Healthy St. Patrick’s Day?

Dyeing the Chicago River green may not look “healthy,” but since 1996, they’ve been using a fairly environmentally friendly veggie-based dye. Photo by Steve Hardy.

Is there such a thing as a healthy St. Patrick’s Day? Turns out this green-tinged holiday could be better for you than you think.

That’s assuming, of course, you don’t skip out of work early to spend half a day sloshing plastic cupfuls of overpriced crappy beer made magically more palatable by the fact that it’s green.

Here a couple of healthy St. Patrick’s Day ideas instead (or at least mostly healthy). And some them may surprise you.

Photo by Vancity Allie

Eat Green

Rather than adding food dye to your drinks and food, how about pureed spinach? Works for soups, shakes, pizza, enchiladas, pasta, sauces, casseroles, breads, and even french toast, hummus, and crab cakes.

Convince the kids it’s a fun holiday tradition. You don’t have to tell them you’re sneaking in veggies, too. (That will be our little secret.)

Photo by Darin Salerno

Drink Guinness

Some Irish hospitals reportedly give it to patients. My own pediatrician “prescribed” for me to drink it after Szaba was born.

So what are the health claims?

Helps new mom’s lactate.
Wards off heart attacks.
Maintains good eye sight.
Protects against impotence.

Sure, some of those claims have yet to be 100% proven, but the facts are:

It has less alcohol, calories, and carbohydrates than Budweiser, Heineken, and many other light beers.
It has fewer calories and carbohydrates than low-fat milk and orange juice.

So drink up … to your health!