Excessive alcoholic beverages during the holidays can be a recipe for miserable gut symptoms.
From a one-time sour stomach to chronic gastrointestinal (GI) issues, drinking has a range of negative effects on gut health. Some of those effects include acid reflux because of alcohol relaxing the lower esophageal sphincter, bloating from excess sugar fermentation, gastritis because of damage to the mucosal lining of the GI tract, damage to the liver and pancreas, and diarrhea, according to UNC Health.
But with a little creativity, you can make drinks that are sparkling, fun, colorful, and even filled with gut-boosting ingredients. Best of all, partygoers of all ages can share a toast if you serve “mocktails” instead of (or in addition to) traditional cocktails.
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“It’s a fun way to get together with friends and family and have a drink you don’t have to feel guilty about drinking. And you can wake up the next morning and still feel good,” Heidi Clark, co-founder of Wellthy Juice Co., told The Epoch Times. Wellthy is a cold-pressed-juice bar that has been experimenting with mocktail recipes.
Rethink Your Drink
There are many reasons that you may want to pass on the booze during the holidays. It’s a season that likely involves overindulging in food—particularly sugary treats—and overscheduling commitments. Diet and stress can both lead to gut-related symptoms. Adding alcohol can be like putting fuel on the fire.Alcohol is absorbed in the GI tract, where it’s broken down into metabolites just like food. It’s further metabolized in the liver and lungs. Metabolism of alcohol results in the production of acetaldehyde, a toxin and carcinogen. Drinking excessively can cause toxicity and oxidative stress, as well as change the composition of gut microbes.
Newer research shows that the changes in gut microbiota—the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that live in the intestines to metabolize food and help the body to perform various functions—could be the reason that alcohol leads to certain diseases, according to a 2021 article in Current Opinion in Food Science.
Diseases associated with alcohol include gut-related ones such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and colorectal cancer. Newer findings indicate that it’s also linked to obesity, cardiovascular diseases, nonalcoholic fatty liver, and neuropsychiatric diseases.
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Being health conscious and avoiding gut issues aren’t the only reasons to partake in alternative celebratory drinks. Those in recovery, minors, and women who are pregnant may enjoy having a mocktail as well.
Basic Gut-Boosting Ingredients
Mocktails can be as simple or as elaborate as any other recipe. A few key ingredients may be all that you need to find the right blend that’s healthy and flavorful.Base ingredients such as kefir water, kombucha, ginger ale, and nonalcoholic ginger beer can make a good base for gut-healthy drinks, according to Some Good Clean Fun, an online platform to support women leading alcohol-free lifestyles. Adding a splash of apple cider vinegar, lemon, or any number of herbs, spices, fruits, and vegetables can boost the nutrient value of your beverage.
Kefir and kombucha are both fermented drinks filled with healthy bacteria called probiotics. Considered functional foods, these drinks are anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer, assist the liver in detoxification, and boost the immune system, according to a 2023 review in Microorganisms.
Other beneficial ingredients for gut health that you can incorporate into mocktails are:
Ginger
A popular spice, ginger has robust research on its side when it comes to having anti-nausea and anti-vomiting properties. Historically, it’s considered valuable for medicinal purposes that include its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, and anti-ulcer effects, according to a 2019 review in Food Science & Nutrition.Story continues below advertisement
The results of a short-term study of ginger juice supplementation, published in Frontiers in Microbiology in 2021, showed that it increases the abundance of health-promoting microbiota.
You can incorporate fresh ginger into your drink by grating it directly into the drink, or boiling slices in water to release the juices and then using the water in your beverage. You can also put grated ginger in a tea bag and allow it to steep in your drink for as long as you like.
Lemon
The juice of a lemon half provides more than one-sixth of a day’s vitamin C requirements. Lemons help to prevent kidney stones and to boost stomach acid levels. Many people are deficient in stomach acid, which helps us to properly digest food.You can add lemon to your drink by squeezing the juice, cutting the fruit into slices, using artistic strands of peels, zesting the peel, or blending it fresh or frozen along with other drink ingredients.
Jalapeños
For a spicy twist in your mocktail, consider adding jalapeños. They have a long list of health benefits, including modulating microbiota in ways that appear to be protective against metabolic and inflammatory diseases, according to a 2020 review in Molecules. Research indicates that jalapeños play a role in preventing obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, and others.Try adding slices or juicing fresh jalapeños in your beverage and pairing it with a sweet or citrus flavor.
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Pineapple
The anti-inflammatory pineapple is full of vitamin C and fiber—important for a healthy gut. Pineapple also contains bromelain, an enzyme that helps with cellular healing. Early research shows that it may also help with fat burning, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Pineapple can be added by juicing, using fresh or frozen slices, or blending frozen slices for a smoothie consistency.
Beets
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In addition to adding a bright celebratory color to your mocktail, beets are high in fiber as well as polyphenols and nitrates—all good for your gut health. A 2023 study in Food Chemistry found that only three days of beetroot consumption changed the gut microbiome to increase an abundance of health-promoting bacteria and to decrease one bacteria associated with diarrhea.
Another way to get creative with mocktails, according to Ms. Clark, is to freeze juice blends into ice cubes or popsicles.
Her daughter, Wellthy co-owner Paige Clark, told The Epoch Times: “Mocktails are becoming popular. Our culture has shifted, and people are starting to realize the importance of being healthy.”
Mocktail Recipes
These first two recipes were created on the spot for me by the Clarks at Wellthy during our interview!Spiced Cider Spritzer
Warming ingredients spice up this mocktail, which can be served with sparkling water and nonalcoholic liquor. Amy Denney
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Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Wellthy spiced cider (or a cold-pressed juice blend with any of the following: green apple, pear, orange, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, jalapeno)
- Sparkling water
- Orange or clementine
- 1 shot of nonalcoholic liquor
- Agave
- Raw cane sugar and cinnamon mixture
- Dip the rim of the glass in agave, and then dip in sugar-and-cinnamon mixture.
- Pour juice blend in glass, top with the sparkling water and the optional shot of liquor.
- Garnish with an orange slice.
Pineapple-Beet Sangria Mocktail
Use frozen raspberries instead of ice cubes for a fun, colorful mocktail. Amy Denney
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Wellthy You’re Glowing blend (or a cold-pressed juice blend with any of the following: beets, pineapple, carrot, green apple, ginger, lemon, amla (Indian gooseberry), and camu camu (a berry rich in vitamin C)
- 2 ounces sparkling water (such as golden lime flavor by Calamansi)
- Raspberries
- Lime
- 1 shot of nonalcoholic liquor
- Agave
- Raw cane sugar
- Prepare raspberries by freezing on parchment paper for 12 hours.
- Dip the rim of glass in agave and sugar.
- Mix the juice and sparkling water together with the optional shot of nonalcoholic liquor.
- Place raspberries in a cup and pour the drink over them.
- Garnish with sliced lime.
Bubbly Pomegranate Holiday Mocktail
Ingredients:- 1 stem of mint (about 5–6 leaves)
- 1 1/2 ounce pomegranate juice (unsweetened)
- 1/2 ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 4 ounces St. Regis Secco (nonalcoholic sparkling wine)
- 4–5 dashes of cranberry bitters,
- Peychaud’s bitters, or All The Bitter New Orleans Bitters (alcohol-free)
- Juice the lemon, and add it to a cocktail shaker or Mason jar with the mint leaves.
- Gently muddle the mint leaves, without tearing them too much.
- Add in the pomegranate juice, bitters (if using), and ice, and shake for about 10 seconds to chill.
- Double strain with the help of a fine mesh strainer into a mid-sized coupe glass.
- Top with very cold St. Regis Secco.
Spicy Margarita
Spice up an alcohol-free margarita with jalapeño for gut-boosting benefits. Ritual Zero Proof
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces Ritual Tequila Alternative
- 1 ounce fresh lime juice
- 1/2 ounce agave nectar
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper
- Basil leaf
- Tajin or Valentina Seasoning (for rim)
- Pour tequila alternative over jalapeño and basil, sliced lengthwise, in a cocktail shaker.
- Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes—the longer, the spicier. Include seeds for even more spice.
- Add lime, agave, and ice. Shake.
- Strain if desired.
- Rim glass in salt. Pour over ice into glass. Garnish with jalapeño slices and basil leaf.
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