It’s the festive season, you’ve gone slightly overboard (deservedly) and have imbibed one too many mulled wines or several too many glasses of Prosecco…
You now have the inevitable festive hangover, so we’ve looked long and hard for ways to help you feel better fast, and found these sensational tips from Nosh Detox. Nosh Detox develops foods and juices that address health and well-being issues.
So, first, the facts about hangovers:
1. Alcohol is a diuretic. So each alcoholic drink dehydrates you, and drink not only dehydrates you, but along with the water-loss, you lose the availability of the water-soluble vitamins so you suddenly end up short of, vitamin B-complex and vitamin C.
2. Alcohol is a toxin and can directly impact on body tissue particularly the nervous system. This is at least in part through oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Neutralising these with glutathione and with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and zinc, alpha lipoic acid and others should help reduce the damage. In particular, the B Vitamins (that is B1, thiamine; B2, riboflavin; folic acid; B6 and B12, which plays an important role in the functioning of the brain and nervous system), help combat hangovers symptoms.
3. Your nervous system and cell walls are very reliant on building blocks of proteins and special fats (known as phospho-lipids). Supplementation with these may also help reduce the symptoms of a hangover and perhaps the damage.
Here are Nosh Detox’s top tips to help avoid a festive hangover…
1. Never drink on an empty stomach
Drinking on an empty stomach can lead to the rate of alcohol absorption being as equivalent to receiving it intravenously. Protein-rich foods are the safest option as they take longer to digest, which then slows down how fast your blood alcohol level increases.
2. Avoid drinks with congeners
Now, we didn’t know what congeners were, either; but in the alcoholic beverages industry, congeners are substances, that are added to the alcohol to create most of the flavour and aroma and sometimes the colour of distilled alcoholic beverages. Congeners increase the intensity of hangovers. Spirits which commonly have congeners include Tequila and Whiskey. Colourless spirits are low in congeners, and typically leave a less severe hangover so bring on the vodka tonics!
3. Skip Champagne
Bad news. It is scientifically proven that the bubbles in Champagne actually accelerate the absorption of alcohol, hence the saying ‘the bubbles have gone to my head’. Consuming bubbly alcoholic drinks will result in you getting more drunk more quickly which may lead to a worse hangover.
4. Take vitamins
Your body uses essential vitamins and minerals when digesting and metabolising alcohol, leading to a depletion of vitamins and a worse hangover. Before a heavy night of drinking, help out your liver by taking vitamin supplements, particularly B-complex.
5. Avoid ‘diet’ mixers
Because diet mixers such as diet lemonade and diet cola contain no calories or sugar, this leads to alcohol entering directly into the bloodstream. Juices are a better alternative as they are not carbonated and decrease the speed of alcohol absorption.
And here’s what to do after if the ‘preventative’ tips didn’t wholly avoid hangover symptoms…
1. Rehydrate
Dehydration is the main cause of a hangover, so drinking a large glass of water before you go to sleep and another one as soon as you wake up will really help. A rehydration sachet is especially helpful as it will replace lost electrolytes as well as rehydrate you.
2. Take Vitamins
Just as it is wise to take vitamin supplements before a night of drinking, you should also take supplements the day after. This will help replenish any vitamins that were used during the metabolism of alcohol the night before. B-complex and C, are the ones to concentrate on. Potassium and magnesium also help.
3. Eat Eggs
Eggs are full of amino acids which boost liver function and help breakdown acetaldehyde. That is the chemical that is left over when the liver breaks down ethanol and is the one which causes headaches. Whether you have them scrambled, poached or fried, eggs really help.
4. Avoid caffeine
You may be desperate for a caffeine boost but do not make the mistake of overloading your body with it. Caffeine is also a diuretic, so too much caffeine will interfere with your hydration levels and can leave you feeling worse.
5. Sip Peppermint Tea
Studies show that a peppermint infusion is an effective cure for morning sickness in pregnancy; an infusion of peppermint may also help to reduce nausea from a hangover.
The multi-award winning Nosh Detox products are freshly made and delivered across Europe & the UK. Nosh Detox develops food and juice programmes that address health and well-being issues, from problem skin, to weight issues, digestive problems, stress and helping the body to fight infections. More information on Nosh Detox can be found here – www.noshdetox.com
Do you have any great hangover cures you’d like to share?
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