6 foods and drinks to prevent a hangover

So, having a great time with Wet January? Never intended to try the Dry version either, and simply carrying on regardless these weeks with, for example, pans full of white mulled wine or a couple of highly underrated rum and cokes? Then you might be able to use some tips on what’s best to eat before a serious drinking session, so you don’t have to spend the next day as a pathetic heap under the covers or on the floor next to the toilet…

Because hangovers are of course awful, and are all too often caused by the victim not having eaten a substantial meal before the bacchanal began. (They are mainly caused by a toxic cocktail of alcohol metabolism, dehydration and depletion of vitamins A, B6 and C.) So what’s best to eat or drink beforehand? The following, according to dietitian Leah Kaufman, who graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science:

Milk

And not skimmed milk, because the fat content is particularly important here. The fat and protein in dairy form a layer inside your stomach lining, thereby ensuring that alcohol is absorbed less quickly. We ourselves think the step to a tub of Ben & Jerry’s or a good creamy milkshake is then easily taken, because you could also use some energy (sugar) for the hard work your body is about to do processing that booze!

Add a pickle or olive

Pickles and olives are snacks that don’t have the unhealthy properties of, for example, crisps (frying fat) or salty breadsticks (empty carbohydrates), but do contain salt. And salt consists of almost half sodium, which is exactly what you want to replenish when alcohol plans to take it away from your body. That’s why, of course, you also want to run towards the chip shop as fast as your broken body allows when you’ve already developed that hangover. But according to Kaufman, eating some pickles and olives beforehand could therefore work preventively.

Nuts

Here too, the combination of fat and protein helps slow alcohol absorption. If you also choose a handful of healthy, unsalted nuts, you’re doing extra well, but a bowl of homemade spicy roasted nuts is of course completely irresistible (and you also know exactly what you’re eating, unlike with many factory-made nut mixes).

Spinach

A handful of raw spinach won’t do the trick, but the fact is that this leafy vegetable is packed with folate, potassium and vitamin C. If you can keep those levels reasonably high, Kaufman says that may help combat hangover symptoms. How do we picture that spinach aid? Simply add a few handfuls to a big thick quesadilla, because that melted cheese, with its fatty dairy power, will also make a good base!

Hamburger

Here too, we’re trying to prevent the hangover with the help of fat and protein, in this case from the best meat for a hamburger patty. This naturally sounds like music to our ears, because who wouldn’t want to polish off a big burger before carrying on for a little longer with those IPAs? And as one of a series of delicious toppings for my hamburger, one of those pickles from above can of course go on it too.

Cauliflower

When your organs are working overtime to flush out that alcohol and get your fluid levels back up, they can use all the support they can get from your immune system. Cauliflower is full of vitamin C—the vitamin best suited to the task. Bonus tip: it’s also delicious with hummus, which, with all its healthy fats, can also help in the effort to avoid that rotten hangover.

Also read:

• It’s scientifically proven: this really helps with a hangover
• Why limoncello gives you horrific hangovers
• Anti-hangover breakfast: breakfast pizza

Source: Eat This