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Carnival season is in full swing, but we’re jumping ahead a bit to Lent. Molly has a 40-day Get the Skinny challenge for an alcohol-free Lent, with full details of how we can make it our own self-experiment to see what’s really happening inside of our bodies.

So in the spirit of the #AlcoholFreeFor40 challenge, we’re Getting the Skinny on the best and worst bets when it comes to non-alcoholic “mocktails”!

 

LOVE IT!

Kombucha – little/no added sugar; great source of probiotics

Virgin Bloody Mary – excellent source of lycopene; very filling, no added sugars

Berry Modern (recipe by Elizabeth Ledet)

  • 4 ounces club soda or sparkling water
  • 1 ounce 100% cranberry or cherry juice
  • 2 dashes Peychaud Bitters

 

Fill highball glass with ice. Add all ingredients. Stir. Garnish with fresh lime, basil, or a few raspberries.

 

LIKE IT!

Diet soft drinks (e.g. Coke Zero, Sprite Zero)

Non-Alcoholic Beers: Typically 58-89 calories, with 12-19 grams of carbs per 12-ounce beer

 

HATE IT!

Mocktails centered on:

Sugary soft drinks

Fruit juice – even 100% fruit juices – ounce-for-ounce, as much or more sugar + calories as a soft drink

Frozen, blended slushy drinks – can easily top 400 per drink!

 

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Want more from Molly?  Click here to sign up for Nutrition Bites, her weekly e-newsletter with links to her Get the Skinny TV segments here on WGNO, and her weekly column in NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune!  And you can follow Molly on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram:  @MollyKimballRD