While booze may never be “healthy,” it does have some health benefits when consumed in moderation. Plus, it’s delicious and there’s absolutely no shame in enjoying a cocktail with friends or unwinding with a glass of wine at the end of a long work day.
Yet, some drinks are better for you than others. Depending on the ingredients and size, some cocktails can have hundreds of calories or be filled with sugar. Luckily, though, you can find a few great options that will be lower in calories and sugar and that may even have a few added benefits for your health.
Here are the best and worst cocktails to choose if you’re trying to lose weight and stay healthy.
Healthy Cocktail & Wine Recipes
The Best and Worst Cocktails for Weight Loss
Best: Vodka Soda
While it gets a rap for being basic, a vodka soda is a pretty solid drink choice when you’re at a bar or restaurant. “A vodka soda has just two ingredients— vodka and club soda. Since club soda is sugar- and calorie-free, this is about as healthy as a cocktail can get,” saysNatalie Rizzo, MS, RD.Add a squeeze of lemon, orange or lime for a little extra flavor. Plus, citrus also has some vitamin C for an extra health perk. We love spicing up our favorite cocktail with fresh herbs in ourBlackberry-Rosemary Vodka & Soda.
Best: Mimosa
What makes bacon and eggs at brunch even better? A mimosa in hand! And mimosas are actually a pretty good cocktail when you pick the right type of juice.
“A mimosa has two simple ingredients—Champagne and a dash of OJ. Because of that, it’s lower in calories and sugar than other drinks that have a bunch of ingredients,” she says. Just be sure to use 100% orange juice to avoid added sugar. That fresh OJ will even give you vitamin C to boost immunity and start your morning off right.
Best: Wine Spritzer
Wine has antioxidants from grapes and it’s lower in calories than many cocktails per serving. “Combine 3 ounces of wine (red of white) and 2 ounces of seltzer or club soda to make a wine spritzer,” she says. “This drink is naturally sweet from the wine, but it actually has less calories than a regular old glass of wine since it contains the seltzer in place of the extra ounces of wine,” Rizzo explains. Plus, it’s super refreshing with the bubbles.
Worst: Eggnog
Worst: Mojito
Worst: Piña Colada
Although piña coladas are creamy and delicious, they are often made with coconut cream and have tons of added sugar, so they’re not exactly on the list of cocktails you’d want to drink non-stop when you’re looking to slim down.
“The coconut cream adds fat [aka excess calories], and the added sugar can come from sweetened pineapple juice or sugar (depending on the recipe),” she says. “To lighten it up, sub in light coconut milk instead of coconut cream and use pineapple juice that’s 100% juice without added sugar,” she suggests. This will take those numbers down a bit and give you fewer calories and grams of fat and sugar per serving. We also love switching up the flavors with ourBanana Piña Coladas.
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