Partying on the Fourth?

Let’s face it.  

For many, the Fourth of July is not only an occasion to celebrate the Declaration of Independence with friends and family…it’s a reason to drink, and drink a lot.

I recall one barbecue I attended years ago which began with what was being called a “triathlon”, which was actually anything but; as the three ‘legs’ involved pounding  a six pack of warm beer, swimming a mile and running a mile and the winner was determined not only by who completed all three first, but who did so without vomiting.

Lovely.

While that may be an extreme example, more commonly, people will plan on having at least some drinks as part of the partying… but if you’re Paleo, is there still room for that?

Yes…kind of.

Not drinking for the sheer purpose of becoming raging drunk, but this occasion would be specifically that which I refer to when I write about the  glass of red wine or that neat drink of a clear spirit.

Following are some reminders to keep your holiday festive, not make you feel like the odd one out, but still make it simple to not go off the deep end and straight down the path of unPaleo living.

• Most importantly, if you know yourself well enough to know that there really is no ‘one drink’ and that for you, one always leads to two or three or more, please take good care of you and leave it.
• There is no shame in not drinking.  Often, clients will share that they didn’t actually want to have drinks on an occasion after feeling so great from Paleo, yet they allowed their buddies or the girls to coerce them into it.  Stand your ground and only have that drink if you actually want it,
• If you are able to have one drink or two, make sure the rest of your day’s calories as coming from even more veggies that normal to provide even more alkalinity to your body as well as that balance of good, natural fats and proteins.  You’re going to be getting enough simple carbohydrates from your drink, so do your body a favor and at least skew the balance a little more in favor of the basic vs acidic pH.
• Hydrate.   The rule of two or three glasses of water per drink is a good one to keep in mind
• Have your drink with your meal.   Not at 2pm and then another at 2:30 and another at 3:00 when dinner isn’t until 6.
• Opt for a glass of wine or clear spirits.   Stay the heck away from beer, even the gluten-free ones as they still contain grain.  Avoid the vodkas made with grain- three safe options are Karlssen’s, Chopin or Ciroq.   Neat gin or tequila are options as well.  Avoid syrupy, sugary, fluffy drinks like Pina Coladas.
• Hydrate again when you get home and try to allow some time to elapse between the drink you had and when you go to bed.  It’s no surprise that the alcohol is going to disrupt your sleep.

Be safe, be smart, and enjoy the holiday… one that’s super easy to keep on track in terms of Paleo eating with!   Bring on the grilled veggies and (bunless) grass fed burgers!