As a nutritionist, drinking alcohol is definitely not something I recommend. There's no doubt that alcohol is not loved by the human body. Having said that, I do believe alcohol can be immensely pleasurable and aids relaxation (something so many of us need!) if you drink in moderate amounts. If and when you do drink, it’s so important to take good care of the body … it needs your love! Here are some of my favorite hangover-kicking tips! Alcohol dehydrates the body. Drink one glass of water after each alcoholic drink, and drink lots of water the day after, between 2-3 liters. Coconut water is fabulous for hangovers; it's high in electrolytes that replenish the body's water levels after dehydration. Add a pinch of sea salt and lemon juice to your water too to alkalize. Green juices would also be fabulous, as they're high in minerals and electrolytes. Alcohol depletes vitamins in the body. B-vitamins are responsible for many metabolic processes of the body — the liver detox pathways rely on B’s to detox effectively.
I take 1-2 B-complex vitamins daily after drinking. This can work wonders. 3. Eat well before and after. Most people think a hangover is a good excuse to grease it up with burgers and fries. This will make you feel worse. Enjoy your protein and good fats: eggs, avocado and spinach are fabulous breakfast choices. 4. Eat before you drink. Always make sure your stomach is lined with food, which allows alcohol to be absorbed at a slower pace. This is a good time to enjoy slow releasing carbohydrates such as brown rice, sweet potato and quinoa. I love to enjoy some brown rice sushi before drinking. I suggest avoiding caffeine if you can, this is just an extra liver loader and can make you feel worse. Exercise stimulates the lymphatic system to excrete toxins and gets the blood flowing. Enjoy a quick hard workout. Exercises also release endorphins, the feel good hormones! Yoga is also amazing for hangovers. 6. Go for a swim. It just works magic. An ocean swim is even better.
7. Support your lovely liver. The brassica vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) contains enzymes that support liver detox, so load up on them. I also love to drink dandelion root tea, or I take it in a supplement form. Lemon water and apple cider vinegar are great for liver detox (1 Tbsp. in water, with ½ tsp. of turmeric). Eat grated carrots with lemon juice and sea salt and enjoy a green juice. Go for the clear and clean alcohol options — gin, vodka would be the best choice WITHOUT the sugary mixers. Enjoy them with lemon juice and sparkling water. The sugary drinks make hangovers much worse.We know a lot about getting drunk here at GDNF. Here are our best recommendations for curing or preventing a hangover: This is a formula we invented here at GDNF and all of our friends swear by it. We actually were going to start selling this secret formula but got lazy and went back to drinking. To your benefit you can buy these ingredients at Amazon for about $0.30 a dose.
Before your first drink, take one each of the following: 100mg B-6 vitamin, 600mg NAC, and one Liv 52 herbal pill NAC (N-acetylcystine) can bind to acetaldehyde: the toxic, hangover-inducing metabolite of alcohol. When NAC binds acetaldehyde the body can much more easily get rid of it. Vitamin B6 – Reduced the number of hangover symptoms by approximately 50% in one study of 17 men and women attended. Fifty percent of participants B6 and 50% received placebo. A survey instrument of 20 symptoms was used to assess hangover severity. On a scale of 1 to 10, the mean symptom score was 3.2 with B6 and 6.8 with placebo. Liv 52 – Herbal formula which prevents the binding of acetaldehyde to cell proteins in the liver. An independent study showed patients scored on a scale of 1 to 5 a 2.44 on hangover symptoms vs. 3.81 with placebo. Drink water between each drink. Put a water bottle on your pillow before you go out. Pound it before you pass out. Do not drink on an empty stomach!
Drinking as little as 2 ounces of alcohol on an empty stomach can lead to very low blood sugar levels. When you drink alcohol, the body focuses on metabolizing alcohol and getting it eliminated from the body. Therefore, the body focuses less on maintaining proper blood sugar levels. OK, I forgot to follow your advice above and I have a terrible hangover, now what? Go for a 20 minute run, long enough that you are sweating for at least a good 10 minutes. It sounds terrible but once you start sweating out the toxins you will feel way better. When you wake up at 5am needing to hit the bathroom, pound as much water as possible. Bed will be calling you to get back in but the water will make a huge difference when you wake up again. Take two Alka Seltzer plus cold tablets. They will ease the queasy stomach and headache. F@ck it, get hammered all over again. Make the hangover a tomorrow kind of problem! Hangover causes courtesy of SABMiller While the vast majority of people drink responsibly, some do occasionally drink too much.
When this happens, the body may react with physical symptoms often referred to as a hangover (also known as veisalgia or ‘alcohol hangover’). A hangover typically begins within several hours of someone stopping drinking, peaking when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) falls to zero and continuing for up to 24 hours. Hangovers have been with us for centuries but the precise biological factors that cause them are not fully understood. We do, however, know what leads to them – drinking too much – and how to avoid them – responsible consumption. What’s happening when you have Since alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomach, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can irritate the stomach lining and cause nausea. If consumed in excess, alcohol can promote the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. Your body may react by vomiting if too much hydrochloric acid builds up in the stomach. Common symptoms of a hangover include headache, fatigue, nausea, anxiety, lack of appetite, thirst and sensitivity to light and noise.
As alcohol is a diuretic, excessive consumption can cause the body to increase the amount of urine it produces. Alcohol also inhibits the production of anti-diuretic hormone, a hormone that keeps the urine concentrated. If you drink too much alcohol, your kidneys may expel water in your urine instead of reabsorbing it into the body, you may urinate more and your body could become dehydrated. Symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration include thirst, weakness, dizziness, headache and lightheadedness – much like those of a hangover. Excess urination also removes necessary salts and potassium from the body. This can result in fatigue and nausea. Glycogen is the body’s main source of stored energy. Alcohol breaks down glycogen in the liver and expels it from the body in the urine. The resulting lower levels of glycogen can make you feel tired and weak until the body restores its supply. When the liver breaks down alcohol, it produces a toxic substance called acetaldehyde. In turn, acetaldehyde is broken down by an enzyme called glutathione.