Non alcoholic alcohol?

[LLO7]

This is probably going to sound really silly but oh well!
My favourite summer drink is a cold kopperberg- I love the taste! So I found a non alcoholic version online that I can get from supermarkets, but someone has said there's still a tiny bit of alcohol in them as there's an age restriction still?
So is 'non alcoholic' really non alcoholic and is it safe to drink while pregnant?

LL07
I think it may be classified as “low alcohol” rather than “no alcohol”

How far are you OP? There is good research that actually a bit of alcohol is fine. For the second trimester, a small (125ml) glass of wine a day is fine. Speed is key - so no shots. How many units in the bottle? If you pace yourself, lots of ice etc, I'm sure it would be ok.

I know the NHS say no alcohol currently, that's not actually backed up by the research.

Coop sell (or did last year) no alcohol g&t in a can. It was good.

The kopparberg alcohol free have no more than 0.05% which is classed as alcohol free and perfectly safe in pregnancy.
“Low alcohol” versions of drinks that are found in the same section in the supermarket at more like 0.5%, and I’m sure are also fine in pregnancy but I stick to the alcohol free ones personally.

Becks blue is a great alcohol free beer if you like beer, and I have just tried Eisberg white wine which was actually better than expected.

The alcohol is low enough that's there's no need to worry about it. Tesco do cans of the low alcohol g&t and it's actually pretty good.

Non-alcoholic by definition must have less than 0.5% alcohol in it I think. Fresh orange juice has more than the cider you are drinking. It's absolutely fine.

And as a pp said there is actually no research to suggest there is any problem with an occasional small glass of real wine. The NHS advice only changed to zero fairly recently and is probably zero simply because they don't trust the general population to be able to stick to a 'small' glass.

Low alcohol is 0.5%. alcohol free has to be below 0.05%, but a pp is right, there's more alcohol than that in orange juice! (License holder)

I'd personally stick to the alcohol free ones, I bet there's a tonne of sugar in them though if you're thinking of having a fair few!

And congrats!

The NHS advice is reasonable - there is no defined safe level of alcohol so they err on the side of caution. Alcohol is a teratogen - there is no doubt about that. The question is how much and how often is OK, and I suspect that varies HUGELY between people.

The current best research shows that VERY low level intake is not associated with negative outcomes. The problem with any ‘set ok level’ is that people tend to drink up to it and people have no idea what constitutes a unit. Anyway, if you’re worrying about 0.05% cider that’s clearly not you ;)

I’m not a big drinker anyway but I didn’t drink anything ‘proper’ during pregnancy (I’m a geneticist with a background in human development) I certainly wouldn’t be having a glass of wine a day at any stage but that’s just my opinion.

Anyway, OP, the kopparberg alc free 0.05% ones are totally fine - there’s that much alcohol and more in some yoghurts and orange juices. You can happily have a couple of those with no problem whatsoever.

Erdberg weisbier alc free (0.5%) is quite nice too. Every alc free wine I’ve tried has been hideous, some of the ciders are lovely. Beers are mixed.

You might end up preferring the low alc versions - I did and have barely drrunk anything after pregnancy 1.

Enjoy your cider :)

It has very little alcohol but shit loads of sugar.

I've been drinking those Kopperbergs throughout, all good over here!

Brewdog Nanny State is the best alcohol free beer I’ve found! And I’ve tried a lot 😂

There's as much alcohol in a glass of fresh orange juice as in koppaberg no alcohol cider! Enjoy!

Brilliant thank you everyone 😁
I am currently just 13 weeks but am thinking for when it starts to get hot!

Brewdog Nanny State is lovely.

If you like gin but want no alcohol, seedlip is great. It’s expensive but a little goes a long way.

Erdinger weisbier! The alc free version is the nicest. I prefer it to the stuff with alcohol in.

I totally got out of the habit of drinking while TTc and pregnant and never really took it up again. Pregnant again now so not drinking either. Plus toddlers and hangovers don’t mix :)

Another for Brewdog Nanny State. Actually tastes like beer!

Erdinger Weisbier was my favourite. The Kopparbergs gave me the most terrible heartburn.

I’ve tried my fair share of non alcoholic drinks so far in this pregnancy. The mixed fruit kopperberg is nice, strawberry and lime one seems to be even sweeter than the alcoholic version so it’s a bit much for me.

If you like lager try Becks Blue - it has been my main craving this pregnancy!

I too didn’t mind the Tesco no/low alcohol g and t, if you’re looking for other things.

I quit drinking in Dec 2015 and the best alcohol free drinks I've found are alcohol free Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime and Bavaria lager.

I can't stand Becks Blue or Brewdog Nanny State, they both taste of chemicals to me

My DP found one by mikkeller that’s called racing beer. Not only is it alcohol-free but contains added B vitamins so is probably better for me than most soft drinks! Think it’s a bit expensive though...