Memorial Day Weekend begins in less than 4 days, and that means it’s time to get your liver ready. 3 Days of hard boozing in the beautiful weather combined with nonstop grilling and endless love for the good old U S of A brings a recipe for a legendary weekend. Come Tuesday, after you peel off your bro-tastic tank top you wore all weekend, you are most likely going to be in for a killer hangover. As expected as this is, it still sucks. Everyone has remedies and foods to cure hangovers, but these are the foods and drinks you should actually stick to to clear that nasty feeling, and which myths to avoid.
Drinks that Help:
Water. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it pushes liquids out of the body. When nothing’s left in the tank, the body will draw water from any available source, including the brain and this equals a headache. Drinking some H20 before heading to bed can help prevent some painful hangover symptoms.
Sports drinks. Sugary sports drinks can do a workout more harm than good, but such is not the case with a killer hangover. Reach for a Gatorade or similar beverage to restore liquids and electrolytes stat.
Fruit juice. Pour a glass of apple or cranberry juice to kick start the recovery process. The fructose in sweet fruity drinks gives the body some instant energy, and may even help boost metabolism to get rid of those gnarly alcohol toxins. Juice also contains vitamins and plenty of water to get the body rehydrated.
Pickle juice. This hangover remedy is weird and sound disgusting but it works. The sour liquid contains vinegar, salt, and water, which can help rehydrate and replenish electrolyte and sodium levels.
Foods That Help:
Bananas, kiwi, and spinach. These brightly colored fruits and veggies are loaded with potassium, an important electrolyte that is often depleted due to alcohol’s diuretic effect. Not feeling a salad first thing in the morning? Add some yogurt and blend these bad boys into a hangover-fighting smoothie.
Eggs. This breakfast staple is a brunch all-star for a reason. Eggs are chock full of hardworking amino acids like cysteine and taurine. Taurine boosts liver function and can help prevent against liver disease.
Chicken Noodle Soup. Nothing says “wild night out” like a bowl of mom’s chicken and rice soup, right? It might not be the most conventional hangover food, but a cup o noodles can restock sodium and water levels in the body.
Crackers or Toast with Honey. Crackers and toast are both simple, bland carbs that raise blood sugar without upsetting the stomach. Add a drizzle of fructose-laden honey to help the body burn off alcohol quicker.
Oats. Take this superfood for a spin when you’re feeling less than stellar in the morning. A hot bowl of oatmeal has plenty of essential nutrients like B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Tomatoes. Leave the Bloody Mary, take the tomato juice. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces inflammation in the body.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid:
Greasy food. Contrary to popular knowledge, heading to the local greasy spoon is not a great hangover cure. A large, fatty meal is better at preventing a hangover than curing one. Chowing down on a big burger before the liquor starts flowing can help insulate the stomach, preventing alcohol from being absorbed into the stomach lining and bloodstream.
Hair of the dog. Boozing in the morning is not the solution to a hangover. An alcoholic beverage can help take the edge off in the morning, but it will further dehydrate the body and lead to even worse hangover symptoms later in the day.
Coffee. Like alcohol, coffee is a diuretic, so that latte will only dehydrate the body even more. A morning espresso will only take a headache to the next level. To feel better, stick to caffeine-free options like herbal tea, juice, or plain old H20.
