The Weekly Thread Guide to Holiday Weekend Hacks: apple cider vinegar before the meal, choose tequila for a cleaner cocktail, and try this superfood blend as a unique steak rub.

As we head into a festive holiday weekend, in which said festivities tend to involve partaking in some more excessive behaviors like eating and drinking, I wanted to lend a few tips and hacks that I use myself to help you enjoy the weekend to the fullest, while also mitigating as many of the negative effects of any over indulgence as possible, and recovering optimally. 

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. 

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 Labor Day weekend (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 Tuesday 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. 

My personal routine before any excessive or unhealthy meal is to take two digestive enzyme caps, berberine, and a big swig of ACV. 

It’s important to make sure your ACV is a true “living” product, that hasn’t been processed into a sterilized vinegar essentially. The 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 ocular brand, and one you can find at any grocery store most likely. 

To read more about the incredible long and short-term health benefits of berberine CLICK HERE.

Choose Tequila for a Cleaner Cocktail

In a past issue, I’ve already discussed how to choose ‘old world” style wine for the healthiest glass of wine possible, and also how red wine is one of the top foods to kill cancer, so if you plan on drinking wine this weekend, be sure to check those past segments out. 

That said, it’s going to be hot out, real hot, and a glass of warm red wine may not sound too appealing. 

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

I will preface this by saying, there’s not really any hard clinical research to back this up, as none has been done, as there’s probably not a lot of organizations looking to throw money at researching the potential benefits of tequila, so much of what I’m about to say is general thought and logic. That said, if you want to do an internet search of “health benefits of tequila”, you will find some reading material. 

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. 

Whiskey and vodka, again, which are typically distilled from grains and starchy plants do not contain these antioxidants, or fructans. 

I’m not necessarily saying drinking tequila is drinking to your health, however, 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. 

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 Tuesday, 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. 

That said, 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. 
• Over ice, top with Topo Chico mineral water (which is a natural, bubbly spring water, full of trace minerals that will help hydrate you)
• Fresh lime juice

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 into a glass with no ice.

Top that tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar mixture with ice, and then top with Topo Chico mineral water. 

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

Protein, Protein, Protein

A common theme of “The Weekly Thread” is the importance of eating lots of high quality protein on a daily basis to boost your metabolism, recover from exercise more effectively, and by all current research, help you live longer and healthier into your later years. 

As I mentioned above, recovery is recovery. 

Maybe your muscles won’t be taking as much of a beating this weekend, but your internal organs, gut, and digestive tract will be. 

The fact is, most of your internal organ tissue is made from the same amino acids that make up our muscle tissue. 

Making a point to supplement with extra amino acids or protein shakes throughout the day and weekend will aid your liver, kidneys, gut, and intestinal tract in processing everything you’re throwing at it more effectively, and will aid in overall recovery from the weekend. 

Try this Superfood Steak Rub...

Grilling out is a big part of holiday festivities. 

Organifi’s Red Juice superfood blend actually makes a unique, really tasty, somewhat sweet steak rub that can be a great alternative or change of pace rub that packs an absolute nutritional powerhouse. 

Organfi Red Juice is a highly concentrated organic superfood blend containing açaí berry, beetroot, pomegranate, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry, along with medicinal and therapeutic adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola, cordyceps, reishi mushroom, and Siberian ginseng. 

Imagine consuming all those incredible, detoxifying, cell-nourishing superfoods while enjoying your steak!?

Here’s how I prepare my steaks when doing this rub:

I like ribeyes. Ribeye is probably the most nutrient dense cut of meat there is, as well of course, containing lots of high quality protein and fat that your body can use to nourish itself. 

A ribeye is also a very savory cut of meat, so it balances well with the mild sweetness of the red juice rub. But in the end, use the cut of meat you most prefer.

I then rub it down with lots of sea salt. I use Redmond Real Salt, as it’s the most mineral rich sea salt there is, and it comes from underground caverns from an ancient salt bed that are free of contaminants. The salt, being an incredibly rich source of trace minerals, is a superb rub that helps add further nutritional value, that helps hydrate the body, and aids in overall recovery.

I then rub the steaks down with Organifi Red Juice. I go pretty liberally, however, if you’re unsure if you’ll like it, I recommend going a bit lighter. 

**They also make individual packets if you ever just want to try it out. 

I’ll put the steaks in a glass Pyrex container and in the fridge for a day, or overnight. 

An hour or two before grilling, pull the steaks from the fridge to bring them to room temperature, which really helps the fat from the steak cook into the steak, and then grill to your preferred temperature. 

Al put together, that is one nutrient dense, antioxidant packed steak!