A Very Merry Low Carb, Sugar Free Eggnog Option
If you see a fat man, who’s jolly and cute, wearing a beard and a red flannel suit;
And if he is chuckling and laughing away, while flying around in a miniature sleigh;
With eight tiny reindeer to pull him along;
Then – let’s face it – Your eggnog’s too strong!!
~ Author unknown
Traditional eggnog, being loaded with calories and carbs, is a beverage those with diabetes should theoretically limit or avoid. However, there are many low carb nog recipes that closely mimic the flavor and texture of this old world beverage.
Eggnog’s Origins
Posset, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was “a drink made of hot milk curdled with ale, wine, or the like, often sweetened and spiced.” When people drank posset in medieval Britain, it’s unlikely they imagined it would become a popular holiday drink in a country yet to be established.
Since posset’s ingredients were pricey during the Middle Ages, the drink was more of an upper class enjoyment, often used in toasts for prosperity, and good health. Yet, it’s speculated that inventive monks were responsible for enhancing the beverage with whipped eggs.
To The Colonies
Eventually, recipes and a taste for the creamy drink found their way to the American colonies where many farm families had their own supply of eggs and milk. Rum became an available and affordable substitute for expensive liquors, and by the 1800s many Americans had made eggnog part of their holiday season tradition.
A tumultuous event at West Point in 1826 proves the early popularity of the drink. The cadets, used to indulging in spiked eggnog at their Christmas parties were upset when a new superintendent, Colonel Sylvanus Thayer, forbade cadets to purchase, store, or consume alcoholic beverages at the school.
The Eggnog Riot ensued when determined cadets smuggling whiskey into West Point were caught by Thayer’s watchdogs. There were fights, broken windows, plenty of hangovers, and 19 cadets were expelled from the academy.
Creamy Sugar-Free Egg Nog
Though West Point no longer hosts holiday celebrations, eggnog continues to be part of many American Christmas festivities. It’s often made with a dozen eggs, and a generous quantity of bourbon, cognac, or dark rum, but this recipe will not add to our carb count, or waistline:
You will need:
- 1/2 cup Egg beaters (egg beaters are pasteurized and safe to eat “raw”)
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or low fat milk, or other milk substitute of choice)
- 2 tablespoons sugar free instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon imitation rum extract
- 3 or 4 packets stevia, or other sweetener of choice (stevia is recommended since it is does not elevate glucose levels)
Serving size: 1 cup
Preparation:
- Whisk or blend the ingredients together until well combined.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and allow to thicken.
- Serve right away, or store in the fridge up to seven days.
If you prefer a thinner eggnog, add less instant pudding.
One serving contains: 72 calories, 1 g fat (no saturated fat), 1 g carb, 0.5 g sugar, 7 g protein, no fiber.
Sources: Dashing Dish; PBS; Time; Boston.com
Photo credit: piviso.com