So last night you were all…
But this morning you’re like…
Yup. The results are in: You had a little too much fun last night and now you’re hungover. Symptoms include but are not limited to: a pounding headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, fatigue, a general ickiness, regret and self-hatred. You’re also probably wondering why, oh why did you do that last night, and swearing to never have another vodka tonic again. But it’s okay, it happens to the best of us and believe it or not, you will feel better soon. Here is the fuel your body needs right now to recover:
Water, water, water: The cause of many hangover symptoms – including nausea and headaches – is dehydration, and dehydration happens because alcohol inhibits something called anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). This hormone helps the body retain water, but when you’re drinking, the level of ADH decreases and you end up taking lots of trips to the restroom. Drinking a lot of water is the best thing you can do to reverse the damage and it’s also important to drink water while you’re at the bar (or wherever it is you’re drinking) and before you go to bed.
Potassium: Alcohol’s diuretic effect also depletes your body of potassium. Eating bananas or drinking coconut water helps you get back to normal. You can also make a banana and coconut water smoothie.
Beet juice: This reddish purple elixir is nature’s best liver cleanser and since alcohol is poison to the body, you’re gonna need some cleansing. Beet juice is sweet, packed with wonderful vitamins and minerals, and superbly delicious when juiced along with an apple and some lemon. If you don’t have a juicer, run to your nearest juice bar.
Simple carbs: Plain toast or some saltine crackers will absorb and help process the alcohol remaining in your body. Eating simple carbohydrates will also help raise your blood sugar to battle that tired, groggy feeling.
Eggs: Eggs are a near-ideal source of nutrition as is, but especially so when you’re hungover. Eggs contain large amounts of cysteine, an amino acid that breaks down the hangover-causing acetaldehyde. Translation: eggs help clean up the remaining toxins in your body.
Here are some items you may be craving when hungover but would be well-advised to avoid.
Coffee: Recall the above-mentioned dehydration caused by the inability to retain water? Well, coffee is a diuretic and will dehydrate you as well. Furthermore, coffee is highly acidic and may irritate your already sensitive tummy.
More alcohol: It may seem like a beer or a Bloody Mary is a good idea right now to help dull some of the symptoms, but it will only make matters worse in the long run by further poisoning your body.
Greasy food: Yes, you probably really want to hit up the local diner for some hash browns, sausage, buttered toast and hell, throw in the waffles too. But these items won’t do you any good and may also irritate your stomach. According to science, the real reason you’re craving fatty foods when hungover is rooted in our mammal nature. “All mammals gravitate to eating the most energy-dense foods,” explaines David Levitsky, professor of human ecology and nutritional sciences at Cornell University. “Fat is the most energy-dense food available.” The catch is that when sober, we tend to forgo those cravings, but when judgment is impaired by too many brews, “you lose such learned inhibitions as disciplined eating.”
