Archives February 2020

More is better, as it means it will melt more slowly and avoid diluting your drink too much. There’s a vast array of options available now, so you shouldn’t struggle to find one to your liking, whether you prefer something a little fruitier or a drink with a sharp or even herby edge. Bupa health assessments give you a clear overview of your health and a view of any future health risks. You’ll receive a personal lifestyle action plan with health goals to reach for a happier, healthier you.

For many of us, the main motivation behind kicking the habit is to improve our physical and mental health. Not only is reducing your intake proven to improve sleep, energy levels and quell that all too familiar beer fear, but it can also mitigate against your risk of developing liver and heart disease long-term. Sodas, these are great if you’re wanting to serve a good number of people; they go a long way and save you time mixing individual cocktails.

• Cutting back on the booze can be a really effective way to improve your health, boost your energy, lose weight and save money.
• I scoured Italian delis for sans-bitters, the original alcohol-free aperitif, and used to take my own to the pub to pimp a fizzy water.
• Go for smaller sizes such as a bottle of beer instead of a pint, or a smaller glass of wine.
• Make your own mulled cider using alcohol-free apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel.
• According to a study conducted by the University of Southern California, every gram of alcohol per day adds 0.02 years onto a person’s brain age, making regular drinking “detrimental” to brain health.

The biggest success story in the sector, however, has to be Seedlip, claimed to be the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit. The idea that moderate drinking, such as a glass of red wine a day, could protect you against a stroke or heart attack has been around for some time. But more recently, evidence has started to tell us that the less you drink, the lower the overall risk to your health. So it’s best to stay within the guidelines for safe levels of drinking.

Help your pension pot ride out the markets’ ups and downs

If a drink is a way you handle boredom or stress, try finding something else to do instead. Exercise is a great stress reliever, and simple things like cleaning, a new hobby or DIY can be a good way to occupy mind and body. Being involved in rounds makes it easy to end up drinking more than you meant. Try to avoid them if you can, and do not feel like you have to say yes to a drink just because someone else is buying.

Different drinks contain different calories and many are high in sugar. Typically, your post-work pint contains the same amount of calories as a slice of pizza, while a large wine contains roughly the same as an ice cream. One simple way to cut down is to have at least a few drink-free days every week, so choose yours and get practical support to stick with it. Feel healthier, lose weight and save money by picking your days to go drink-free. Choosing lower strength alternatives means you consume fewer units of alcohol and are more likely to stay within the guidelines. Comparing a standard Becks Bier to their alcohol-free version, there is about half the calories in the former but a comparable amount of sugar.

Portuguese white port is having a moment, and you’ll be hard pushed to find a more deliciously crisp and refreshing drink than a P&T. Take one part white port (between 16.5% and 20% abv), one part tonic, serve over ice and garnish with a slice. This allows you to enjoy that 6PM pint, without the negative effects of the alcohol. The Licensing Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out the legal framework which underpins the alcohol licensing regime in Scotland. In terms of the 2005 Act, the definition of alcohol does not include “alcohol which is of a strength of 0.5% or less at the time of its sale”.

Noughty alcohol-free organic sparkling Rosé with Pasta or Risotto

Like gin, it’s designed to be drunk with tonic, but you can try grapefruit juice, too. If you prefer something with more juniper, go for Ceder’s Classic, or for spice, Ceder’s Wild, all full of antioxidant botanicals. Created by the makers of Seedlip, all three apéritifs – bitter, dry and aromatic – can be served over ice, or with a mixer. The bitter is intense, with bay leaf and citrus; the dry is herbaceous and fresh; and the aromatic has notes of caramel and toasted nuts. They’re made with a base of verjus, a folk remedy rich in healthy plant flavonols. When nothing but a classic G&T will do, this alcohol-free Tanqueray will scratch that itch.

Another brand thats offering includes alcohol-free versions of multiple spirits, including Not Gin, Not Rum and Not Vodka, which contains herbal infusions that emulate the real thing, with no artificial sweeteners or sugars. ‘Low-alcohol drinks are those that have an alcoholic strength by volume less than 1.2%, while alcohol-free refers to beverages that have an ABV content of 0.05% or below,’ explains Dr Hazel Wallace, AKA The Food Medic. This one has a decided tang – make no mistake – but a more herbaceous lilt rather than cloying or jammy. You’ll need some imagination if drinking it neat, but add soda water for a richer spritz.

There are beers, wines, soft drinks, and at the last count 16 alcohol-free spirits on offer. If you want to learn more about mixing alcohol-free cocktails, there are masterclasses happening too. Our panel – made up of 10 WSET-accredited experts and consumers – tested 106 no and low spirits, beers and wines in search of easy-drinking options that tasted every bit as authentic as their alcoholic alternatives. Each was blind tested to avoid brand bias and scored on its aroma, taste, mouthfeel and overall finish. Kombucha is a fermented drink, made from sweetened tea and unique symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts; colloquially known as Scoby. Plus, being under 0.5% alcohol makes it the perfect alternative to strong alcoholic drinks.

Your Favourites?

There is some evidence that suggests drinking alcohol-free beer may trigger a similar feel-good response in the brain as drinking alcoholic beer does. This could be because its similarity in texture and taste trick’s your mind into thinking you’re drinking alcohol. This is where your mind or body feels a certain way – even without having the real substance.

• There’s lots of help out there, from your GP and counselling to alcohol support services.
• A convincing, full-bodied blend, which would pair well with equally bold flavours, like veal Milanese.
• “I think in the last couple of years things are definitely changing and more and more pubs and bars are putting more alcohol-free and low-alcohol drinks on offer,” says Jussi.

If you’re looking for something coconut-based that is a bit more on-message, then drinks brand Big Boss Palm might be the solution. Dubbed the first sodas made from coconut water, the drinks come in 250ml cans in three flavours – toasted coconut with a touch of citrus; coconut and vanilla, described as a grown up take on the cream soda; and rose and vanilla. As well a being served over ice, the company also suggests serving as a float with a scoop of ice cream, garnishing it with mint or using it as a mixer with spirits. According to the IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, the low and no-alcohol drinks market is continuing to expand, with consumption expected to grow 31% by 2024. As brewer Jaega Wise explored in The Food Programme, while people cut down on booze – or even renounce it entirely – new non-alcoholic alternatives are pouring onto the market and shaking up the alcohol sector. If companies are looking to target their products to the Middle Eastern market, the ISWR says they will have to bear in mind that consumers will “need to be converted from different categories” than what is available in the West.

Chaos in the markets: Bank of England takes emergency measures

Inside Health Relevant health and wellbeing advice from our Bupa experts and influential guest speakers. Customer Care Team Arranging care can be stressful, we’re here to help. Based in Leeds, our Customer Care Team provides free advice and support whenever you need it. It was the Clean V that proved the biggest hit with our panel, which combines the clean minerality of a classic vodka with crisp apple sweetness and warming cinnamon.

But if one week you do go over your limit, don’t stop trying – next week is a fresh start. Any reduction in the amount you drink every week will be beneficial – and with the right help, it’s easier than you think. If you wish to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several Drink Free Days a week. The risk of developing a range of health problems increases the more you drink on a regular basis. Recently launched into Waitrose and Morrisons, with plans for it to be rolled out into other supermarkets and then into pubs, Guinness have been working on the new formula — 100% Guinness, 0% alcohol — for four years. Plus, you still get beer’s micronutrient mix courtesy of its booze-producing yeast.

Or try swapping some or all of your drinks for no or low-alcohol alternatives. During my sober stint, I spent a lot of my time trying and testing huge swathes of non-alcoholic (and super, super low %) beers, ciders, wines, spirits, cocktails and everything in between. Luckily, being on the Cosmopolitan UK team, we’re also tipped off about the next big booze-free drinks in advance too, which I’ll be sure to keep you all updated on. If you’re thinking what to replace alcohol with but you don’t want to miss out on a treat, swap your evening glass of wine for an alcohol-free option. There are a wide range of beers, ciders, wines and spirits on the market that look and taste like the real thing, but without the negative effects on your health.

Often, the biggest drawback of going sober is finding a low-alcohol alternative to curb that 5 o’clock craving. But, thanks to a rise in demand and a wave of innovation by distilleries and breweries, no longer do non-drinkers have to make do with a substandard soft drink. Low and no-alcohol developments in the British spirits industry began to develop in 2014 when Ben Branson founded Seedlip, which is now one of the country’s most successful non-alcoholic botanical spirits. It contains distilled herbs to give a flavourful profile that can be enjoyed with a tonic. The health risks of drinking too much The more you drink, the higher your risk of serious health problems, including hypertension, stroke and cancers, including breast cancer.

Aperitif alternatives​

Often home-made, pre-packaged shrubs are now a thing, meaning that the drink is likely to follow the trajectory of kombucha in the ensuing years. Nonsuch is one brand, which has created three flavours of shrubs – peach and basil; sour cherry and garden mint; and blackcurrant and juniper – made with fruit juice, herbs and cyder vinegar, but others do exist. At the start of last year, cocktail ingredients brand Funkin created what it claimed https://rehabliving.net/ was the UK’s first commercially available shrub. Its Funkin Pro beetroot shrub syrup blends the vegetable with rosemary and spirit vinegar and is ‘an ideal non-alcoholic aperitif ’ to get the juices flowing. Wisehead Production’s Monte Rosso is a lightly sparkling bitter aperitif that blends cranberries and rowanberries with botanicals and is a genuine booze-free alternative to an Aperol spritz when served straight over ice.

These factors have helped coconut water become the UK’s fastest growing soft drink, with sales forecast to quadruple in the next five years to £500m by some market analysts. Often found in cartons, the drink isn’t packaged in the most restaurant friendly of formats but its health credentials mean that it makes a good option for restaurants serving healthy breakfasts and weekend brunches. Alcohol-free alternatives are an obvious first suggestion; encompassing drinks like alcohol-free beers, gins and many more. Alcohol-free drinks are particularly useful for those looking to wean themselves from regular drinking, as they offer something very similar to the real thing and serve as a smoother transition away from regular alcoholic drinks.

Then you can start enjoying the benefits of cutting down, such as getting a better night’s sleep or reducing your blood pressure. If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it’s eco sober house ma best to spread your drinking evenly over three or more days. If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risk of death from long-term illness and injuries.

By understanding which of these is the biggest barrier to change, we can tailor support accordingly. This model of behaviour change is at the centre of the support we offer, online and in person. High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke, contributing to around half of all strokes in the UK. TheUK government guidelines advise that to keep your risk low, you are safest not to regularly drink more than 14 units per week. According to the Society of Independent Brewers’ British Craft Beer Report in 2020, almost one in four young people have become teetotal.