St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching, and the holiday brings to mind all things green. One of the best ways to get into the spirit is with green food and drink. Rather than adding food coloring to your milk – tried and true, been there, done that and need to move to something more fun – why not try some of these great green drink options? Beware that some are better for you than others, but all are green!
Green Tea – Packed full of flavonoids, green tea is known to have fat burning properties and has been enjoyed in China and Japan for years.
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake – This cult favorite has an enormous following, as is evidenced by a website devoted to “Shamrock Shake sightings”. The shake may be tasty, but it is nutritionally a disaster, with 550 calories in one 16 ounce serving. 13 grams of fat and 96 grams of carbs means you’ve blown your diet in just one drink.
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Both St. Patrick’s Day and the first day of spring are right around the corner, making this the perfect time to celebrate with a bit of green! Whether you’re Irish or not, March 17th is as good a time as any to honor the Irish heritage and help usher spring in on the 20th. What are you’re favorite ways to celebrate? Shamrocks, leprechauns and rainbows are just the beginning of all the fun things you can bring out for your St. Patrick’s Day party.
Green beer is fun but let’s be honest, it’s incredibly overdone. There’s nothing wrong with including some but to really rev up the fun, expand your St. Patrick’s Day festivities to the food.
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Move over Red Velvet Cupcake…it’s time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. During the month of March, stores are filled with Irish-inspired items, most of which fall under the not-so-good-for-you category.
Whether you’re the parent in charge of bringing slimmer shamrock-style snacks to your child’s class party or you’re looking to lend a little luck of the Irish to your own family, think beyond Lucky Charms this year.
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread: Instead of traditional white flour, this year you can opt for a whole wheat version of this favorite Irish treat. Think soda bread at its finest – unadulterated without bells and whistles – and without a lot of added fat or calories.
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St. Patrick’s Day has very little (in fact, nothing) to do with drinking. According to legend, St. Patrick was responsible for ridding Ireland of bothersome snakes. One can’t believe everything one hears, but St. Patrick is in fact the patron saint of Ireland. His feast day, March 17th, has been celebrated by the Irish for centuries but the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in New York City during the year 1762.
Even though the origins of the holiday have little to do with the U.S., it’s nice to celebrate the rich culture of the Irish and in the process, have a few Irish drinks. Porters and stouts, while they pack a lot of flavor, contain large amounts of calories. The very nature of Irish beer is the exact opposite of light. Irish style drinks are delicious, and certainly essential to your St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but watch out. Alcohol has a way of packing on the pounds so indulge carefully and as always, drink responsibly.
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We all know that St. Patrick’s Day is more like “national drink some beer day.” But, what is the holiday really all about? St. Patrick, not of Irish descent, is known for establishing monasteries, churches, and schools all over the country. He used these aids to help him convert the Gaelic Irish to Christianity. He used the three-leafed shamrock to help represent the combination of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Patrick died on March 17, thus this day has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day ever since.
Why is alcohol associated with St. Patrick’s Day? This is a generalization and a huge stereotype. In Ireland, people drink as a social past time as they do here in America. As it rains quite a bit in Ireland, so the tradition is to hit the local pub for a pint or two. Seems to me that people in America hit the local bar whether it’s rain or shine! So, with that being said, you might as well indulge in some healthy choices of beer if you are going to partake in this festive holiday. Below is a list of the healthiest choices of beer, both foreign and domestic.
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