Page 89 - Allrecipes (January 2020)

transition Food for Thought GOOD FOR YOU

Plan ahead to make Dry January an easy,

pleasurable experience.

Out with the old!
Discard, give away, or hide from sight the booze in your
home. Seeing it is a reminder you don’t need.

Figure out your favorite great-tasting substitutions.
Try sparkling water with a splash of pomegranate juice.
Treat yourself to something a little fancier: Muddle mint with

a couple of tablespoons of white grape juice, add a squeeze
of lemon, and fill the glass with bubbly water. Or search for
SCAN FOR mocktails on Allrecipes.com (try the Smart Code at left).
MOCKTAILS

Hover your Decide ahead of time how you’ll socialize.
phone’s camera Stick with alcohol-free beverages that look like the “real
here to get thing.” Simply up your water intake. Or make plans to
47 amazing
mocktail recipes. party in places where booze is not available.
They’ll make
Dryuary easier— Buddy up.
and tastier! See if a friend or family member will go dry with you.
No app You’ll be able to congratulate and motivate each
download
needed. other—not to mention socialize (in person or by phone
and text) in a nonalcohol way.

BOOZE-FREE = BEYOND

Drinking doesn’t cause a cold, but it can interfere with your January

ability to ward off infections. According to the National
A small study in the UK found
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking a lot all at
that moderate to heavy drinkers who
once can weaken your immune system for up to 24 hours.
abstained for one month—with no
other changes to their diets, exercise,
or smoking—had improved insulin
on the rebound resistance, weight, and blood pressure.

The control group that didn’t give up
As anyone who has ever dieted knows, deprivation can trigger overindulgence.
drinking saw no changes in the same
Psychologists warn that if you find yourself thinking about drinking February 1,
health measurements.
you may need to re-examine your relationship with alcohol. And if you think you
have alcohol-dependency issues, speak with your doctor about the best ways to
Advocates believe that going dry for
cut back before going cold turkey.
one month shows that you can have fun
A study of nearly 900 British Dry January participants found that the one-
month abstinence led to a reduction of alcohol consumption even six months later, without booze—which, in turn, helps
and that rebound binging was rare with people who made it through the month. you avoid slipping back into a pattern of
regular drinking.

ALLRECIPES.COM 95 DEC/JAN 2020