The holidays are rolling around again, and you know what THAT means: last-minute rushes to get gifts, cooking meals, house cleaning, hosting parties, and running around like a chicken with its head cut off. AGHH! But it also means mulled wine, eggnog, and hot chocolate! Uh. What about some HEALTHY drinks for the holidays?
I love a good hot chocolate as much as the next girl, but I’m not as big of a fan of the 25+ grams of sugar, the tooth decay, or the increase in bad cholesterol! Plus, if you’re not home-making it and you’re just going from one of the Swiss Miss powder packages, it has carrageenan in it. Scientists are currently debating back and forth about whether carrageenan is all that bad for you, but there are studies saying it’s a carcinogen.
What else do the Swiss Miss packages have? Dipotassium phosphate. You’re probably thinking, potassium, well that’s great! Not exactly. These are a type of salt that you’ll also find in fertilizer…Ew!
Technically, according to the FDA phosphates are safe to consume in moderate amounts, but there have been studies that say otherwise. A study conducted in Heidelberg, Germany, reported that people with greater phosphate concentrations in their body were more likely to get heart disease.
But let’s not just pick on hot chocolate, here. Starbucks drinks, from lattes to cappuccinos, also have carrageenan in their milk! And of course they also have TONS of sugar!! What about eggnog? 20 grams of added sugar!
So you may be wondering, are there any holiday-themed, healthy drinks that will give you that feeling of warmth and coziness, without the guilt? (And, by the way, I do NOT think that an occasional drink should be a cause for guilt. I’m mostly writing this as a friendly reminder that holiday DRINKS can be just as bad for you and be as much of a source of weight gain as holiday FOOD. We all forget that!)
So without further ado, here is an AWESOME healthy drink substitute for hot cocoa…
You’re actually going to be home-making your own almond milk for this, which is a little time-consuming but also will enhance the taste to be a lot richer. Almond milk from the store is mostly WATER, you may have noticed based on the ingredients list. So for that true chestnuts — er, “almonds roasting on an open fire” taste, without further ado:
Soak a cup of almonds overnight in water. Then, strain out the water and pour them in a blender. Add five more cups of water to the blender. A little more if you want a thinner milk, and a little less if you want a thicker milk. If you want it to be sweet you could add in a couple dates or half a teaspoon of stevia powder. Don’t forget a pinch of sea salt no matter what, or the taste really will be bland!!
Then blend it for a couple minutes…You’ll have some nice looking almond milk, but the only problem will be how pulpy it is. You could use a nut milk bag to strain it, but honestly, a thin dish towel works just as well for the liquid to get through, but not the pulp!
Whether you enjoy it hot or cold, this homemade almond milk, especially if sweetened or with added COCOA, will hit the spot for the holidays!
If you’re looking for EASY healthy drinks for the holidays without all that prep…I definitely recommend the limited-edition Peppermint Mocha Shakeology. It has all the cheery holiday flavors — peppermint, coffee, and cocoa — without the sugar and calories. Plus, WITH prebiotics and probiotics, fiber, and antioxidants like pomegranate and camu-camu. So, yep, instead of the carcinogen carrageenan, you get the cancer-fighting camu-camu!
Sorry, that’s a mouthful!!
If you’d like to get a mouthful of Peppermint Mocha Shakeology before it sells out, check it out here.
OR, contact me and I will set you up!!
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