Who doesn’t love a refreshing cocktail on a hot day and whilst we’re not endorsing drinking the whole bottle, the odd drink isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Not only does alcohol help to relax us and alleviate some stress, alcoholic drinks often contain good amounts of antioxidants and other nutrients. For instance, tequila has been shown to help regulate the cholesterol in our bodies as well as soothing the digestive tract. Of course, this is all in moderation!
The main problem with alcoholic drinks is usually down to over-doing it, sugary mixers and the uncontrolled eating of junk foods that often happens at the same time. With drinks, cocktails are probably the worst offenders in terms of sugar calories and weight gain (see our guide to alcohol here) but we love a cocktail as much as the next person and decided to make our own summery, healthy versions to enjoy in the sunshine.
Our margarita is made with frozen blueberries and lemon zest, packing in a huge dose of liver boosting antioxidants as well limonene from the zest to make your skin sparkle.
Blueberries are well known for their amazing antioxidant potential, but there’s more to them than that – research shows they can have a positive impact on many areas – including brain and cardiovascular health. Blueberries are expensive but we love the fact that freezing them doesn’t harm their beneficial anthocyanins (antioxidants) – so we find that buying them frozen can be much more economical.
What’s more, the ice crystals that form during freezing actually disrupt the structure of the plant tissue, making the anthocyanins more available, meaning we can absorb and utilize more.
And here’s a bit of research we love, scientists accidentally found that adding alcohol to berries enhances the antioxidants by around thirty percent! That’s right, thirty percent! What better reason to make this cocktail? We’re getting thirty percent more antioxidants in a form that’s easiest for our bodies to digest.
If you don’t have tequila to hand, the margarita is also delicious with vodka and we love the slush puppie texture of the drink, perfect for a hot summer’s evening.
- 2 cups frozen blueberries
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 cup ice
- 1 lemon zest
- 50 mls tequila
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender to produce a slushy, thick drink.
- Pour into a glass and serve with a straw.
We hope you enjoy this recipe, let us know how you get on in the comments below or on our facebook page and don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to receive more recipes, nutrition tips and expert advice.
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