Bloody Marys are delicious. They’re also a great excuse to drink some vodka before noon. The classic tomato juice and vodka combo is known for its colorful color, curing hangovers, and creative garnishes. Perhaps less well known is its health benefits - including a longer lifespan.
A recent study suggests that men should limit their alcohol intake to one drink per day, and we vote to make that drink a Bloody Mary.
Let’s assume for a minute you are focusing on the classic Bloody Mary recipe that uses vodka. You’re using store-bought ingredients, and of course, make it yourself. If you’re new to the Bloody Mary game, that’s:
Tomato Juice (or our famous Redneck Juice).
Lemon Juice
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce
Pepper
(Celery) Salt
If you’re going to a restaurant or bar every day for your Bloody Mary, the health benefits kind of go out the window (cleanliness, questionable ingredients, and variations), not to mention the hole in your pocketbook. Slow it down. Make your bloodies at home.
What kind of nutrients do you get?
According to science, you should be aiming to consume five servings of vegetables every day. Starting your day with a Bloody Mary helps you toward this goal almost immediately. Tomato juice provides its nutrition straight from the tomato and gives you extra benefits from juicing you would otherwise not get.
You’re getting a ton of lycopene - an antioxidant that prevents cancer and improves cardiovascular health. You’ll also get:
Vitamin A - vision boost
Vitamin C - good for your skin
Folic acid - limits depression and improves heart health.
The classic (and delicious) Bloody Mary recipe calls for lemon juice, which includes a hearty punch of pectin. Pectin promotes weight loss, prevents kidney stones, and vigorously fights certain types of cancer.
What if I told you Worcestershire sauce improves cognitive function and joint health? It’s true! Worcestershire sauce contains various ingredients such as molasses, garlic, anchovies, cloves, tamarind extract, sugar, onions, and chili peppers. When combined, this unique concoction provides a jolt of Vitamin B6 (cognitive) and niacin (joint) benefits.
Do you like your Bloody Marys as hot as you are? If you add a kick of Tabasco sauce or other spicy ingredients, there’s a great chance your Bloody Mary contains capsaicin. Capsaicin gives peppers their heat but also aids in digestive health and is a natural pain reliever.
As a short recap, Bloody Marys:
Promote weight loss
Prevent kidney stones
Help you fight cancer
Improve cardiovascular health
Decrease chance of heart disease
Improve cognitive function
Help joint health
Not bad.
What about Bloody Mary variations?
If you are explicitly drinking Bloody Marys as a health bonus, you don’t want to stray too far from the classic Bloody Mary recipe. Adding cheeseburgers, bacon, crazy amounts of salt, brine, or beef bouillon can quickly nullify health benefits.
Are you feeling gin? Craving tequila? Switching out your alcohol base works wonders for a change-of-pace Bloody Mary and maintains your health benefits.
What are you waiting for? Starting mixing up your daily Bloody!
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