5 Non-Alcohol Spritzes for a Sober-Curious Summer

5 Non-Alcohol Spritzes for a Sober-Curious Summer

Finding the right balance between enjoying the festive season and keeping on track with your fitness rituals can be difficult, but it is possible.

Move With Us Coach Rachel Dillon shares, “I love the feeling of being fit and healthy, so I follow some simple guidelines to make sure I am still able to dig into my favourite holiday foods and enjoy some festive drinks with my friends and family, without going overboard”.

You should be able to enjoy your holidays with no guilt attached to whatever food you want to eat, and however much relaxation you want to enjoy. At the same time, staying active and being reasonably conscious of your food and drink choices doesn’t mean total deprivation.

Like all good things, it’s a balancing act, and finding a happy balance will likely leave you feeling more energetic and satisfied over the holidays.

To help you juggle social occasions and staying on track, Rachel shares her top pieces of advice for enjoying this silly season!

1. Plan in advance

The better you’re able to prepare, the more you will succeed during the holidays. I like to choose the times that I will indulge in advance, so that I can plan around it to maintain balance.

I know I will be spending Christmas lunch with my family, so I’m certainly going to enjoy all the delicious food! However, to make my body feel good, I will still train in the morning, and likely have a less energy dense dinner.

I won’t be tracking my intake, however I know that on average I still won’t be going crazy with my energy intake over the holidays. If you know the times you will be indulging, you can plan around them and let your hair down and just enjoy your social events.

2. Mind your drink

Alcohol is almost inevitable at this time of year, and it’s totally okay to enjoy these celebrations with your friends and family.

If you do drink alcohol, here are some things to consider to help you drink responsibly and mindfully.

  • Eat before you go out.
    This slows down the absorption of alcohol, so you won’t feel tipsy after a single sip. Plus, alcohol won’t irritate your stomach as much if there’s something in it already. If you’re not starving on arrival, you’re also less likely to mindlessly overeat, and remember that alcohol impairs judgement and often makes you eat more.

  • Sip smart.
    If you’re trying to cut down on cals, switch to a low carb variety of your favourite beer or cider, or opt for zero sugar soft drink options for your mixers.

    For the wine lovers, you can spritz up your white wine by replacing half your glass of wine with soda water to make it a spritzer. Halving the wine will half the calories, plus will also make your drink last longer and provide additional hydration to prevent hangover symptoms!

    If you like spirits, having drinks like vodka soda will ensure additional hydration, and having them as “long” drinks will stretch them further.

  • Stay in control.
    It’s easy to lose track of how many drinks you’ve had when you’re having fun and saying yes to round after round. To stay on track, set yourself a plan of how many drinks you want to have, and space them out throughout the night.

    A glass of water in between each drink will help keep you hydrated and your future self will be thanking you in the morning when you wake up fresh.

3. Pass on the alcohol 

More and more people are opting for non-alcoholic beers, wines, pre-mixers and mocktails as their drink of choice, which is not only a great way to cut down calories, but also to enjoy your holidays hangover-free. 

If you’re trying to stay on track towards your fitness goals, rather than consuming alcohol at every party this summer, try committing to a few alcohol free parties.

We recommend bringing an alcohol-free punch bowl to your social gatherings, or taking some non-alcoholic drinks with you. Sometimes just having something in your hand can help you to feel like you’re not missing out.

How to answer that tricky question?

Drinking culture is so ingrained with the holiday season and social occasions alike, so you’ll probably find that when you pass on the alcohol, you get asked by family and friends “Why aren't you drinking?”

First of all, don’t feel like you’re being rude or spoiling the fun by turning down a drink, and you really shouldn’t have to justify your decision either.

Your true friends should understand if you tell the truth that you're cutting back on alcohol to focus on your health and respect your choice without pressuring you.

But if they respond with negativity or try convincing you to drink, some other good responses are, “I’m the designated driver, I’ve got an early start tomorrow”, or simply, “I’m just taking the night off drinking!”

You don’t need to give a further explanation or justify your decision, so simply continue your conversation and move on from the topic of drinking.

If someone comes across offended or disappointed that you’re not drinking, remember that their response is likely to do with their own personal baggage and relationship with drinking.

Stay true to your decision. Your wallet and body will thank you!

For those feeling sober-curious this summer, the Move With Us dietitians have put together 5 mocktail recipes as a delicious, festive gift to you. We’ll cheers to that! 

If you do wish to add alcohol to these recipes, please enjoy your drinks responsibly and remember that you can still enjoy a night out without severely hindering your progress.

Cherry & Grapefruit Mocktail

INGREDIENTS
  • 60g Cherries
  • 150ml Lemonade
  • 80g Grapefruit
  • Mint Leaves, to taste
DIRECTIONS
  1. Remove pips and stalks from cherries. Mash half of cherries into a glass and reserve remaining cherries.

  2. Slice half of grapefruit and set aside. Squeeze remaining grapefruit juice into glass.

  3. Pour lemonade into glass and top with remaining grapefruit slices, cherries and mint leaves. Ice can be added, if desired. 

*We recommend making this mocktail at time of consumption.


NUTRITION

Calories: 136
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 32g
Fibre: 2g

Lychee & Passionfruit Spritzer 

INGREDIENTS
  • 40g Lychee
  • 30g Passionfruit Pulp
  • 100ml Lemonade
  • 100ml Sparkling Mineral Water
  • Mint Leaves, to taste
DIRECTIONS
  1. Remove peel and pip from lychees (or use canned) and slice in half.

  2. Add lychees, passionfruit pulp, crushed mint leaves, lemonade and mineral water to a tall glass and stir to combine.

  3. Serve topped with additional fresh mint leaves, if desired. 

*We recommend making this mocktail at time of consumption. 

NUTRITION

Calories: 98
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 23g
Fibre: 3g

Green Tea, Cucumber & Orange Mocktail

INGREDIENTS
  • 120g Orange
  • 30g Cucumber
  • 100ml Green Tea
DIRECTIONS
  1. Prepare ingredients: slice cucumber and cut orange in half. Brew green tea and allow to cool.

  2. Fill a glass halfway with ice.

  3. Juice half of orange and pour juice over ice followed by green tea. Cut remaining orange into slices and add to glass with cucumber slices.

*We recommend making this mocktail at time of consumption. 

NUTRITION

Calories: 47
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 10g
Fibre: 3g

Virgin Watermelon Mojito

INGREDIENTS
  • 200g Watermelon
  • 75ml Dry Ginger Ale
  • 50ml Soda Water
  • Mint Leaves, to taste
DIRECTIONS
  1. Add watermelon and ice to a blender and blend until combined.

  2. Pour watermelon mixture into a glass and top with ginger ale and soda water. Mix to combine.

  3. To serve, top with mint leaves. 

*We recommend making this mocktail at time of consumption.

NUTRITION 

Calories: 86
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 20g
Fibre: 1g

Mimosa Mocktail

INGREDIENTS
  • 75ml Orange Juice
  • 75ml Pineapple Juice
  • 50ml Soda Water
DIRECTIONS
  1. Add orange and pineapple juice to a flute glass.

  2. Top with soda water. 

*We recommend making this mocktail at time of consumption.  

NUTRITION

Calories: 65
Protein: 1g
Fat: 0g
Carbs: 15g
Fibre: 0g

For more delicious recipes to enjoy with friends and family this festive season, head to the Move With Us App and explore our ever-expanding library of 850+ macro-friendly meals.

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