So, you got drunk last night? And now you are sporting the mother of all hangovers… While it may be tempting to do what you did in college, reach out for that stale pizza crust or reach for another drink as a typical hair of the dog cure. But after a point, these cures fail to work and will leave you feeling even worse – be it that pounding head or that achy body. Mistreating your body even more after a drinking binge pushes you toward health issues, especially if you do it one time too often. What you need to do is detoxify yourself with specific food for a hangover.
The Good News: Some Food Can Help Cure A Hangover
Mankind seems to have searched for a hangover cure since millennia, for now, likes to wake up with a head that feels as if it would fall off, a mouthful of cotton (or so it seems) and a whirly brain that cannot see, think or make your body walk right. It’s surprising to know that science is far from being able to explain why hangovers happen – but most scientists claim that it happens from a mix of dehydration and the fact that alcohol disrupts the body’s chemical balances in complex ways [1].
That said; it’s clear that the only way to prevent hangovers with a sure shot guarantee is to not drink in excess! In case you are reading this too late (aka have a gigantic hangover), never fear, for you can always eat some food for a hangover, to cure it faster…
Food For Hangover
While there is no guaranteed cure for hangovers, and even scientists are pretty much scratching their head over this, there are some foods for hangovers that can make you feel a whole lot better. So here are 15 foods for a hangover, ten of which can be used to cure the hangover and five sneaky ones that help you prevent that hangover in the first place.
Eat the preventive ones while you drink, especially if you know that this is going to be one crazy night out. And the other ten, you can make or prepare the night before so that you can have it as part of a hangover-curing breakfast, or brunch, depending on when you wake up.
Food For Hangover: Preventing a Hangover
Salty Nuts All The Way
Healthy fats line your stomach making them the ideal food for hangover prevention since they prevent alcohol absorption and keep you that much protected from the effects of over-imbibing. Think almonds, walnuts, and avocados [2]. Here’s how you can make your own salted nuts.
A Healthy Burger, Yum
Foods high in carbohydrates and proteins also line the stomach like healthy fats and slow down alcohol absorption. So eating a lean meat, chicken or even a veggie cheeseburger is like going to battle, with armor! [3]. Here are a few healthy burger recipes for you to try.
Leafy Green Salads
Leafy green salads such as spinach work best as a food for hangover prevention simply because they keep you full, and you can’t drink all that much on a full stomach [4]. The fats in the dressing will also line your stomach and prevent alcohol absorption, so here are a few great spinach salad recipes.
Pre-Pear Juice
Drinking a glass of pear juice or munching a pear before you say cheers is a great way to reduce your chances of getting a hangover, especially if it’s the Asian or Korean pear. Here are other recipes of Asian pears.
Pack on Pickles
Those dills you love munching on are basically packed in brine, or any other salty liquid – what you are after is the salt, as it keeps your electrolytes high and makes you slightly more resistant to the effects of alcohol since one of the effects of alcohol is to lower your sodium levels [5]. And you can always make your own pickles…
Food For Hangover: Curing a Hangover
Munch On Blueberries
With 400 active compounds that boost immunity and healing, include a rather magical one called pterostilbene that reduces inflammation and improves immunity, thereby making it an ideal food for hangover cure… [6]. And there’s so much you can do with blueberries.
Go For Oats
Oatmeal, or any other starchy good carb breakfast will help boost your feel-good hormone levels thus making that hangover feel okay and settle your stomach as well. Try these healthy oatmeal recipes.
Eat Some Soy
An amino acid called cysteine is now proving to be beneficial in protecting the liver from acetaldehyde, a byproduct of alcohol and thus keeping that hangover at bay [7]. Try making all this yummy stuff with soy milk instead of dairy.
Sip On Citrus
Citrus fruits burst with anti-oxidants, vitamin C and another called de-limonene which is one powerful dude indeed for it stimulates liver enzymes and flushes toxins from the body, including the alcohol produced ones [8]. Here’s all that you can do with lemons.
Go Bananas
A hangover means you have an electrolyte imbalance as well and one food for hangover cure is bananas that brim with potassium ad sodium and help calm that stomach down [9]. Not a bananas fan? here are other great tasting ways to eat them.
Spear Up On Asparagus
Thinking of a big fry up to cure that hangover. Wait and order some olive oil sautéed asparagus instead. For studies have found that asparagus can alleviate hangover symptoms making it a great food for a hangover cure, because of its mineral and amino acid content [10]. Here are some new ideas on how to serve asparagus.
Sip On Ginger Tea
So what works on motion sickness, an upset stomach and even nausea (read morning sickness) should work on a hangover too, right? Right. When in need, reach for anti-flatulence and digestive properties of ginger by steeping a hot mug from it [11]. And here’s a great ginger tea recipe for you to try.
Try Some Yogurt
So yogurt has great pro-biotic properties that aid the body in digestion and maintaining the ideal pH balance as well, banishing any bloat or tummy issues that a hangover brings about. You can always add in some fruit to sweeten it and further up your healthy carbohydrate intake [12]. And here are some awesome ways to serve yogurt to tempt you into health.
Sprinkle On Turmeric
Turmeric is an Asian spice with an intense flavor and yellow color – and it also houses a powerful antioxidant, curcumin that really beneficial for the liver as it brings down inflammation that may be brought on because of high alcohol consumption [13]. Here are a few ways to include turmeric in your diet.
Juicy Fruits
So water is a great hangover buster and the more you drink up on this odorless, colorless and calorie-less liquid, the faster your system gets flushed. One way to get in more hydration is through water-rich fruits like watermelon. Watermelons are also rich in potassium, magnesium and amino acids that detox the liver making it the perfect food for a hangover cure. Here’s a smoothie cure…
Why Your Food For Hangover Is Not A Cure
People have had a myriad number of “so-called” cures for a hangover, including drinking more of that alcoholic stuff that got you in the first place, having loads of hot coffee or tea, a greasy breakfast, too much of OJ on an empty stomach, or even one to many eggs will leave you feeling worse than before. You need to think healthy carbs and protein with just a little fat, rather than a lot of fat [14].
How To Avoid A Hangover
The million dollar question: how do you drink and not get a hangover. Firstly and foremost, drink slow and keep the alcohol content low. If you have to have four drinks, water three drinks into four – it is important to drink moderately. ((Authority Nutrition: 7 Ways To Avoid A Hangover))
- Clear alcohols (think gin, vodka or white rum) have no congeners, which in turn are chemicals that amplify the effects of alcohol and worsen that hangover. Colored alcohols are likely to give you a worse morning pounder.
- Flush your system with water before you consume alcohol for it is a diuretic and the more dehydrated you get, the more badly you will feel in the morning.
- Eat while you drink for alcohol absorption is worse on an empty stomach, and do remember to eat a decent breakfast too. A low blood sugar will give you the worst hangover ever.
- Get enough sleep too, for alcohol can impair or affect sleep patterns so in case you plan to drink the night – make sure you can sleep in the next morning.
- Stock up on anti-inflammatory green teas for to really cure that hangover for coffee may not be such a good head clearer!
Lastly remember, treat your body right – eat healthy, sleep well, get exercise and keep alcohol within limits – your body has to last you a lifetime!
