Drinking On A Diet

The festive season is upon us and it is a challenging time for those on the Paleo diet with temptation in the air. I know it’s difficult staying committed to a diet that deprives you of desserts, cocktails and those infamous Christmas cookies. Like most of you, I enjoy letting my hair down over the Christmas period but often find it hard to stick to those Paleo roots when it comes to alcohol, especially being a whiskey lover!

Earlier this year I read Robb Wolf’s book ‘The Paleo Solution’ and thought his recommended alcoholic beverage was worth sharing as we enter December.

Wolf’s recommendation: a drink he named the “Norcal Margarita,” and from what he suggests, it is the most Paleo friendly drink out there. Yes it’s true alcohol isn’t exactly Paleo, but we are only human and deserve to let loose from time to time so we’re working with what we’ve got.

So why Tequila you may ask: well there are several reasons. First off tequila bears its origins in the highlands of western Mexico and comes from the agave root, which makes it free from gluten (unlike many beers and wines). Then, there is the chemistry. As Wolf states, “The lime juice blunts insulin release and the carbon dioxide bubbles in the soda water act as what’s called a “nonpolar solvent.” This actually extracts the alcohol from the drink and delivers it to your system faster.” Translation= you get drunk faster baby! Now Wolf recommends only one or two drinks but it is the holiday season so I’ll leave this one up to you.

Now to the ingredients: the drink is a simple mix of 2 shots Tequila (the gold/yellow kind if possible), a little soda water and the juice of 1 whole lime. I’ve had it several times this year and not only do I like the taste but think it’s a great way to get your “drink on.”

Ok I understand not everyone likes tequila, so for those who don’t then you can substitute it with something else. My advice is to try and steer clear of those darker drinks and choose a clear spirit. Additionally and unless you’re having a drink on the rocks you are going to need a mixer. So once again, avoid sugar-induced sodas like lemonade or cola and given the option try and stick with plain soda water. This way you may be breaking Paleo but you’re still sticking as close as possible to the caveman origin.

A few other handy tips include:

1. Try to start drinking a little earlier in the afternoon or early evening. That way your body has more time to metabolize the alcohol before you go to sleep. Now this is not an excuse to consume more of the good stuff (although we probably all will), simply have a few drinks early, enjoy that buzz then cut yourself off.

2. Try not to drink on a full stomach. That way you get the feeling of the alcohol without copious amounts of it, thus sparing your metabolism. Although once again this is no excuse to continuing drinking without food into all hours of the evening, like we all did when we were 16. Have one or two, get your “drink on” then follow step 3.

3. Finally, to prevent those unwanted hangovers and bring you back to sobriety, wrap up the night with some protein and good fats. So eat, drink some water and sober up people because tomorrow morning means another day and with it comes another WOD!

If you want to want to find out more on Robb Wolf’s book, which we at The Rx Review highly recommend, you can purchase it through Amazon.com [here]. Also, if you’d like to learn more about alcohol and how they rate, you can head to sites like Sokolin Wine Ratings for more info

From all of us here at The Rx Review we wish you all happy drinking days ahead.