Eight Foods That Will Help Cure Your Hangover
Dr. E. C. Gordon
You will have heard all sorts of things about what will help you to get rid of a hangover. Some people swear by a fried breakfast, while others claim that burnt toast will help you shift the nausea and headaches that strike you after a night of drinking. A lot of the most common claims are just scientifically dubious urban legends. Read on if you want to know which foods and drinks really can help ease a hangover.
Bananas and kiwi fruits
Alcohol is a diuretic, so it causes you to lose a lot of your body’s potassium when you urinate. When you are suffering from low potassium levels, you will feel lethargic, physically weaker, and nauseated. Bananas and kiwi fruits are especially good at alleviating these symptoms because they are extremely rich in potassium.
Ginger
Ginger is a powerful spice that is often recommended for morning sickness or motion sickness. Given this fact, it is unsurprising that ginger can also help the strong nausea you can feel as part of a hangover. In addition, some people find that it soothes stomach aches and calms digestive complaints such as acid reflux.
Eggs
Eggs can help your hungover body in a number of different ways. First of all, they provide plenty of energy. Secondly, they are full of a substance called cysteine, which helps to break down some of the toxins that are left over in your system when the liver runs out of the glutathione that normally performs this task.
Sauerkraut
When you are low in sodium, you can have severe and distracting headaches. You lose a lot of sodium when you are drinking alcohol (thanks to the diuretic effects of booze), so sauerkraut can help get rid of hangover headaches by boosting your sodium levels. In addition, sauerkraut can settle your stomach by providing you with Lactobacilli plantarum (one type of ‘good bacteria’).
Fruit juice
If you are hungover, drinking fruit juice is a very wise move. This is because it contains fructose, a sugar that boosts energy and improves your body’s ability to get rid of toxins (such as those that remain after your body metabolizes alcohol). It also helps to replenish your depleted supply of vitamin C.
Asparagus
Some recent studies support the claim that eating asparagus can help to reduce the common symptoms of a hangover. It is thought that this is because asparagus is rich in minerals, vitamins and amino acids, making it capable of replenishing your supplies of each of these.
Pickles
Pickles are full of important nutrients like potassium, calcium, vitamin A, iron, vitamin K and manganese. This makes pickles an ideal snack to help you gain energy and recover from your hangover symptoms.
Water
Finally, water is absolutely vital after a night of heavy drinking. Alcohol dehydrates your whole body, so when you wake up in the morning you will feel terrible as a result of needing fresh water. Drinking water will also help to dilute anything that remains in your stomach from the previous evening's festivities. Putting some sugar in the water will help to replace lost glycogen, and you can also try adding salt to your water to help replenish your sodium supplies.
Although the above foods, drinks and pills can help to ease your suffering, the only way to entirely rid yourself of a hangover is to patiently wait it out. Remember, your body is still full of toxic leftovers from your night of merriment, and it takes a while for it to flush these away.
Since hangovers are mainly caused by the fact that your body is dehydrated and lacking in vital vitamins and minerals, the best thing you can do for your health is to take action before you start drinking. If you know you are going to a party or are planning to spend the evening in the pub, try to eat some protein and take a multi-vitamin tablet before you go. It is also helpful to drink glasses of water in between drinking alcoholic beverages. It may be difficult to remember to do all this, but you will be grateful in the morning!
Health Disclaimer. Copyright ©2013. Published with permission. Dr. E. C. Gordon (PhD) has studied psychology, health, philosophy, relationship counselling and sociology.
Related Reading: The Health Benefits of Alcohol from Nathan Zassman.