Health-boosting booze might sound like an oxymoron, but numerous big-city mixologists have been stirring up nutrition-packed cocktails to keep their clientele flu-free. Okay, so you can’t exactly ward off a cold with a martini, but opting for drinks with good-for-you ingredients beats loading up on sugary sweeteners (or worse—diet cola). And if you’re hitting up happy hour anyway, you may as well get a boost of vitamins with these cocktails infused with fresh fruits and veggies, says Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, author of The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories & Fat Disappear – with Fiber! Interested in shaking up some immunity-boosting, low-cal drinks of your own? Here, Zuckerbrot explains how:
Blueberry Lemonade Cocktail
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 140
3 ounces Absolut Berri Acai Vodka
1 cup blueberries
2 cups water
1 packet Crystal Light Pure Lemonade
Juice of one lemon
1 cup ice
How to mix it: Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.
Health benefits: Blueberries and lemon juice both contain antioxidant-rich vitamin C which keeps cells healthy and wards off disease. Bonus: The blueberries add a sweet flavor without adding excess calories.
Raspberry Orange Sunrise
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 140
3 ounces vodka
1 packet crystal light pure tropical blend
½ cup fresh raspberries
½ cup fresh oranges
Ice
How to mix it: Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.
Health benefits: Raspberries and oranges are rich in vitamin C, which can help shorten the duration of a cold by about a day, says Jane Higdon, a research associate at Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
Carrot and Celery Cooler
Serves 2
Calories per serving: 100
10 medium carrots
2 stalk celery
2 inch peel fresh ginger
2 oz vodka
How to mix it: Combine all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth.
Health benefit: Fatigue-fighting ginger wards off cold and flu bugs and the beta carotene enhances immune system functioning.
Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
Serves 4
Calories per serving: 180
2 cups crushed ice
1 cup 100% pomegranate juice
½ cup diet ginger ale
½ bottle champagne or sparkling wine
Garnish with Pomegranate seeds
How to mix it: Combine all ingredients in pitcher and pour evenly into glasses. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.
Health benefits: Pomegranates are rich in disease-fighting antioxidants. Bonus: The diet ginger ale and Champaign add fizzy fun while keeping calories to a minimum.
More from Women’s Health:
Try It: The Look Better Naked Cocktail
6 Low-Calorie Cocktail Recipes
The Health Benefits of Alcohol
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