Smart Life Guide to Alcohol this Holiday Season

Let me be clear and upfront: I am not encouraging you to drink alcohol if you haven’t been doing so already. But, if you plan to have a drink here and there over the holiday period, I thought I would let you know what the best and worst options are or how do alcohol the Smart Life way.

In the health community, alcohol is categorized from best to worst by gauging the amount of histamine released and the impurities it contains. In regards to impurities, the “smoother” the alcohol tastes, the better it is made. Remember the tequila shots we used to do in college? We had to get it down quickly to get over the awful taste. That was the “college” tequila – cheap and poorly made (but affordable). You can enjoy and sip a top-shelf tequila – it contains fewer impurities which will make it easier on your liver, thus I would call it a “healthier” choice with a lower chance for a hangover.

Histamine release will also contribute to how you feel; headaches, itching, rashes, ringing in the ears, and flushing are signs of histamine release which would also make you feel sick.

I’ve put this list for you here, to give you an idea of what might be best for you when you go shopping. 

BEST vs WORSE ALCOHOL:

BEST 

Liquor

• Clear, unflavored vodka
• Clear, unflavored gin
• Silver tequila
• White, unflavored rum

Wines

• Biodynamic, no sugar (best)
• Organic (just OK)

WORST

• Beer (including gluten-free)
• Cider
• Cheap liquors
• Conventional red wine
• Conventional white wine

 I don’t have liquor brand recommendations, but I have come across great wine by Dry Farm Wines that the health community has given a seal of approval for a truly biodynamic, low histamine, and no-sugar (yes, this is correct, they ferment it until there is no sugar) wine selections of whites, reds, and rose.