How to Avoid a Hangover
Guest Post by Cassie Mendoza-Jones – naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist. Party season is almost here! Want to avoid the dreaded hangover? Here are a few tips and tricks to help you and your liver... besides not drinking too much! ;)
1. Eat before you drink
Alcohol is absorbed rapidly through the walls of the stomach, even more so on an empty tummy. Carbohydrate snacks slow alcohol absorption and high-fat snacks (e.g. cheese) keep the alcohol in the stomach for longer. Salty snacks just make you thirsty. To quench your thirst, drink water, not more alcohol! Fasting for as little as a day forces the body to degrade its protein, including the alcohol-processing enzymes, and this can slow the rate of alcohol metabolism by half. Therefore, drinking after not eating all day will make you feel the effects much more quickly for two reasons: rapid absorption and a slower breakdown.
2. Drink lots of water
Alcohol acts as a diuretic, meaning it increases the amount of water we excrete. Less fluids in our bodies makes us thirsty, and when you're thirsty at the pub you usually order another cider... but instead, grab a water in between every alcoholic drink, a couple more glasses of water before bed (or a coconut water) or have some pure electrolytes (sold in little sachets from pharmacies) plus lots more water the next day.
3. Don't mix drinks!
Generally, the darker a drink, the worse the hangover. It is the presence of a substance called a congener that predicts the level of hangover. Gin and vodka contain few congeners while bourbon has 8 times the congeners of gin, and 30 times the congeners of vodka! Mixing drinks makes it harder for the body to cope with a wide arrange of congeners, meaning your hangover is that much worse the next day.
4. Refuel your body
The body uses up lots of B vitamins and zinc in order to produce the enzyme needed to break down alcohol. It also robs the brain of another fuel – glucose, which is why your head feels so thick and heavy the morning after. Make sure you're not just drinking in place of eating and opt for a nutritious meal before and after (and uh... everyday!) a big night out. Alcohol is rich in 'empty calories' but still it's important you don't drink on an empty tummy. Ensure you refuel your brain the next day - lots of hydration, nutrients (eggs, greens and veggies juices are great), electrolytes (bananas, coconut water) and supplement with some B vitamins and zinc if needed.
5. Look out for your poor little liver
Our livers are the primary site of alcohol metabolism. If liver cells could talk, they would describe alcohol as demanding, arrogant and disruptive. The liver can process 10 grams of ethanol (alcohol) per hour, which is the amount in a standard drink. If you drink too much alcohol too quickly, the extra alcohol that can’t be digested will travel to all parts of the body, circulating again and again until the liver enzymes are able to process it. So the lesson here is… drink slowly! Support your liver with bitter foods (lemon in warm water, endive, chicory, dandelion root coffee and dandelion leaves, apple cider vinegar, grapefruit, radish) and herbs such as St Mary’s Thistle, Dandelion, Bupleurum, Schisandra, Turmeric as well as the homoeopathic remedy Nux vomica, perfect for negating the effects of overconsumption of both food and alcohol.
About Cassie
Cassie Mendoza-Jones is a dedicated, caring and passionate naturopath, nutritionist and herbalist who believes in the healing power of nature. She has particular interests in stress, exhaustion and adrenal fatigue, anxiety and depression, disordered eating, weight loss and digestive disorders as well as hormonal imbalances and women’s health issues. Cassie is passionate about helping her clients achieve their goals of health, balance and wellbeing through nutritional and herbal treatment, education and motivation. You can visit her website, find her on Facebook or Twitter, or read some of her previous blog posts.