The holidays of 2021 are here! As we gather together with family and friends it’s inevitable that more food is devoured and more drinks are consumed. Ham, Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes along with red wine, white wine, beer, and that special holiday cocktail!

There are always glasses of alcohol that are cheered at a holiday party. Did you know that alcohol can increase your risk of breast cancer? It may be very surprising, but “research shows that moderate alcohol consumption - one drink per day for women and up to two drinks a day for men - is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer” - PREVENTION.

Some other facts include:

“Many studies show women who drink alcohol have an increased risk of breast cancer [21].
A pooled analysis of data from 53 studies found for each alcoholic drink consumed per day, the relative risk of breast cancer increased by about 7 percent.
Women who had 2-3 alcoholic drinks per day had a 20 percent higher risk of breast cancer compared to women who didn’t drink alcohol.
Drinking alcohol can increase levels of estrogen and may be more strongly related to the risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers than the risk of estrogen receptor-negative breast cancers.” -
https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/risk-factor/alcohol-consumption/
https://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/alcohol

Not only can alcohol impact the risk of getting breast cancer it can complicate cancer treatment as well. Many are asked to stop drinking during treatment. This is to make sure that the chemotherapy is doing it’s job and not mixing with the contents of an alcoholic beverage also being processed in the liver. “Many of the drugs used to treat cancer are broken down by the liver. Alcohol is also processed via the liver and can cause liver inflammation. This inflammatory response could impair chemotherapy drug breakdown and increase side effects from treatment. Also, alcohol can irritate mouth sores or even make them worse.” https://www.med.unc.edu

Now that we have the facts and know that two to three drinks per day ups our risk for cancer, let’s equip ourselves with the knowledge of risk reduction strategies when it comes to enjoy our beverages not just during the holidays, but throughout the year. Please know that these are all personal decisions and you get to decide.

To keep your cancer risk low, cap yourself at one drink per day for women and two for men. Stick to the daily limit. Just because you didn’t drink yesterday doesn’t mean you get two to four drinks today.
One drink is considered to be 12 ounces of regular beer, 1.5 ounces of liquor, or 5 ounces of wine. - https://www.healthline.com/health/how-much-can-I-drink-healthy
Other lifestyle factors that are associated with breast cancer and have direct correlation with our risk of developing breast (or ovarian) cancer include:

Exercise: Maintain a healthy BMI by exercising for at least 30 minutes on most days
Red Meat: Choose to replace one servicing of red meat with other sources of protein. You are at risk when consuming red meat beyond the daily recommendation.
Vitamin D: Increase the amount of Vitamin D with more sun, eggs, milk and fatty fish.
Pregnancy and Breasfeeding: Pregnancy stabilizes breast cells and the less you ovulate, the less opportunity there is for cell division (less opportunity for cells to become damaged and cancerous). *This isn't helpful for ALL.

Bright Pink: BPU

All of this being said, Liv & Let has done some tasteful research on beverages that have been created for your enjoyment should you rethink your consumption of alcohol and how many glasses. Might be an idea to try some non-alcoholic beers, wines or even mocktails too!

SOME ALCOHOL:

Social Sparkling Wine: Organic, gluten - free, sulfite - free and vegan. It is one of the most innovative and fastest growing alcohol brands today. While other canned wines contain an average of 150 calories, 10g of sugar and 9g of carbs, SOCIAL scores big at 88 calories, 1g of sugar and 4 carbs. Plus they are the only USDA certified organic canned wine on the market.https://socialsparklingwine.com

*Top Favorites: Hibiscus Cucumber and elderflower apple

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Haus: Apéritifs (a category of spirits) with complex flavors derived from fruits, herbs, and botanicals. They have lighter alcohol content (less than whiskey, more than wine), taking on a modern approach, for something fresh, clean, and easy to drink. Haus is complex in flavor, lower in alcohol, and ideal to sip all evening. We make our apéritifs with only real ingredients, so there's no wrong choice. https://drink.haus

AMASS: From botanical spirits to body care products, AMASS makes clean botanics for modern life. At AMASS, we wear our ingredient lists on our sleeve. All of our botanical ingredients are NATURAL, NON-GMO, and vetted by the best in the business. You won’t find any artificial preservatives or unnecessary chemicals in our bottles – JUST PLANTS. https://amass.com/pages/about-amass

NO ALCOHOL:

Aura Bora: Instead of artificial, uninspired fruit flavors, Aura Bora uses plant-based ingredients to herb up (like spice up HAH) your sparkling water experience. https://aurabora.com/

*Top Favorites: basil berry and Cactus rose

Betty Buzz: Betty Buzz is a great-tasting premium mixer made with only clean ingredients. Crafted to mix with your favorite spirits, but tastes so good it can even fly solo. https://bettybuzz.com

*Top Favorites: Sparkling Lemon Lime and Sparkling Grapefruit

Curious Elixirs: Curiously complex booze-free cocktails infused with adaptogens to help you unwind. https://curiouselixirs.com

Olipop: OLIPOP is a lot of things (a sparkling tonic, a soda replacement, an Instagrammable beverage), but at the end of the day it’s plain and simple: we’re good-for-you soda that tastes good, too. Our sparkling tonics support digestive health and come in six delicious, soda-style flavors. Each 12 oz can has 9g of dietary fiber, 2-5g of sugar, and 45 calories or less. OLIPOP combines prebiotics, fiber, and botanical extracts from eight different plant-based ingredients to support your gut health and your cravings, all in one. https://drinkolipop.com/pages/faq

*Top Favorites: Cherry Vanilla and Rootbeer

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Amass: While Riverine Contains traditional gin botanicals like juniper, coriander and orris root, it is not a gin proxy. Rather, it is a nuanced, sophisticated spirit in its own right. https://amass.com/products/

Recess: Recess is a sparkling water infused with broad spectrum hemp and adaptogens, made with real fruit ingredients and no fake stuff. https://takearecess.com/whats-inside

What’s to drink?