Good morning, and happy weekend! For anyone new here: this is The Skinny, where we serve up curated, need-to-know lifestyle news designed to entertain and save you time, which is everyone’s most valuable resource.

• Digesting the Skinny’s curated news = 5 minutes + more time spent on meaningful activities.

• Mindless social media scrolling = hours you’ll never get back. 

First off, a Hot Topic poll! For Self-Care month, we’re wondering:

What we’re covering: 

• A guide to Sober October

• It’s tailgating szn so let’s talk bison vs. beef, vegan menus & healthy hacks

• Why your brain needs to learn new skills

• Plus, BK’s purple burger, adult bunk beds & charcuterie chalets

💡Did you know: all The Skinny editions are online and searchable—which means you can easily find topics/recipes/items we have written about in the past. Bookmark this link for easy reference.

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Staying dry

For those in search of a hangover free tomorrow

The Skinny: Happy Sober October to all who celebrate, and congrats for making it over the halfway mark! While we may not be strictly observing Sober October, we are dabbling and wanted to share some products that we’ve tested and love, and we think you will as well. Because there’s no greater feeling than waking up refreshed and focused after a night sans alcohol, or cracking an NA beer in the late morning because well, why not. In fact, Nicole is enjoying a super cold Electro-Lime cerca de cerveza as she writes this, along with a bag of Trader Joe’s Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Rice Snacks (aka, lunch). 

Regarding the history of Sober October, one of our fave NA e-tailers, The Zero Proof, shared some lore: for the TLDR out there, Sober October started over a decade ago and while it enjoyed a nice organic groundswell, it  blew up in 2017 when Joe Rogan announced he was heeding the call to go the entire month of October booze-free. 

We’ve touched on NA drinks in the past in terms of how to pack the best summer cooler, but since then the NA news continues to brew, with the very latest being Tom Holland’s new NA beer, a non-alcoholic beer garden in Boston, and the rise of DAYBREAKER “morning movement” parties. 

What to try: One of our perks at The Skinny Newsdesk is that sometimes, one of our fantastic subscribers gets in touch with suggestions, or comments, which we love. And sometimes it’s a brand that says HEY GUYS, we love The Skinny and our product would be a great fit for your audience. And they have been right every time.

We were impressed with Proxies, who makes some canned versions that we enjoyed, but for what’s new, they recently launched a “Big Red” and to do so was no easy feat. According to the founder, they not only tasted “every dark fruit they could get their hands on,” but also as many NA red wines they could (which, they report, was often an unpleasant experience). Big Red was juicy, in a subtle way, with notes of spice and herbs. In short, while it lacked a level of complexity, it was solid and enjoyable—but the one thing we missed was a distinct nose. But, we’d recommend it. And, we were happy to see that Proxies is sold on The Zero Proof, which rumor has it will only sell brands they have tasted and liked. 

Finally, we have Grüvi, which makes NA beers and wine. They have reported that, in just five years, the brand is now sold in over 4,000 retail locations across the U.S. and Canada and has infiltrated stadiums and music venues. The growth and popularity can be attributed to its quality/flavor, to which we can attest, but also the variety of its assortment (which you can see below, and shop for). Our favorites include the Dry Secco, which goes down a little too fast, the Sangria in a can (must-have for the beach) and the Mocha Nitro Stout—perfect for lunchtime non-imbibing. 

• Gruvi NA Bubbly Rose

• Dry Secco Sparkling Wine 

• NA Mocha Nitro Stout

• NA Juicy Pale Ale

• NA Sangria

Game day

Tailgates down, grills up

The Skinny: LFG, it’s tailgating season! We may not be the ones putting in the hard work at the grill, but aside from bringing the party we can contribute our tips, hacks and creativity so your pre-game feast has more than basic hots ’n’ hams. 

Everyone knows that the South owns this pre-game practice, so who else but Southern Living to show us the best easy and portable tailgate recipes, including Fried Saltines, Pepper Sauce Watermelon Wedges, and Candied Bacon Crackers. 

Because we are #SKOBUFFS* fans and were at the game last weekend, let’s talk bison. From its thundering beauty in the wild, to celebrity status (Ralphie, the live CU-Boulder mascot), an admirable less fat/high protein profile, and other nutritional benefits, we respect the bison in all phases of its life cycle. Among its better-for-you creds when it comes to grilled meats, bison is high in iron and B vitamins, and has a mild flavor. What’s not to love?  

Vegans, we got you! These vegan tailgate picks look like they could go head-to-head with some of the best carnivore lineups thanks to Jackfruit Pulled Pork and Vegan Slow Cooker Chili. 

And while tailgating is by nature a reason to indulge, these hacks allow you to still sneak in something that resembles nutrition: 

• Cutting your burgers with chopped mushrooms

• Loading up your dogs with sauerkraut

• Seasoning your steaks with Spicewell

• Choosing one of these dips over queso (as much as we love queso) 

The final word: we said it once, we’ll say it again…THIS is the tried-and-tested, dogs down, best way to slice a hot dog for grilling. 

*Discussion point: the University of Colorado Buffs (aka, the Buffaloes) are not actually buffaloes. The animals that roam the North American plains, which we can assume were the inspiration for this Colorado team, are bison. We are 1000% not suggesting that CU should change their mascot, but we are simply pointing out that we are aware of this historical mascot discrepancy. 

Staying sharp  

A workout for your brain

The Skinny: Staying sharp isn’t just for old people. It turns out, to stay mentally sharp and maintain a healthy brain, you should learn one new skill in every decade of your life. Easy to blow off, but important to do. Because, simply put: if you keep doing only the same things, your brain tunnels will become ruts…so you have to create new roadways. And this article explains exactly why this is critical for brain health. 

• So, now what? Anecdotally, we hear that learning the piano and a new language are optimal places to start. We’re linguaphiles here at The Skinny, so this article from Wired is a tidy round-up of the best apps to learn new languages, if you’re going that route.

• Test yourself, for fun. We like the Telegraph’s Self test for “how old is my brain?” which gives you scores on memory, reflexes and concentration.

• Master Classes are one of the easiest way to learn random/useful/unique skills (e.g. The Art of Cooking with Gordon Ramsey, or Filmmaking with James Cameron). Behold, a guide to the best MCs of 2024 to help you wade through the choices. Take a look, sign up with a friend (cost effective) and, as you’re pondering options, try taking a quick bike ride—which can boost your memory in just 15 minutes.

• Food as Medicine: these 15 to try are the  top “brain foods,” thanks to their potential memory-boosting powers.

OHM, THERE'S MORE

This week’s newsfeed

• Has anyone tried the new Chicken Big Mac? The Daily Mail reports “not everyone is lovin’ it” WaPo calls it a beige, bland mess and all agree—it’s basically made with two giant McNuggets. In other news, BK has dropped a purple burger as part of its new Addams Family Meal—and this writer tried all the items since, as he mentions, “this is now somehow his beat.”

• In our Inbox: All the ways Hyatt x Peloton is making it easier for you to stay fit while on the road (and earn bonus points). 

• ICYMI, adult bunk beds are a thing, and here is what started the conversation.

• Finally! A how-to for a ‘charcuterie chalet,’ just in time for the holidays. 

• Last but not least, an apple fact: farmers swear the best way to choose the sweetest apples is to do this in the grocery store.

*If you purchase something linked in The Skinny, we may get an affiliate commission—but at no additional cost to you.