Drinks with friends? Who can say no!?

It’s the time of year for celebrations, socialising and catching up with friends and family. Inevitably, this sometimes leads to more eating and drinking than we’d like. 

Are you wondering how to cope with all of the socialising associated with this time of year, while not overdoing it with the alcohol?

As nutritionists, we don’t want to promote drinking alcohol, but neither do we want to pretend it’s not going to happen and is a big part of socialising and fun. But managing your intake is important. Whether you want to stay away from alcohol altogether, make the best drink choice for you, or reduce your consumption, there are some refreshing healthier options out there for you. We’ve gathered up some information on a few low sugar and low-calorie drinks, and even gut-friendly probiotics. There are so many new options, it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed when you standing in the aisles of your local! This is by no means a comprehensive list, but here are some of our favourites.

Remember, if you’re concerned about alcohol consumption, we recommend alternating alcoholic drinks with non-alcoholic ones and seeking professional advice if you’re looking for support.

Healthier Alcoholic Drink Options

Seltzers

Seltzers are huge this summer! They’ve been produced in New Zealand for a few years, but they seem to have taken over supermarket shelves in the last few months. It seems like everyone is looking for smart ways to manage energy intake while still partaking in summer fun. These lower sugar, low calorie, low carb drinks provide an alternative to the standard (and sugar-packed) ready-to-drink options (RTDs).

More traditional RTDs are generally pre-packaged spirits and soft drinks, like Coruba and cola or vodka and tonic. These are very sweet (with up to 39 grams or 10 teaspoons sugar) and are often consumed by a younger crowd. The seltzers, on the other hand, are designed to appeal to the more health-conscious.

In terms of average calories, a traditional RTD has 190 calories, a beer 150 and a glass of wine 120. The seltzers come in around 90 calories a can, so not a huge difference to beer and wine, but every little bit helps if you’re looking at overall energy intake.

Compared to a vodka and soda mixed at home, these seltzers might come out ahead in the health game, just because when pouring your own drink at home, the alcohol content would tend to be higher (perhaps much higher) than the 5% of the premixed drinks. Along with the convenience of these bottles and cans you can feel just a tiny bit righteous about drinking something that’s going to be kinder to your body, come in a ‘portion-controlled’ size, while still enjoying the delicious flavours.

Clean Collective Ready to drink premixes

Clean Collective is as the label suggests - clean and natural. They’re also made in New Zealand, which we love. They have some interesting and unusual flavours like Strawberry Blush Pink Gin and a Wildberry and Lime Mojito. They’re sweetened with a natural sweetener called erythritol which has little or no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. This makes it one of the better natural sweetener choices. They can be quite low in calories at 72 calories per can.

Pals 

This is a great ready to go vodka and soda which is made in Hawke’s Bay. It’s all-natural with no preservatives, so it’s just as if you’ve mixed this at home with your own soda and flavours like lime, cucumber or mint. It has 3.3 - 6.9 grams of sugar per can and around 105 calories, depending on the favour. In these funky retro cans, we love their simplicity!

LF Wine SELTZER 

New on the market is this wine seltzer a mix of wine, sparkling water, and botanicals. If you’re a wine lover, this is a great way to enjoy your wine over a longer period and will help to control the overall alcohol intake as well as keep you better hydrated. At just 68 calories a serve and less than 1 gram of sugar per can, it’s a great way to drink wine in the summer.

Hard Kombuchas 

MamasBrew

We love MamasBrew, as the balance Kombucha flavours is spot on - not too sweet, not too fizzy, just right. They sell non-alcohol and hard versions with a range of really delicious flavours like lemongrass ginger and lavender hibiscus. They also have different alcohols mixed in, such as gin or champagne. Whether the gut health benefit is intact would be under debate, but if you’re more focused on taste then this is a great option!

Blume

This is the hard version of Batchwell Kombucha. This great-tasting kombucha cooler is made from real spirits, cold-pressed juice of organic fruits and veggies, and sparkling water. It has only one teaspoon sugar per can and only around 90 calories.

Happy Holidays!

We hope this list helps you make some healthy decisions over the silly season.

However you’re celebrating this summer, make sure you drink responsibly and reach out to a professional if you think you need support.