Chances are good that you’ll be clinking classes more than once this holiday season, so make sure your beverage of choice is working for you! That shouldn’t be hard - many delicious options are also rich in antioxidants (which are highly effective anti-aging, anti-inflammatory agents):

• Red wine contains two substances that prevent aging: grape seed extract and resveratrol. (Researchers are particularly interested in evidence that resveratrol may be a powerful skin cancer-fighting ingredient.) So swap those cocktails for a nice cabernet or merlot (since wine’s skin-friendly benefits come from the grapes’ skins, white wine isn’t as effective). Keep in mind, though, that while one glass of wine can fight those fine lines, several glasses will have quite the opposite effect - too much alcohol consumption leads to damaging free radicals.
  
• White wine alone won’t do much for your skin - so why leave it alone? The latest trend in Miami Beach, my hometown, is to add pomegranate juice to champagne. Not only will it turn your bubbly a festive pink, pomegranate is also a powerful antioxidant and a particularly effective anti-inflammatory.
  
• Beer lovers, fear not: Research suggests that the hops in your favorite brew also contain a type of antioxidant that is particularly soothing to the skin!
  
• As anyone prone to flushing knows, however, even one alcoholic beverage can worsen skin redness and inflammation. Why not add that pomegranate juice to a glass of sparkling water? And if there’s no pomegranate on hand, try cranberry juice, which is also full of antioxidants.
  
• If it’s chilly where you are, there’s nothing more festive than curling up with a bunch of friends and a steaming mug of something tasty. Green tea is one of the best researched and most effective antioxidants around. Dark chocolate is also full of antioxidant flavinoids, so a cup of hot (dark) chocolate is another great bet.

Finally, remember that both alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating, which can eventually leave your skin looking dull and worsen the appearance of fine lines. Whatever you’re toasting with this holiday season, be sure to alternate it with that old stand-by: water!

Source: Leslie Baumann, M.D