Are Non-Alcoholic Holiday Beverages Healthier?

True or False? Non-alcoholic Holiday beverages are healthier than alcoholic holiday beverages.

Trick question (sorry!). The answer is, it depends. What’s beverages are we talking about, and what’s your personal measurement of “healthy?”

During the holidays it’s easy to convince ourselves that non-alcoholic beverages are better for us because, well, they don’t have alcohol.  While that may be true, the hard fact is that even without the added impact of alcohol, some of the most popular holiday drinks are just as calorie-dense and laden with undesirable substances as your favorite cocktail. 

The bad news? Many of the beverages you buy at the drive-thru, local coffee shop, or grocery store are loaded with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, sugars, and fake sweeteners. Not only that, but often these beverages can contain higher calorie and macronutrient counts than an entire meal. Yikes! 

So what does that mean to you? It depends on your goals. What it means to me, however, is that I allow myself 1-2 PSLs max with half the sauce though the entire season as a treat.  That’s Pumpkin Spice Latte for those of you who don’t speak Starbucks, specialty coffee, or Holiday joy.  (Kidding!)

The good news? Many of your favorite beverages can be made at home eliminating the junk you’re aiming to keep out of your body. That, or customizing is always an option. Did you catch what I said before when I was talking about my Pumpkin Spice Latte? I said half the pumps of pumpkin sauce.

If you can enjoy your holiday beverage and customize it to make it a bit better, do it, but only if it still satisfies and feels like the treat you were looking for.  Can you ditch the whip cream and still enjoy your treat? Or maybe keep the whip but lose the sprinkles? Or, perhaps you can create your own beverage that is similar enough to what you’re looking for, but with less of the… well, junk.  For example, how about a Grande (Medium) coffee, 2 pumps of pumpkin (that’s half) and a splash of heavy cream?  You may find that the splash of cream gives you all the creaminess you want from a latte and two pumps is plenty of flavor.  Or not.  If changing it up does not satisfy your craving, don’t even bother, just drink the thing the way they intended.  Otherwise, there’s a very high likelihood you won’t be fulfilled, you’ll continue to think about it, and you’ll end up going back in the next couple days to get the drink the way you wanted in the first place.

Your other option? Make a better version at home.  Check out the recipes for some of my personal favorite at-home holiday beverages! No, they’re not going to taste the same as what you get at the store/shop, so if you feel like they are missing something, add it!  You are not only allowed, but encouraged to tweak any and all of my recipes to your personal tastes.  After all, if you are treating yourself (which, if you are having anything but black coffee, plain tea, or water it’s a treat) it should be a treat and you should enjoy it.

Note: Black coffee totally and absolutely can be delicious. It’s all about the beans and how the coffee is made.  French press and pour over are my personal favorites.  Also, get some good beans. Find out if you have any local roasters and go ask all the questions.  Find out if you like light roasts or dark roasts, if you like them bright and acidic, or sweet and full-bodied… the combinations are endless.  (You probably have a coffee snob friend as well.  Watch their eyes light up when you ask them to help you learn about coffee)