When most people think of Mexican cuisine they don’t picture beverages to go with it. But in all cultures, the drink paired with the food is an important part of the entire experience. Imagine having a fine red snapper prepared Mexican style for dinner, then washing it down with orange juice or milk. Healthy, but somehow it just doesn’t fit.

Fortunately, there is a huge array of tasty, healthy Mexican beverages to go with every meal.

Chocolate is popular in Mexican dishes, or even as a dessert bar. But it’s more often consumed in the form of a hot chocolate drink. Mexican chocolate tends to be more granular and bitter than that from other countries. That makes it a perfect ingredient for a breakfast beverage. Melt the chocolate, add a bit of sugar to taste, and voila!

Of course, beer is enjoyed south of the border, where it is called cerveza. And Mexican breweries are second to none in producing some truly fine beers. They make a fine accompaniment to a lunch composed of burritos. But to make a great Mexican drink, try a Michelada. This drink is a mixture of beer, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lime. Wow!

But you can also enjoy a great fruit drink with that fine frittata for lunch. Aqua fresca (a Mexican cooler) comes in a variety of flavors such as guava, pineapple or mango. The agua de tamarindo is a great favorite down Mexico way, made from the tamarind. For something even lighter try the agua de Jamaica made from the Hibiscus flower.

Naturally, that pre-dinner drink can quite rightly consist of a traditional margarita. Made from fine tequila and Mexican Controy, you’ll be ready for a hearty meal after one of these. If you prefer your tequila straight, that’s fine, too. Don’t forget the lime, though.

After dinner you’ll just have to have a Mexican coffee. Select some of your finest beans and brew the coffee dark. Then liven it up with a couple of ounces of tequila, Kahlua and brandy. For a real taste treat, add the same amount of Rompope, a kind of vanilla Mexican liqueur. Or, for something a little more straightforward, just try a bit of the Rompope all on its own.

Between beer for lunch, a pre-dinner margarita and an after-dinner Mexican coffee you might just be ready for a good night’s sleep. But the next morning could be a bit dicey. So, maybe you better have some of that milk after all. Have it Mexican style in the form of a good horchata.

Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made from rice, water, cinnamon, almonds and sugar. But milk is often added as well. It is reputed to be good for hangovers. Even if it’s not, the taste will help you forget your headache!

Going on a diet? if you are, no doubt you’re worried what your daily glass will do - are there calories in wine?

Yes, sadly. There are typically about 60-80 calories in an average glass of wine. In a regular bottle there are perhaps five to six glasses of wine at most, depending on the size of the glass. You could estimate that a glass of wine has around the same number of calories as an apple, or a piece of bread.

In a typical bottle of wine there are typically anything from 300 to 500 calories for the sweeter reds and whites.

The existence of calories in wine is a fact, but compared with other things we eat it is perhaps a minimal consideration. A hamburger can have up to one thousand calories in it, and if you add bacon, almost as much fat as your body needs in a month.

There is not a lot of fat in wine, if any at all. There is sugar and some small amount of carbohydrates, but even the amount of carbohydrates is relatively small compared to a slice of bread. Hence, one should consider wine as a good source of calories and with an appropriate choice of varietals, a worthwhile human fuel source.

An additional benefit to wine is the general feeling of wellness it provides to the digestive system and brain, this can not be overlooked when considering the amount of calories in wine as part of dieting plan.

Wine is good for you

Regardless of the fact that calories exist in wine, wine may benefit you, and should, therefore, be considered as part of a normal person’s diet. Wines in general, aid in digestion, enhance the food we eat, and certain red wines may even provide enough antioxidants and other goodies that the issue of calories in wine should be a second tier discussion.

As with everything else in nutrition and diet, the health benefits or risks of eating chocolate is a controversial topic. Every new study that comes along seems to throw doubt on the one before. Nowhere is this more true than in discussions of the health risks and possible benefits of eating chocolate. The answer, like much else in nutrition, may lie in considering the amount consumed.

Chocolate can improve your health

One major reason that chocolate often makes the news is that it does contain a class of phytochemicals called flavonoids, in particular one called epicatechin. Flavonoids are known to have circulatory system benefits. That much is not in dispute. They are antioxidants, which help remove free radicals from the blood stream. Free radicals are charged atoms that can harm cells.

But from that point, opinions diverge. Some argue that the presence of those antioxidants is enough to declare that chocolate does have some health benefits. Others point out that the presence of fat and sugar in chocolate products outweighs the benefits, and that flavonoids are present in other foods, such as vegetables. Those other foods don’t have the high fat and sugar content that chocolate so often does.

Here again, the old pharmacological rule may be helpful. ‘Dosage makes the poison’. Anything is harmful in large enough quantities, even water. It can expand cell membranes to a dangerous degree. In moderate amounts, even fat and sugar are positive benefits.

Complex sugars are to be preferred because they take longer to break down, but simple sugars are still carbohydrates and provide needed energy, without which life would be impossible. Fat, too, in modest amounts performs useful biological functions. It helps regulate certain hormones in the brain and is also a type of carbohydrate that can provide quick, needed energy.

One major form of fat in chocolate is stearic acid, a saturated fat. Those are generally not preferred, since in general they can increase the ‘bad’ type of cholesterol. Though some studies suggest that stearic acid, as found in chocolate, does not contribute to that and in fact may help lower it.

The problem arises when these are consumed in high quantities, which is easy to do when eating a chocolate bar or chocolate ice cream.

But chocolate contains other compounds that can have positive health effects.

Though the amount of caffeine in a chocolate bar is only about 10-30% or less than that found in a cup of coffee, that might actually be a good thing. Low relative amounts of caffeine are known to be healthy.

Tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, is present in chocolate. Serotonin is a ‘mood-elevating’ neurochemical and anything which combats stress is generally a good thing. Some studies also suggest that chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins, the “runner’s high” biochemical.

Theobromine is found in chocolate and this caffeine-related compound is a mild stimulant. Mild stimulants help keep the mind alert, the body ready for action and contribute to a positive outlook. They are partly responsible for why humans crave chocolate.

While research continues, and the pros and cons will continue to be weighed, consider Aristotle’s view that moderation is the key to well-being. Modern science would probably agree.