The holidays are a time filled with love, happiness, fun, excitement, parties and of course… calories! The copious amounts of food and drink consumed during the holiday season can often lead to a few extra pounds come January. And the beverages we drink can be as big a culprit as all the savory food and tasty treats. So here are some simple tips to make your holiday beverages and celebrations a little healthier this season:

• Hot cocoa is a holiday staple. Instead of using whole milk, try using skim milk or almond milk. Also, skip the whip cream and chocolate shavings. The hot cocoa will still be delicious without them.
• Drink lots of water or Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters. Water aids in digestion and keeps you feeling full. It will also keep you hydrated when drinking wine or cocktails.
• Can’t do without Egg Nog? Try this healthier version instead from Cooking Light.
• Cranberry juice and ginger ale is another holiday classic. But most recipes call for cranberry juice cocktail, which contains added sugar. Combining these two can leave you with a lot of sugar and empty calories. Try using 100% cranberry juice, a splash of ginger ale and topping the rest off with Syfo Naturally-Flavored Lemon-Lime Sparking Water. You can also try our Lemon-Lime Cranapple Snap recipe.
• Instead of using pre-made mixes for you alcoholic beverages, try making your own using real fruit juices and Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters. Find some great recipes here.
• Slow down when eating, as eating too fast often contributes to overeating. Take a moment to enjoy the conversation with family and friends in between bites.

The holidays can also be stressful. Be mindful of the tasty treats you eat and drink, but still use this time to enjoy yourself. Eat, drink and be merry!

Thanksgiving is the holiday that gathers family and friends for a day of feasting and giving thanks.  Much planning goes in to the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner, but what about the beverage menu? Below are delicious recipes to add to your menu this season.

Cranberry Thanksgiving Punch

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of chilled cranberry juice
• 2 containers of lemonade or orange juice concentrate
• 1 bottle of Syfo Seltzer or Syfo Tangerine-Orange Sparkling Water

Preparation:

Mix all of the ingredients right before serving.  For an extra flavor boost, you can try a cranberry juice blend such as cranberry apple, cranberry blueberry or cranberry grape.

Acknowledgement: Based on a recipe idea from punchbowl.com.

Orange, Rosewater, and Mint Sparkler

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mint leaves (about 25 leaves), loosely packed and removed from their stems
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) fresh orange juice (from 2 medium oranges)
• 2 drops rosewater
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) Syfo Original Seltzer

Preparation:

Muddle the mint leaves gently in a mixing glass. Add orange juice, rosewater, and seltzer, stir gently to combine. Pour the sparkling orange juice mixture into two ice-filled Old Fashioned glasses and serve immediately.

Acknowledgement: Photo and recipe from seriouseats.com

Thanksgiving Brunch Tonic

Ingredients

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 4 cups of chilled cranberry juice cocktail
• 2 cups of fresh orange juice (use about 6 oranges)
• 3 cups of chilled Syfo Original Seltzer

Preparation

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Add rosemary; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour sugar syrup into a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight.

Uncover sugar syrup; remove and discard rosemary sprigs. Combine the sugar syrup, juices, and soda in a large pitcher. Serve immediately over ice.

Acknowledgement: Photo and recipe from myrecipes.com

Fizzy Pear Ginger Punch

Ingredients

For Ginger Syrup:

• 1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thirds
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar

For Punch:

• 8 cups chilled pear juice, such as Looza
• 1 cup ginger syrup
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

Preparation:

For the ginger syrup, place ginger, water, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until reduced to a syrup. Let cool.

For the punch, in a large punch bowl, combine pear juice, ginger syrup, lemon juice, and ground ginger. Whisk until combined. Add Syfo Original Seltzer and stir gently to combine. Add ice block to punch bowl.

If desired, place three pieces of candied ginger on a tooth pick and place in each cocktail glass as garnish.Fill glass with the amount of desired ice. Combine all ingredients and stir gently. Garnish with olives

Acknowledgement: Photo and recipe from seriouseats.com

Your health can be said to be your most important asset and what you put in your body protects that asset.  That’s why “clean eating” is a term that’s trending these days and for many that means eating unprocessed or minimally processed foods known as “whole foods.” But the beverages you drink can be just as much a factor in a healthy diet as what you eat.

Just as with “clean eating,” clean drinking would have you avoid beverages with additives such as food dyes, propylene glycol, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, sodium, artificial flavorings and high fructose corn syrup. Although sugar is not an artificial ingredient, it is hidden in most processed foods and when eaten in excess has documented adverse health effects.  So as with food labels, the longer the list of ingredients on beverage labels (especially names of ingredients you don’t recognize) the more you may want to avoid that beverage and choose a “clean” drink instead.

And don’t be fooled by how a beverage is packaged or advertised. Many “fruit juice drinks” contain almost no fruit juice and copious amounts of sugar (see our post on this topic). Others claim to use filtered or spring waters but those can contain a large amount of impurities.

Under the clean eating and drinking label, we’ve compiled a short list of beverages for healthier living:

• Purified Water
• Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters — Syfo Beverages are deliciously refreshing and contain no sugar, artificial sweeteners, sodium or any other additives and they are made with water purified via a seven-step process that includes reverse osmosis.
• Teas – Black, Green, White or Herbal lightly sweetened with any natural sweetener.
• Coffee — Skip the artificial sweeteners and flavored coffee creamer.
• 100% Fruit Juice (Not from concentrate) – To cut down on the fructose content, mix it with Syfo Original Seltzer of any Syfo Naturally Flavored Sparkling Water.
• Vegetable juices – Add spices like turmeric, cinnamon, capsaicin, cumin, oregano, ginger, thyme or rosemary for a flavorful and healthy beverage.

Want to mix it up? Combine natural fruit juices with Syfo Naturally-Flavored Sparkling Waters for a low-cal, delicious, clean and refreshingly delightful drink.

Here’s a great recipe you can try:

Watermelon Slush

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups of Watermelon
• 1/3 cups of Pomegranate Juice
• Syfo Original Seltzer
• 1 cup of Ice

Preparation:

In a blender, puree fresh watermelon, pomegranate juice and ice. Half fill a glass with the juice and add an equal part of Syfo Original Seltzer or Syfo Naturally Flavored Wild Cherry Sparkling Water.

Visit syfobeverages.com for more delicious recipes!