Social Workout

L.A. Style

Four Post Holiday Cocktails

Liquid Diet

So, you gained five pounds during the holidays. Who didn't? Answer: only single people who went on yoga retreats or to colonic spas. Here's my advice: Drink! No, not booze. That was last week. Drink probiotic beverages. Drink them when you want to snack, or replace a meal with one. No one will check you into the eating disorder clinic for doing it. They fill you up; they give you something to do besides eating or smoking; and they make you feel really good. You can find them at health food stores, or at Whole Foods.

Let's break it down...

• Kombucha: I like the G.T. brand, named for the company founder who started bottling his beverage after watching his mother recover from breast cancer while drinking a homemade concoction of the Chinese herb. Hippies have been making it for decades in scary looking jars they keep in the fridge. (It's an active culture, like yogurt). At almost $5 a bottle, it's hardly Hippie brew anymore. Warning: It will explode all over you when you open it and there are slimy floating cultures that beginners should avoid. (35 calories, 8g carbs.)
• Acai: I go for the cute purple Sambazon bottles. These have the most carbs (25g) and calories (110), so it's a good breakfast option. It's also very tasty, like a smoothie. The company's founders do good things for the natives and the economy, and it's less than $3 a bottle.
• Coconut Water: Pure magic, particularly after working out. It's a natural rehydrant, and it's delicious, cheap and doesn't need to be refrigerated. In Chinatown, some of the produce stands will chop the top of a coconut and serve it to you with a straw. If you don't happen to be in Chinatown, go for a Vita Coco. These have got a ton of potassium, but only 60 calories and 15g of carbs.
• Gorilla Life Green Drink: I've only seen this drink on the West Coast. It's a raw food, obtained from organic alfalfa chlorophyll. I like the one sweetened with agave—the one with honey is too sweet. It has a short shelf life, so it's sometimes hard to find at stores. Here's what the label doesn't tell you: It really helps with digestion, i.e. stay near a bathroom after consuming it, and start off with just half a bottle.  You can order a case on the web site for $26.94.