This post is sponsored by Plum Vida. Products featured on Feed Me Phoebe are few and far between, and as with all opinions on this site, I only give my endorsement when genuine!
Detox tips are a dime a dozen come January 1st, as people hunker down to abide by the new health rules they’ve set for themselves. It’s an inspiring time of self-motivation to turn over a new leaf and make use of those Lulu Lemon spandex unwrapped in December. But even with the best of intentions and a glass half full attitude, it’s hard not to ignore the reality that sooner or later you’ll fall off the wagon. So what happens then?
As I mentioned last week, the detox theme of this month’s wellness challenge (giving up alcohol, sugar and caffeine) is not just about how to do right by your liver. It’s also about how to refresh your re-tox routine for the year ahead.
Giving up alcohol for a month is as much an emotional experiment as it is a physical one. And it’s for this reason that I want to dedicate an equal amount of airtime to how to booze better going forward. Though going without these things is it’s own brand of hell, finding moderation thereafter seems to be an even more elusive and difficult goal.
For this section of the challenge, I’m partnering with Plum Organics to give you some ideas on how to find healthier ways to let loose and play (including how to refresh your cocktail routine!). For those of you who aren’t familiar with the brand (as those of you without small children, might not be), Plum Organics is a leading organic baby and kids food company. Their motto is that you wouldn’t feed your little ones anything you wouldn’t feed yourself. And they’re now putting their money (and kale-pear purees) where their mouth is with the launch of Plum Vida, a new line of adult fruit and veggie pouches for on-the-go healthy snacking.
Giving up added sugar this month turned my snacking and breakfast routine on its head. And it made me reevaluate my relationship with green juice, since I realized how much sugar I was blasting into my bloodstream without the necessary fiber to metabolize it in a more controlled way. Because of this I’ve been doing a lot more smoothie-making, and the Plum Vida pouches have been a welcome addition to my usual berries and almond milk.
I’ve been using the veggie and fruit purees to refresh my snacking, but organic pouch purees can also be a great cocktail mix-in so I thought I’d also experiment with them to create healthier cocktails that will allow you multi-task your detox/retox routine.
Read on for some more tips on better boozing that will help you find balance between health and hedonism in the weeks to come. And comment below for a chance to win a new tote bag full of Plum Vida!
Xo
Phoebe
1. Never drink on an empty stomach.
Not only will this keep you from getting tanked, and/or filling your belly with bad decision foods later in the evening, but it will slow down the absorption of alcohol and sugar into your system. This helps your liver stay more even keel, and curb erratic blood sugar spikes that could result from any sweet mixers.
2. Skip the soda.
Even if you’re back on the sugar bandwagon, you’ll be doing your body a huge favor by trying to keep soda out of the mix. Diet soda is even worse for your waistline, as the sweet taste tricks your brain into thinking calories are coming when none are. This causes your liver to start storing fat in preparation for more energy. So if you’re making mixed drinks, opt for soda water instead of tonic and add some alkalizing lemon juice for good measure!
3. Take an activated charcoal before and after you drink.
There are times in our social lives—a best friend’s bachelorette, a client dinner, or your own birthday—when social pressures may force you to drink more than you’d like. In order to feel less lousy the next day, take an activated charcoal capsule before you leave for the evening and when you get home. It absorbs toxins and will help your liver deal with all the tequila on its plate. Warning: it will also make you less drunk, so if you still want the social lubrication of alcohol, you’re better off just monitoring your own consumption and not getting peer pressured into excess.
4. Go 1 for 1, alcohol for water.
Even if you’re drinking in moderation, besides the impact on your liver, alcohol’s other most harmful side effect is dehydration. Having a glass of water for every drink you consume will help lessen the blow and potentially slow down your total consumption by giving you something else to orally fixate on in between martinis.
5. Use healthier ingredients for home cocktail making.
Most cocktails do benefit from a little extra sweetness to cut the taste of alcohol. If you’re whipping something up at home, you can use my favorite natural sweetener, raw honey. In addition to tasting delicious, raw honey was used in ancient remedies for its anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal qualities. You can also use Plum Vida to add extra nutrients and fiber. With a puree you get the natural sweetness of fruits and veggies without the addition of refined sugar like in conventional juices.
This post is sponsored by Plum Vida. Products featured on Feed Me Phoebe are few and far between, and as with all opinions on this site, I only give my endorsement when genuine!
Question, P!
Talk to me about ‘added sugars’. How is a fresh-juice different from a smoothie in terms of added sugar? I get that juice doesn’t have the fiber and that the sugar is absorbed in a different way, but it’s still not filled with added sugar in the same way that eating a chocolate bar or processed apple juice is. Yea? No?
#sugarconfused
Sophie
You’re totally right! Juice is fine in terms of added sugar. But if you’re honoring the intention of the exercise, which is in service to your liver, you want to be careful about what juice will do to your blood sugar. Most people drink it as a snack on its own – I always used to. But without the fiber, it will hit your bloodstream like a bomb. They also tend to add a lot of sweeter fruits (apple, pear) to make the less palatable veggies taste better. Even the Blueprint Green Juice has 28 grams of sugar in it. That’s the equivalent of 7 teaspoons. The daily recommendation is 9. That’s so much more than you would have from one banana and a handful of blueberries in a smoothie. Processed sugar has a much higher percentage of fructose than maple syrup or honey (agave is the worst offender in the fructose department), but natural additives still have a lot of fructose and our liver processes it all the same, no matter how natural the origin. At a certain point it is the quantity and not the quality. Thank you for asking and hope this helps!! oxo
Super helpful. Thanks, P! Xo
I just bought a Ninja and plan on making fresh, green smoothies to start off my day right!
Awesome Anu! That’s great to hear. I hope you enjoy them! Check out my green giant smoothie if you need inspiration 🙂
Thanks for sharing these great reminders
I love that so many restaurants are focusing on artisan cocktails now, it makes it easy to opt for something with “fresh grapefruit pummace” over a tonic or sprite.
xox
Katie
Definitely Katie! Cheers to bespoke cocktails with maple syrup and fresh ginger and such! xo
Congrats! You’ve won a tote of Plum Vida! Email me through the contact form with your address and I’ll get your prize in the mail.
I’m definitely doing the 1 for 1 water/alcohol ratio as well as avoiding alc on an empty stomach. But about that charcoal – it can make you really constipated. In fact, that’s a go-to if you have the runs, esp if you take 2 as you recommend. Any thoughts on this?
You can always try one if you’re worried about this. I don’t have that problem with charcoal. Though most of the time I take it when my stomach is feeling funny. Alcohol is a diuretic, so it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to counter balance.
I’m going to stop baking cookies so often because they always end up in my stomach much too quickly than I intend!
I get it 🙂
We’re experimenting with more grains and AP-/wheat-alternative flours in our kitchen. It’s a delicious process of sampling!
That’s awesome heather! Hope you’ll give some of my recipes a try. The lemon tart crust is great with almond flour.
I would like to refresh by drinking more water this year.
im trying really hard to increase the amount of water i drink in a day, i’ve also started using a juicer to make wonderful drinks!
fun!
Congrats! You’ve won a tote of Plum Vida! Email me through the contact form with your address and I’ll get your prize in the mail.
I am giving up soda and replacing it with water.
That’s a great one Sarah!
I am trying to refresh the way I eat — thereby refreshng the way I feel and look!
More water! More fresh smoothies, more veggies.
amen!
I love the 1:1 water:alcohol rule! This year my goal is to eat more “plants” for breakfast. Adding veggies into eggs.
That’s a really great one! If you’re already making eggs for yourself, you’re halfway there. Next up, green smoothies 🙂
Trying not to drink so much coffee and substituting with tea. Coffee has so much oil in it and no one realizes it!
try fresh lemon + hot water – super detoxifying! and delicious!
I had a really unexpected change in my living situation in November, so I’m all about getting back to my former healthy DIY cooking… I’ve been eating too many prepared foods, and am not used to that!
that’s a great resolution Karen!
Congrats! You’ve won a tote of Plum Vida! Email me through the contact form with your address and I’ll get your prize in the mail.
Greetings! Love your blog! Great information above ~ I didn’t know about charcoal! I knew it as a supplement but not in relationship to alcohol. I’ve given your blog link to my 30 year daughter ~ she will be your fan, for sure.
To answer your question, I am going to continue to make exercise a priority and to say no to useless carbs. If I don’t bake it….I love to create recipes….I won’t eat it! I love monthly goals cuz it is doable!
Congrats! You’ve won a tote of Plum Vida! Email me through the contact form with your address and I’ll get your prize in the mail.
Less junk food, more water, cutting out soda, more fresh foods instead of pre prepared foods
Amen!
Less processed foods – more making things from scratch. I look at labels, especially kid friendly snacks, and just sigh.
hehe good for you Lori! keeping a sense of humor is key 🙂
@donnelly_jess this year I plan on cutting out added sugar last year we mostly cut out all fructose corn syrup in everything we bought. I want to exercise more and make healthier choices/ meals for my growing family.