Hangover Helpers

‘Tis the season of back-to-back Holiday parties, finger foods, cocktails and hot toddies.
If you’ve thrown all inhibitions out the window for the last few weeks of the year, chances are you’re waking up a bit beaten up these days!

WHILE AT THE PARTY:
- Hydrate throughout the evening by alternating between one alcoholic beverage and one glass of water or seltzer.
- Stick to one type of alcohol. Mixing it up can get pretty messy and is known to cause much worse hang over. I suggest red wine or vodka.
- Eat first! As much as drinking on an empty stomach might get you where you want to go faster, it will more likely cause you to make a bad food choice later. A whole pizza or a cheeseburger after midnight is not a great idea. Instead - meet some friends early for dinner before the party.
- Avoid the sugar. Cocktails, soda and fruit juice mixers can be very high in sugar, causing blood sugar imbalance and more dehydration. It also adds up the calories quickly. Sugary drinks are also likely to make you crave salty and fatty foods…
- Have fun! The party is about having  good time with your friends and hopefully making some new ones. Engage in conversations, dance like there’s no tomorrow and hit up a karaoke bar! When you’re busy you might forget to drink so much ;)

Although I am a firm believer in prevention, sometimes the damage is done and major repair is needed ASAP!
So - here are a few Hangover Helpers for those morning afters, drunken regrets, headaches and funny tummy’s!

WHEN THE DAMAGE IS DONE:

1) HYDRATE; Alcohol, sugar and salty foods can make you dehydrated and feeling like crap.  Down a big glass of water when you get home at night and leave it next to your bed so that you can hydrate asap when you wake up. Drink lots of water with lemon when you wake up. The lemon will help you wake up, boost liver function to clear out those toxins and hopefully feel a little more fresh!
Keep drinking lemon water throughout the day, hot or cold.

2) REST; Not only does you sleep get compromised by you staying up past your bed time, you also have a lower quality sleep when you have alcohol in your blood. So, the next day, allow yourself to take things a bit slow. Relax and nap if you can! Avoid going to the gym or pushing yourself through a tough exercise the day after a big party. Your body has enough work to do cleaning up last nights toxins…

3) EASY DOES IT; …but do gentle exercising such as restorative yoga or a walk in fresh air. Deep breaths and light exercise will wake you up and help the detoxing process by increasing circulation and the release of feel-good hormones!

4) GET COCONUTS; Drink REAL coconut water out of a coconut. That’s the kind that haven’t been pasteurized and have all the electrolytes and potassium intact. This is the most powerful hydrating food in nature. The natural sugar will give you a little boost too!

5) EAT BREAKFAST; Egg’s are a great brunch option on a day like this. A stable blood sugar is crucial for even energy throughout the day and on a morning like this your blood sugar is most likely low from all the sugar in alcohol.  Also - eggs contain the amino acid cysteine which is crucial for our immune system!
If you’d rather go for a plant-based option - have some hearty oatmeal with nuts, cinnamon and flax seeds.

6) GREEN IT UP; Give your body a real vitamin boost with a big green juice full of parsley, lemon and ginger. Sip it slowly and feel the goodness!

7) PROBIOTICS; Eat sauerkraut, drink some kombucha or take a few probiotic pills. The good bacteria’s will help ease digestion and hopefully also some of the bloat.

8) LOVE; Enjoy the slow day with a loved one. Cuddle up and watch movie, enjoy the excuse to be a bit lazy today and stay home tonight.

9) 48 HOURS; Give your body a break and wait for 48 hours before you go for another drink… I know - easier said than done, but I have to try!