Wine expert and
best-selling food writer
Sam Rice begins a new
column for Top Santé
this month on how to
incorporate alcohol into
a healthy lifestyle. After
all, the responsible enjoyment of a nice
glass of wine or a delicious cocktail can
be relaxing and sociable, and contribute
to overall wellbeing. You can follow Sam
on Instagram @midlifekitchen and on
her blog stealthhealthblog.com.W
HO DOESN’T LOVE A
garden party, picnic or barbecue
with a glass of something chilled
in hand at this time of year? But, is it really
possible to enjoy a drink and stay healthy?
As a health writer and wine expert I believe
that it most certainly is. The key, as ever, is
moderation and there are some excellent
apps you can download to help you keep
track of your drinking (see drinkaware.com).
To minimise the health risks associated with
alcohol, current advice is:
● Stick to a maximum of 14 units a week.
● Have no more than six units in one session
(or eight for men) as more than this is
considered a ‘binge’ and the health risks
increase signifi cantly.
● Keep at least three days drink-free each
week, ideally two consecutively.GO LOW ALCOHOL...
Even with the best intentions, summertime
can make it diffi cult to keep a lid on alcohol
consumption, so a tactic I use is to reduce the
alcohol content of my drinks, so that even if
I have more glasses I’m still within the limits.
As far as lower ABV (alcohol by volume)
wines are concerned, anything under 11 per
cent, is a good choice. If you dilute it with
fi zzy water the alcohol content is even lower.
I am a huge fan of fi zz and have recently
discovered ciders that are made in much thesame way as Champagne – they have that
same delicate sparkle but with less alcohol
and they are to be drunk by the fl ute rather
than the pint!
If you really want booze with benefi ts, one
of the most exciting trends I’ve spotted is for
low ABV kombuchas – they’ll give you a hint
of celebratory fi zz, a teeny hit of alcohol and
a whole load of gut health benefi ts thanks to
their probiotic content.
To illustrate how these lower-alcohol
drinks can help you stay within your 14 unit
weekly allowance you could have:
● 7 x 150ml glasses of ‘standard’ strength
wine (12.5-13% ABV)
● 10 glasses of 9.5% ABV wine (or 20 if you
mix 50/50 with sparkling water)
● 11 glasses of 8.3% ABV sparkling cider
● 77 glasses of 1.2% ABV kombucha
I’m not suggesting you actually have 77
glasses of kombucha in a week by the way! It
simply serves to illustrate how paying
attention to the ABV of your drinks can
really help keep your alcohol intake
in check.
So raise a glass and say santé!Sam x
Old Tree Brewery
Kombucha
This has a kick and
an alcohol content
of just 1.2% ABV.
(£3.75,
sevencellars.
co.uk).all, the responsible enjoyment of a niceTHE MINDFUL DRINKER
SUMMER
TIPPLES
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ALCOHOL
DRINKS FOR
SUMMERThe Doctors’
Sauvignon Blanc
A NZ-style wine
crafted to be lower
alcohol – just 9.5%
ABV. (£8.99,
waitrosecellar.
com).Chalkdown Cider
This lovely English
sparkling cider is
more akin to
Champagne
than scrumpy and
it’s 8.3% ABV.
(£7.49, laithwaites.
co.uk).