Wine, Weight and Healthy Cocktails-Cheers!

Cool Hand Cuke from Colonie Restaurant

Our August newsletter focused on healthy summer cocktails. You see, for the most part, our clients like to drink. Our view is that if you’re going to indulge in sweets or cocktails or anything else we'll help you  find the healthiest manner to do so. I’ll also remind you that three of the four Foodtrainers graduated from Tulane University, let’s just say you can trust us on this topic. And if you're housebound because of Irene, these tips may come in handy (fingers crossed, we're flying East today). 

While drinks are often referred to as “empty calories” many studies conclude that moderate drinking may not be as bad for your weight as you’d expect. While we don’t suggest non-drinkers start imbibing, moderate drinkers actually have lower weight, blood pressure and triglycerides than low or non-drinkers. We give clients a weekly budget and generally suggest four or fewer drinks for female clients and seven or fewer for male clients trying to lose weight.

While alcohol itself may not be that terrible for your weight it can affect your appetite.  The more you drink, the more your appetite will increase which is a reason to balance drinking over multiple days. One drink max on any given day is ideal. Interestingly. white wine seems to have less of an effect on appetite than other alcohol.

For your one drink, the following are great picks:

Crop Organic Vodka- in flavors such as cucumber and tomato.

Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila- see below for my new favorite cocktail.

VnC Cocktail- another ready to pour margarita like what’s her names.

Redbridge Beer- a great gluten free option.

Although “on the rocks” is a great choice (and slows down the drinking), there are some fantastic mixer options:

ModMix Organic Mixers- USDA certified organic ingredients in flavors such as lavender lemon drop and French martini.

McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix- you may recall how I feel about McClure’s pickles, well my feelings are just as strong for this bloody mary mix. Please do not relegate bloody’s to brunch only.

SlimRitas and SlimRimmers-I love these chile verde, rosemary sea salt and pink himalayan mineral salt rimmers.

End of Summer Jalapeno Margarita

I ‘ve seen cucumber in a lot of cocktails this summer. I had this margarita at our friends Tracey and Andy’s house and was hooked. They suggest making a batch of cucumber puree as well as lime juice ready to go.

2oz Tanteo Jalapeno Tequila
1 oz. English Cucumber Puree  (slice into spears and toss in the food processor, worth the effort)
1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
½ oz. Agave/water – (use warm water and agave and stir)
Cucumber Wheel for garnish
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, pour over ice and garnish with cucumber wheel. Ole


If you're going to drink, you may need a bar snack. Try ChickPz I heard about these from EA, The Spicy RD. I love the sesame flavor and kids think they taste like Cracker Jacks. The prize? High fiber, high protein and you can eat the whole bag. 

So don’t overdo it but eat, drink (a little) and be merry .

What has been your drink of choice this summer? Any cocktail trends you’ve noticed? What do you think of veggies in your drinks?