Nora Minno, a registered dietician, spoke about the rise of the mocktail and explained the benefits of this non-alcoholic mixed beverage that can be made with fruits, seltzer or with non-alcoholic spirits.

<div class="block">Nora Minno, a registered dietician, spoke about the rise of the mocktail and explained the benefits of this non-alcoholic mixed beverage that can be made with fruits, seltzer or with non-alcoholic spirits.</div>

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Be Well: The Rise of the Mocktails

No, this table looks amazing and exciting all at the same time. So talk to us about before we get through this, talk to us about some of the mock tails because it's really experiencing a moment right now. What is leading this trend? Exactly. So mock tails just to set, set it straight. Mock tails are non alcoholic, mixed beverages. So they can be made with a variety of fruit juices, Seltzers, syrups, fresh fruits, all sorts of things like that or with non alcoholic spirits. And as you mentioned, this, this is a really big trend we're seeing. Now we know in 2023 that 34% of Americans are looking to reduce their alcohol intake and 24% actually don't consume alcohol at all for whatever reason, maybe like me, they're pregnant or, or for other reasons. Right. So these are a really great option to have a fun and festive drink and partake in something more flavorful without the alcohol. Yeah, I'm one of those people that do not drink alcohol. So this is perfect. Perfect. Yeah, talk to us about some the benefits of cutting out alcohol in your diet. Absolutely. So there are both short and long term benefits of cutting out alcohol. Spring and summer is upon us. We know the months get hotter, we tend to get a little bit more dehydrated with the heat. So by drinking something like a mock tail and swapping out that alcohol, we're reducing our risk of getting dehydrated from the alcohol. And we're adding in some hydration like in this first one here with, with watermelon juice, Super super hydrating. Ok. Well, tell us about this one because I love you. You can sneak fruit. Absolutely. Right. This is a really fun way to make the most of your summer produce. So this first mock toil here is a watermelon margarita. No alcohol, of course. So I made this with some actual store bought watermelon juice here. You can go ahead and try it. You can also do this by pure watermelon in your blender, straining it and pouring it in. If you want an extra extra fresh. Isn't that delicious? It's delicious. It feels like it's fresh, it's clean and it's hydrating. You can taste it. Exactly. And like picture by the pool or outside in the summer. Right. So some bubbles in here. Yes, we had a little lime Seltzer, a little lime juice and some agave. So very similar to a margarita. We just, you know, we don't have the alcohol in there and you have a for the sweet, a little bit of sweetness and the mint there is a nice garnish. You could add a fun straw, you could add some lime slices. You can really make these, your own, serve them in a fun glass and, and just have fun with it. I love it. I already drink almost all of this. Yeah, I have one too. Yes. This is a blueberry. No, he do. So it's a take on a Mojito but with no alcohol. So let's make this together. So we're gonna start, we have a quarter cup of blueberries here. We're gonna put this right into our glass. We might have a few runaways. This is a quarter cup. So we have that in there. We're also gonna add one ounce of lime juice. So we're gonna throw that lime juice and lemon juice. Uh you know, this one has a little bit of a more like more of a tart flavor I would say and you're get that real Mojito taste with the lime flavor. OK? So then let's just grab just like two or three mint leaves depending on how mint you like it. So just Yeah, two or three in there. And then we're also gonna pour um one teaspoon of agave on top. That is better than honey. Yeah, it's a little lower glycemic and this is, you know, and, and a lot of, you know, alcoholic cocktails you'll find agave so really similar. So let's just muddle this. Get it all nice and kind of, that's really just have fun with this. If you're a little angry someday, this is kind of a fun way to, to take it all out. A little bit of therapy. So you can see it's actually starting to turn a little blue here. A little purple. It's kind of fun. Right. And you can actually make these with kids. I say my kids. But yes, that's a really great hands on moment. And especially if you get back from the farmers' market or the grocery store. Just something really fun and a really easy way to sneak some extra vitamins and minerals and stuff. Right. I really got to awaken all those flavors. Oh my gosh. It's releasing all those juices, all those flavors and starting to mix everything. So we're gonna put our mudd to the side. We're gonna go in here and grab some ice. So go ahead. Clean hands. Exactly. Throw a few cubes in there and, and make it nice and cool. And then we are going to top this with our, this is ginger Seltzer. So we're gonna get a little hint of ginger in there. Throw that on top. All right. Let's give it a little stir with our fun straw and good for family. Exactly. Right. If we want to garnish, we can throw a little mint sprig in there and you know what? That's it. It's as easy as that. So let's get a little cheers. Great job. And let's take a step. Oh, now I'm trying to decide which one I like better. This one or the watermelon, right. You get some of that blueberry in there. Right. And so what I like to do is when it's all done, I kind of eat the little pieces of blueberry. A really fun and easy way to sneak your fruits and veggies into your beverages. I love summer. Thank you so much for these. Absolutely.