin (help for eye health), and higher choline (prevents liver damage and reduces inflammation) than its white counterpart.  What’s most publicized is that red wine also has more resveratrol, which has a whole myriad of antioxidant properties.

Red wine is the winner in this contest, hands down.

Beer

For all those beer drinkers out there, I would say that your selection on what type of beer you should enjoy should actually depend on your intention for the event.

My personal preference for craft beers, which are much higher in calories (not the good kind) means that I should stick to slowly sipping on 1-2 beers across the entire night.

However, if you’re just enjoying the sun drinking a couple of beers all day, then I’d suggest going with something of the Light variety to save on calories and alcohol intake.

Surprisingly, Guinness Draught isn’t terrible for you either, compared to other beers.  Coming in at only 126 calories and 4.2% alcohol it might be something to consider if you tend to drink this dry stout a little bit slower than other options out there.

Hard Alcohol

If you’re only thinking about calories, then on the rocks is always the best bet.

However, if you’re like me and that sounds like an absolutely terrible idea for both you and the people around you, then I’d suggest using a quick soda as a mixture.

For my vodka sodas, all of the calories come from the vodka itself, which is ~64/fluid ounce.  Just watch out for tonic water of you prefer going that direction, as the sugars add quite a bit of caloric intake.

However, one higher calorie option that I will recommend (especially in these colder months) is marshmallow vodka and chocolate coconut water.  Just trust me on this… but watch out.  The tasty treat maaaaaaay mask what you’re drinking on this one.

So, can you really drink on a healthy diet?

Yes and no.

If you’re going to drink, moderation is key.  Stick to 1 or 2 beverages to get some of the nutritional benefits, without over doing it on the caloric intake or alcohol consumption.  It will also prevent you from getting a hang over, which means you can still get some good, healthy sleep, as well as fitting in a workout the next day.

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