drinking problem © by istolethetv
I understand that many of us autoimmune’d fighters of the world can’t tolerate alcohol. Some of us can’t even have medications diluted in alcohol. I get that. 2 years, I was getting drunk from the trace amounts (something like 0.5%) of alcohol in Kombucha. It was frankly a great time in my life because I got to tell myself I was getting drunk while repopulating my gut flora, which made me want to giggle like a schoolgirl (whether I did not or not is frankly none of your business.)
But I also believe some of us can’t tolerate the alcohol we’ve tried: beer, wine etc, because of other stuff besides alcohol in those drinks. Gluten, yeast, sugar, sulfites, mainly. My horrible reaction gluten-free Sorghum beer kept me firmly within this universally-reactive crowd, but everything changed when I found an organic, sulfite-free red wine.
Most health-conscious alcohol imbibers will suggest red wine for the plentiful antioxidants. Surely you’ve heard of Resveratrol (though you’d need to drink an awful lot of vino to get a pill’s worth of Res). The Paleo peeps will point out it contains zero grains, has more alcohol than beer. My interpretation of this: less sips required to get to a state where I verbalize deep thoughts such as “I’m happy and I know it clap my hands” and proceed to engage in fruitful dialogue with myself.
A few bonus points for the Candida crowd: generally, wine also tends to have 8%-14% alcohol, but most of the organic bottles I’ve seen are much closer to 14% or even higher, which besides turning you into cheaper drunk, also means more of the sugar is fermented, leaving less sugar content (unless sugar is added post-fermentation). There’s also the advantage that wine generally tends to filter out more yeast than beer (Note: if you see sediment at the bottom of your beer bottle and have Candida, go home immediately.)
So for the record, that’s zero grains, less calories, minimal yeast, less sugar if you pick the right bottle of red.
Caveat Sauvignon
But if it’s not organic and has sulfites, forget everything I just said.
5 yrs removed from my last cup of wine, I tried Frey Vineyards organic red with no detectable sulfites and tolerated 2 cups perfectly well. Even before I became autoimmune’d illness, I would get headaches from drinking wine, and I didn’t noticed a smidgen of poking temples this time. It’s also very reasonable priced at $8.75 a bottle.
“Our best-selling wine is medium bodied, well balanced, and smooth, with a brightgarnet hue. The finish is crisp and fruity. An excellent everyday red, carefully crafted with organic techniques. This wine pairs well with a wide variety of cuisine from picnic fare to holiday feasts” - http://freywine.stores.yahoo.net/naturalrednv.html
Here’s a list of 10 great organic wines with no sulfites added, although they’re not all reds: http://organicwinefind.com/articles/best-organic-wines-without-sulfites/
Alternative Wins
If wine isn’t your cup of sin or you just can’t tolerate it, hard liquor is probably your best bet because it’s completely distilled of yeast and sugar. Steve Lamb over at NerdFitness.com boiled down a list of other great options:
Epic Win
- Red Wine (organic if possible) – ~130 calories and ~5-6g carbs. Full of the healthy stuff previously listed.
- NorCal Margarita – (Robb Wolfe’s drink of choice) tequila, club soda, and lime juice – ~150 calories and ~5g carbs (Author’s Note: Probably the most popular option right now on the interwebs)
- Whiskey/Brandy/Scotch/Cognac – Full of healthy antioxidants as well. 64 calories and zero carbs.
- Vodka/soda or Vodka/rocks with lime (my drink of choice) – >2g carbs, 66 calories + lime juice (>10 calories)
- Bacardi and Diet – (Staci‘s drink of choice). 2g carbs, 66 calories. I know, I know, fake sugar and chemicals, but we’re already drinking, right? (Author’s Note: I’m gonna chalk this last one up to this Staci being very persuasive)” - http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/05/10/alcohol/
