What’s easier than making green beer? Staying hydrated on St. Patrick’s Day!

If you’ve ever wanted to make your own green beer on Saint Patrick’s Day, here’s the step-by-step recipe:

Step 1: Pour beer into a glass.
Step 2: Stir in blue food colouring until beer turns green.

That’s all there is to it! Now, here’s a step-by-step recipe for enjoying St Patrick’s Day—and the next day too—without drinking too much emerald mixture

Step 1: Sip a frosty beer

Dance an Irish jig or sing along to Great Big Sea’s “Ordinary Day”; it’s all good!

Step 2: Knock back a glass of water

Chasing every alcoholic drink with water is good for you on so many levels.

It helps with hangovers

Water helps your body process and eliminate alcohol, so removing booze from your system ASAP with plenty of water will result in a milder, or even non-existent, hangover. In short, March 18 doesn’t have to start with a headache…

It defeats dehydration

A lack of water in your system isn’t the main cause of hangovers, but it can make you thirsty and tired, and can give you a headache and a dry mouth. If that sounds a lot like a hangover, you get the point: drink water during and after a few wobbly pops to stay properly hydrated. How can you tell if you’re getting dehydrated? Just look in the urinal when you take a leak.

It promotes weight loss

Drinking water fills up your stomach, which makes you feel less hungry. This will help you avoid unhealthy pub snacks, as well as late-night junk food cravings.

It saves money

Studies have shown that drinking water reduces our intake of beer and sugary soda pop. As well as contributing to weight gain, beer and pop cost money. How many calories does water have? Zero. How much does water cost? Bingo!

Step 3: Sip a second frosty beer

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, so you’ll probably want to have more than one wobbly pop. Reduce the risk of a hangover AND a beer gut by favouring these light and low-calorie brews:

Guinness

Note to guys: No amount of food colouring will make Guinness turn green. That said, this St. Paddy’s favourite contains healthy nutrients such as vitamin B and iron, and is lower in alcohol than the average beer. Guinness clocks in at just 4.2 percent alcohol, and since alcohol is beer’s main calorie source it is relatively low in calories, too. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness sets you back 125 calories, just 15 more than Bud Light. Speaking of which…

Light beers

We’ve all heard the “tastes great, less filling” slogan, but some beers really are incredibly light on calories. Corona Light clocks in at 99 calories—compared with around 150 for most regular bottles—while Molson Canadian 67 is named after its own very low calorie count.

Step 4: Knock back another glass of water

Water is an energy-booster and joint-lubricator, which comes in handy when you’re Irish jigging up a storm. It also helps your body maintain normal functions like blood circulation and food digestion while staying hydrated reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and even type 2 diabetes. No wonder Dietitians Canada recommends that you drink about 3 litres of water, or 6 large glasses, every day.

Step 5: Enjoy a third beer, then put the power of moderation to work!

Practising moderation means you don’t have to give up beer, wine, or your favourite cocktail to be healthy. You just need to keep it to 15 drinks a week and no more than 3 a day, with at least 2 booze-free days each week. Totally doable! Check out the Guy’s Guide to Drinking Less Alcohol.

Drinking less will help you look better, feel better, and reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction, low testosterone, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart disease and several forms of cancer.

Cut down on booze, and when those “Irish Eyes Are Smiling” on St. Paddy’s Day you’ll have another reason to join them!

Do you have any nifty tips to drink less booze? Share them with your Don’t Change Much buddies in the comments below!

This article was originally published on March 10, 2020.