The Complete Guide to the 4th of July: Tips and hacks for a healthier celebration

It all comes down to recovery.

It doesn’t matter if we’re recovering from exercise, trying to sleep more efficiently, or recovering from a bit of excess or debauchery from a long holiday weekend with friends and family, how your body recovers is imperative. 

This begins with cellular metabolism. The better, and the more we support our 40 trillion cells, in metabolizing everything we put into our body, the better it processes everything, including said excesses, and the better and more like ourselves we feel the next day. 

In general, a healthier individual with good gut health and low systemic inflammation will recover much more effectively, and have less downside resulting from a long, festive holiday weekend. 

Furthermore, regardless of who you are, just like eating optimally, putting the right things in your body, or making wiser choices will help you recover from exercise more effectively, the same will be true from a weekend of partying and festivities. 

The following are some holiday weekend tips and hacks (or general tips anytime you get down with the get down) to help you enjoy the weekend to the fullest, and also wake up still feeling spry and fresh come Monday morning. 

✔️ Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is an inexpensive, great tool in your arsenal for a multitude of reasons. 

First, the acids that naturally form in the fermentation process mimic your stomach acids, so consuming a shot of ACV before an excessive, or unhealthy meal will provide extra support in digestion, and help to reduce the occurrence of indigestion. Furthermore, a true “living” ACV will contain natural probiotics that will further aid in proper digestion. 

ACV is also a natural anti-inflammatory, and both processed foods and excessive alcohol consumption (moderate alcohol consumption is actually cardio-protective and has therapeutic effects) are pro-inflammatory, so consuming ACV will help naturally reduce some of the pro-inflammatory response to both. 

Finally, ACV is very effective at stabilizing blood sugar levels. Many of the foods we typically eat during parties are processed, high in sugars and grains, and will spike your blood sugar. Maintaining more stabilized blood sugar levels will help mitigate some of the negative calories you consume, and also keep you feeling less groggy from all the food. 

It’s important to make sure your ACV is a true “living” product, that hasn’t been processed into a sterilized vinegar essentially. Easiest way to make sure you’re getting a “living” ACV is to buy Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, which is by far the most popular brand, and one you can find at any grocery store most likely. 

Simply tag a swig or a shot of ACV (feel free to chase with some water) once or twice a day before a meal. 

✔️ Choose Tequila for a Cleaner Cocktail

If looking for a cold alcoholic beverage, chilled over ice, that your body may process more effectively, look to tequila. 

Tequila is made from agave (that is real tequila, which is distilled from 100% agave), which is a plant known as a “succulent”. 

Which means, first and foremost, it’s not a grain, whereas whiskey and vodka are typically distilled from grains and starchy plants which can be pro-inflammatory in their whole food form. 

Agave contains natural prebiotics known as fructans, which can help the healthy probiotics in your gut flourish. 

Agave also contains some very beneficial antioxidants that are great for heart health, gut health, and overall cellular health known as polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. 

When you put the known nutritional benefits of agave together, it does make sense why anecdotally, the body seems to process tequila more cleanly, and it leads to less hangovers. 

And quite frankly, it pairs very well as a spirit for summertime seasonal cocktails. 

When it comes to making small, simple decisions that can lead to a better outcome from a weekend of partying and festivities, drinking a tequila made from 100% agave over a whiskey, brandy, or vodka, could be one of the choices that you’ll be happy you made come Monday, while still enjoying the festivities of the weekend. 

Do note however, that if you mix your tequila with sugary, syrupy mixes and juices, that it’s not the same as drinking straight tequila, or drinking tequila in a cocktail paired with other clean ingredients. 

If you want a tequila based cocktail that is a healthier choice, here’s what I recommend. 

Tequila Ranch Water

• 1 part tequila of your choice (Approximately 1.5oz)
• Over ice, top with Topo Chico mineral water or Liquid Death Sparkling Mountain Water almost to the top 
•  Add fresh lime juice, approximately one ounce 

If you’d like a bit of sweetness to it, shake the lime juice and tequila with some agave nectar (a natural sweetener from agave that is low glycemic) and pour in a glass with no ice. NOTE: You can readily find organic agave nectar at Costco.

Top that tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar mixture with ice, and then top with Topo Chico or Liquid Death Sparkling water. 

This is a refreshing, hydrating, clean burning cocktail, great for a hot holiday weekend party. 

✔️ Try this bio-engineered probiotic that metabolizes the harmful byproduct of alcohol. 

 

Probiotics (the good bacteria) are so prolific in nature and what they can all do individually. 

ZBiotics is a bio-engineered probiotic that consumes acetaldehyde, the harmful byproduct of alcohol, which reduces or negates the need for your liver to have to process it, which helps mitigate hangovers, and other side effects of excess alcohol consumption. 

Alcohol in and of itself, is actually a macronutrient just like fat, carbs, and protein. 

It is one of the byproducts of alcohol, acetaldehyde, that is pro-inflammatory when alcohol is over consumed, and is actually the molecule that causes the excess stress on your liver. 

Putting down a ZBiotics shot (which doesn’t have any taste) before you drink, while drinking, or maybe two in a day, will provide you with a probiotic that literally eats acetaldehyde, dramatically helping to prevent hangovers. 

Really want to treat your guests? Have some ZBiotics shots on hand for whomever wants one. 

✔️ Detox, Detox, Detox

Anytime you’re throwing excess at your body, and that includes much more than just alcohol, helping to support your body’s detoxification efforts can go a long way in helping your body recover more effectively from the fun and festivities. 

I will consume a Cymbiotika packet of both Activated Charcoal and Liposomal Glutathione. 

Activated charcoal is considered a “binder”, which means it binds to toxins in your gut and bloodstream that you’d rather not be there , and helps pull it out of your system so your body doesn’t have to process it and detoxify from it. 

Glutathione is known as your body’s “Master Antioxidant”, and one of the main things it does is it ramps up your body’s main detox pathways, making you far more effective and efficient at detoxifying at the cellular level. 

As a result, these two are a tremendous one-two-detox-punch!

Since activated charcoal is a binding agent, you want to take that on an empty stomach, and not with any other supplement, like the glutathione or ZBiotics, as they will also bind to it and pull it out of your body. 

I will take the activated charcoal packet at a random time during the day away from any food and supplements. This will also help prevent bloating from the food. 

I will typically take a Zbiotics shot and then the glutathione packet together prior to the festivities.