One of the most delightful pleasures I know is gulping down a nice cold beer on a hot day after some sweaty work in the garden.
Ahhhhhh! I have fond memories of the sound my Dad used to make after mowing the lawn, popping the cap, and taking a swig. We (all of us kids) got to take a swig too.
Now a days, I still don’t know how to sip a beer! Sipping is for wine and spirits, beer is for slugging. You need the cold, bubbly, bitterness splashing down your throat to get the best results.
The sad fact is, alcohol makes me fat, bloated, and grumpy. Not to mention hotflashes, which defeats the purpose of chilin with a brewski 🙁
Beer also contains lots of phytoestrogens, not great for women with estrogen dominance (lumpy breasts, PMS, fibroids, bloating, stubborn weight gain, etc..), which is common in the first years of perimenopause, if not beyond!
I am not going to stop drinking beer, not with the best beer bar and store in the county two blocks from my door!
But, I have learned a few tricks about being moderate. I have one beer, once in awhile, not three, and not every night. Sometimes my husband and I will just split a beer. (He complains about my slugging though…)
What do I drink instead? I mean we still have the problem of hot sweaty days to deal with…
I take chilled soda water, lots of fresh crushed mint, 1/4 lime, and a little maple syrup or stevia. It is incredibly refreshing, and I can slug it to my hearts content without getting a beer belly.
With soda water as the base you can also add:
– coconut water
– kombucha
– electrolytes like Emergen C
-blended fruits: watermelon, pineapple, berries…
– edible flowers – violets, johnny jump-ups, borage…
– fresh herbs – I love lemon thyme, lemon balm, rosemary, basil…
– essential oils – use food grade only – one drop will go a long way
– vanilla extract, almond extract, bitters used for mixed drinks
How about rosemary with grapefruit?
Strawberry with basil?
Coconut water, pineapple, and mint?
The combinations are endless and rival any fancy cocktail, or beer, you could find out there. Adding fresh fruit and herbs makes it nutrient-rich while keeping it low cal, and adds so much flavor you won’t need to add sweeteners.
And BTW, according to the Mayo Clinic, carbonated water does not leach calcium and minerals from your bones, whereas regular “soda pop” does.
What do you do to chill and cool off on a hot summer’s day? Tell us in the comments below.
PS: Here are some ideas to get you started:
