Reduce Your Alcohol Intake Through Zero Proof Drinks

Reduce Your Alcohol Intake Through Zero Proof Drinks

New cocktail book offers delicious non-alcoholic recipes

By Anne Paglia | Photos: Hope Frugé

If you’ve ever overindulged in alcohol, you’re likely familiar with its unpleasant side effects the day after. Beneath fleeting hangover symptoms like nausea and headaches, however, lie the less obvious consequences of drinking, from poor sleep to heightened anxiety. For many people, taking the occasional break from alcohol can be eye-opening.

Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD, Director of Nutrition with Ochsner Fitness Center and founder of Ochsner Eat Fit, has helped countless people over the last two decades live a more balanced life with and without alcohol. Now, through her new zero proof cocktail book, she’s showing readers that skipping alcohol doesn’t mean sacrificing tasty, elegant drinks.

“Craft: The Eat Fit Guide to Zero Proof Cocktails,” written by Molly and mixology expert Ethan Skaggs with photos by Ochsner Eat Fit Monroe’s registered dietician Hope Frugé, features over 50 low-sugar, non-alcoholic cocktail recipes that are the perfect treat for anyone trying to drink less. The book also covers essential mixology topics like barware, bitters and glassware, providing home mixologists with the knowledge to take their skills to the next level.

“Maybe someone wants to dial back their drinking on weeknights or decided that their body and mind feel better when they’re not drinking alcohol,” Molly said. “Whatever the reason someone is choosing to not drink, we want to provide delicious and beautiful zero proof options for them.”

Zero proof French 75 from “Craft: The Eat Fit Guide to Zero Proof Cocktails” by Molly Kimball and Ethan Skaggs

Photos: Hope Frugé

Ochsner Eat Fit and the Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge

Through Ochsner Eat Fit, Molly and her colleagues work closely with restaurants and food service providers across the state to highlight healthy menu options. They also hold events throughout the year, including the Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge, where participants in Louisiana and across the globe commit to giving up alcohol completely for the 40 days of Lent.

“A lot of people give up something for Lent, whether or not they’re Catholic, especially after Mardi Gras,” Molly said. “We thought: if you’re going to give something up, and that something happens to be alcohol, what if we make it our own experiment?”

At the start of the challenge, Ochsner Eat Fit invites participants to gather in six regions across the state: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Acadiana, Shreveport, Monroe and the Northshore. Ochsner teams track health metrics for each participant, including inflammatory markers, liver enzymes, lipids, weight, body fat and muscle mass. They also take close-up photos of participants’ faces to reveal any changes in their skin and eyes. At the end of the challenge, participants return for updated metrics to see how reducing alcohol intake has impacted their bodies.

The cover of Molly’s new book “Craft”.

Photos: Hope Frugé

The data on physical and internal health are profound, but Molly notes that the less measurable effects often leave the biggest impression. “The feedback we get time after time, and also what aligns with the science on alcohol, is that participants experience less anxiety. They’re handling stressful situations better and find that they are more patient with their families. A lot of times they say, ‘My family likes me a lot more,’” Molly laughed.

In addition to lowering anxiety, cutting out alcohol can improve your quality of sleep. As a sedative, alcohol makes you more tired as you start to wind down, but it disrupts your sleep cycle later in the night when it metabolizes. Participants find that while they might have a difficult time falling asleep during the first week or two of the challenge, their quality of sleep improves tremendously after they adjust.

Participants also report higher energy levels and greater productivity. With less time in the evening spent drinking—and more alertness in the morning without post-drinking grogginess—they tend to get more done. “There are all these other benefits people experience that aren’t measurable,” Molly said. “Tapping into and being aware of them can motivate someone to continue with the challenge.”

Whatever the reason someone is choosing to not drink, we want to provide delicious and beautiful zero proof options for them.

” — Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD

Filling a need for healthy alcohol substitutes

During the kickoff of the 2021 Alcohol Free for 40 Challenge, Molly hosted a virtual zero proof cocktail demo with Ethan. Afterward, Ethan asked Molly if she would consider doing a book on cocktails that are both low-sugar and no-alcohol. She was sold.

The pair traveled to local restaurants and asked bartenders for their best cocktails. Then Ethan reworked the recipes to meet zero proof and Eat Fit standards, often swapping in Eat Fit’s simple syrup recipe made with natural, plant-based sweeteners.

“There are a lot of keto cocktail books but they have alcohol in them, and there are a lot of mocktail books but they’re really sugary,” Molly said. “There was an opportunity to provide delicious, satisfying drinks that are zero proof and low or no sugar.”

Expanding alcohol-free awareness in the Gulf South

“When we talked to our publisher about the idea a year and a half ago, the zero proof movement was just beginning, especially here in the South,” Molly said. “Now you can buy more non-alcoholic beer and zero proof spirits in stores.”

New interest in the zero proof movement has also led to a blossoming Alcohol Free for 40 community. This year, Molly expects their in-person turnout to increase from 500 to 700 people, and thousands more to join virtually.

“We do a lot with Eat Fit and our work with restaurants and chefs is incredibly fulfilling, but Alcohol Free for 40 is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Molly said. “Every year there are stories that bring tears to our eyes.”

Molly Kimball is a registered dietitian and nutrition journalist whose new book “Craft: the Eat Fit Guide to Zero Proof Cocktails” is now available.

Photo: Teddie Taylor

Some participants view Alcohol Free for 40 as a fun annual challenge, recruiting their friends and supporting each other through text chains and meetups. For others, it’s the springboard for a significant lifestyle change.

“Maybe they had a doubt in their mind that they had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and this was the catalyst they needed to really take a closer look at it,” Molly said. “Now their lives are completely changed because of it. It’s been a really cool thing to be involved in. To have this book stem from the challenge has been a beautiful thing for us, too.”

“Craft: The Eat Fit Guide to Zero Proof Cocktails” is available at local booksellers and Barnes and Noble locations across the state, as well as baby stores, home stores, Amazon and Ochsner locations.