It’s that time of the year where holiday parties are in full force. Holiday parties are full of delicious food and fun drinks. However, often these are very delicious but calorically dense treats. A few drinks will not break your diet but one or two drinks can quickly turn in to four or five!

So as you aim to limit the impact of holiday parties, here are some healthy alternatives to some of your favorite holiday drinks!

1. Pomegranate Sangria

Try using honey instead of simple syrup. Honey is sweeter, so it will require less to get the same sweetness level. You can also try to make sangria with sweeter fruits and/or remove sweetener from your recipes altogether. Adding a bit of sparkling water to reduce the amount of sparkling wine can help to reduce calories too. Try winter fruit favorites like pomegranate, cranberries, satsumas, and crisp apples in your sangria recipe.

2. Hot Buttered Rum

Traditional recipes for this beverage will have you using sticks and sticks of butter. Although butter is tasty, just one stick of butter (which can be easily consumed in this delicious beverage) is more than 800 calories! This is about half of the number of calories the average person needs to consume in a day. Try upping the number of spices and significantly reducing the amount of butter in your favorite recipe. You can also try using a small amount of honey or another alternative sweetener that can have the same amount of sweetness instead of spoonfuls of brown sugar.

3. Mulled Wine

Spice up your favorite recipe to compensate for reducing the amount of sugar or try sugar alternatives like stevia. Choosing a sweeter wine can also reduce the need to add sugar to your mulled wine.

4. Gingerbread Eggnog

This is a tasty holiday treat. Try recipes that use bananas or use light soy milk or almond milk as a base. Such alternatives to your favorite eggnog recipes can be big calorie savers and provide added nutrition. The same goes for chilled peppermint or candy cane cocktails—splashes of light soy milk can provide the thick texture with a reduced amount of calories.

5. Cranberry Mimosa

Use light cranberry juice or cranberry concentrate without sugar. Add a splash of club soda to dilute the amount of champagne or juice needed in each mimosa. Add cranberries or fresh pomegranate seeds for added nutrition and flavor.

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