Vodka is a low calorie alcohol choice and cranberry juice touts serious health perks; put them together and you’ve got one tasty drink.

Cranberry juice helps fight off cardiovascular diseases, works as an anti-inflammatory in the body, and can even help improve skin.

Even minimally caloric alcohol can make it more difficult to stick to a diet, but this is one of the better low calorie cocktails; in moderation, it does negligible damage to weight loss efforts.


1-2 Ounces Vodka (to taste; double or single shot)
5 Ounces Cranberry Juice
Fresh Squeezed Lime (to taste)
Ice


Nutrition Information
130 Calories for a Vodka Cranberry drink with 1 shot of vodka
190 for a double


Mix with real cranberry juice
There are some easy ways that you can make this cocktail even less offensive to your health. For example, always use 100% pure cranberry juice to make your drinks, as this is the only way you really get the health benefits of the berries. Most juices have very little cranberries in them and are full of sugars and additives that could hamper your diet’s progress.

Check the ingredients label on the juice; it should say one thing and one thing only; cranberries.


Alcohol and weight loss
Generally speaking, people who are trying to lose weight should use alcohol with moderation and caution (just like everyone else, really). Do be aware that alcohol can lower your willpower when it comes to food choices; a few drinks in, a 1 lb burger, large fry and chocolate shake might sound a lot more tempting than it did before you had that beverage.

Quantity of drinks is also important. Even when drinks are reduced calorie, they are still almost completely empty calories. Not only do they not satisfy any nutritional needs that your body has, they also add up pretty quickly.

Denying yourself something that you usually take pleasure in because you are on a diet is no fun and can end up resulting in a binge situation later on. As long as you can practice self control, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying cocktails. Just do what you can to make smart diet choices when you’re drinking, and be sure not to overindulge.

Everything in moderation!

Low Cal Strawberry Margarita