7 Healthy Holiday Drinks That Won't Pack on Pounds ...

Traditional milk hot chocolate can be loaded with fat and excess sugar. Instead of ordering a fancy drink like this from a local coffee shop, why not make your own using a cow milk substitute? Almond, rice, coconut, or any other milk substitute you have on hand will work. Use raw cacao powder instead of chocolate and stevia instead of sugar for one of the easiest healthy holiday drinks.

A hot toddy is a classic fall and winter drink, and it definitely surfaces as a trendy drink during the holiday season. Traditionally, a hot toddy is made with hot water, whiskey, lemon, and sugar. But you can make your own, healthier version by using green tea as a base! Make sure to add lots of fresh lemon for vitamin C. Also use stevia or raw honey instead of sugar.

Mulled wine might not be something very well known in the United States, but in Europe and other cultures it’s a traditional holiday drink. Basically, red wine is slowly warmed with a series of spices like fresh cinnamon sticks, cloves, even orange and lemon peel. There are about a million recipes online for mulled wine. Moreover, compared to other high-sugar alcoholic beverages, mulled wine is pretty low in sugar, making it a much healthier holiday drink.

Have you ever seen someone order a drink ‘neat’ and wonder what it meant? Neat basically means the drink is served like a shot with no mixer or ice. Ordering a classic holiday liquor like whisky neat is a great way to keep the sugar content down. Even if you’re not a hard liquor fan, you’ll feel super neat when you order your drink this way!

Not every holiday drink needs to be loaded with alcohol! Sometimes, you might want an alcohol-free beverage that’s still festive and refreshing. Club soda and cranberry juice is a fantastic choice. Cranberry is definitely a holiday flavor that everyone loves so even if you’re not a huge fan of alcohol, you can still feel like you’re enjoying a sumptuous treat!

The lattes you get at coffee shops are loaded with unneeded calories, sugar, and fat. Save your money and make your own latte at home. Even if you don’t have an espresso machine, you could still use coffee (although then technically, it wouldn’t be a latte). The key to making latte-inspired drinks is warming up the milk slightly so the drink doesn’t get too cold too soon. Make your own latte this way and you won’t even miss that daily trip to your barista.

Okay, so this last one technically isn’t a holiday drink. But with all the cookies, cakes, cheese puffs, and other unhealthy holiday crap you’re probably eating this year, almost everyone could use a detoxifying drink in their regimen. Try a green juice or smoothie when you’re short on time in the morning and don’t have time to sit down and eat a real breakfast. The smoothie will instantly fill you up and give you enough energy to tackle the day.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays and still be healthy, especially with this drink list. What are some of your favorite healthy holiday drinks?