{"id":7955,"date":"2025-01-16T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7955"},"modified":"2025-01-16T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T15:30:00","slug":"mocktail-magic-sip-your-way-through-dry-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7955","title":{"rendered":"Mocktail magic: Sip your way through Dry January"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-01-16T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<p>This year, consider making a resolution to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranshealthlibrary.va.gov\/Resources\/VideoLibrary\/?e=0#player:165,vancp001\" rel=\"noopener\">reflect on your relationship with alcohol<\/a> and give \u201cDry January\u201d a go. This <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4684010\/\" rel=\"noopener\">campaign<\/a> officially launched in 2010 to encourage people to recognize the health effects alcohol has on the body.<\/p>\n<p>Taking a break from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prevention.va.gov\/Healthy_Living\/Limit_Alcohol.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">alcohol<\/a> can have a positive effect on whole health. Some benefits you might see are:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Improved sleep and recovery. This is especially important during cold and flu season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Positive impact on many health conditions. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4684010\/\" rel=\"noopener\">National Institute of Health<\/a>, more than 10% of high blood pressure in men is alcohol related. Cutting back on alcohol can help you reach your health goals this year.<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced mental wellness. The winter months can be associated with <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/137124\/tips-for-managing-stress-and-beating-the-blues\/\">seasonal blues<\/a>, which the effects of alcohol can further impact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Overall improved nutrition. Over time, excess alcohol intake may lead to B vitamin and zinc deficiencies. Avoiding alcohol spares calories for foods filled with protein, fiber and vitamins.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Making mocktails<\/h2>\n<p>A mocktail is a drink that contains no alcohol but resembles and tastes like ones that do.<\/p>\n<p>Here is a simple formula to build the perfect mocktail:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>4 parts base (sparkling water, tea, fruit juice, soda)<\/li>\n<li>1 part sour (citrus juice, tart cherry juice, cranberry juice, apple cider vinegar)<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 part sweet (apple juice, simple syrup, maple syrup, honey)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Consider presentation. Spruce up a mocktail by presenting it in a nice glass with an oversized ice cube. Consider a garnish as well. A quick twist can be made at home with a sharp knife and any citrus fruit.<\/p>\n<p>Add to the drink\u2019s complexity. Consider adding a few dashes of nonalcoholic bitters or a flavored simple syrup to add interest to your mocktail. Simple syrup is easy to make at home: Boil a 1:1 water and sugar mixture until dissolved, then let cool. Try adding fruit, spices or herbs while boiling. Some winter favorites include ginger, rosemary and fig.<\/p>\n<p>Mocktails can be made on ice, frozen or warm\u2026 however you prefer. This is a great chance to get creative.<\/p>\n<p>Keep the holiday festivities going with this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/Recipes\/Beverages\/docs\/Cranberry-Rosemary-SparklerNOV2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">cranberry-rosemary sparkler<\/a>. Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/Recipes.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">VA recipe page<\/a> for more mocktail ideas to keep spirits high this winter.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in this or any other nutrition related topic, contact your local VA to speak with a registered dietitian.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re struggling to reduce your alcohol intake, talk to your VA care team or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.va.gov\/health-care\/health-needs-conditions\/substance-use-problems\/\" rel=\"noopener\">learn more about VA resources for substance use treatment here.<\/a><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/137653\/mocktail-magic-sip-your-way-through-dry-january\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taking a break from alcohol this Dry January can have a positive effect on whole health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mocktail magic: Sip your way through Dry January - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Taking a break from alcohol this Dry January can have a positive effect on whole health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7955\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mocktail magic: Sip your way through Dry January - 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