I remember once when I had an antenatal check-up with my doctor and it was my birthday. Leaving work early, I remembered, to my horror, that I had allowed myself a birthday glass of red wine at lunchtime. Could the doctor detect this? Would I be listed as a 'bad mother' even before my son was born? I decided to confess. "It's fine," she shrugged. "You can treat yourself to another glass this evening, if you want."
To drink or not to drink
Some health professionals might not be quite so generous, and because research has found that extreme alcohol abuse can affect an unborn child, mothers who decide to have the odd drink are always advised to make it very occasional. Understandably, other pregnant and breastfeeding women choose to avoid such drinks altogether.
I enjoyed low-alcohol or alcohol-free beers like Kaliber and Clausthaler when I was out. This was not because I desperately hankered after alcohol but purely because drinking soft drinks is at best rather boring after a while, and at worst, too sickly (those horrid bottle fruit juices that pour like syrup). Well, it is if you’re used to having a glass of something stronger on a night out or over dinner.
Who or what is LoNo?
In this country, drinks with 0.5%abv are classified as being 'low alcohol' though in other countries these may be deemed 'no alcohol'. Hence, the name of a company that started up five years ago called LoNo.
Based in Gloucestershire and set up by two grandparents, the aim was to source great 'dealcoholised' wines and alcohol-free aperitifs for those who enjoy sharing a glass of something good but for whatever reason choose not to drink alcohol.
New World wines, European wines, sparkling varieties, ginger wine and even after dinner drinks are all stocked. They don’t cost any more than good wines in the supermarket and delivery is £5 no matter how many you order.
To find out more about the LoNo range and their philosophy, visit the website or call 01285 850 682.
