While plans for your year-end blowout may be well underway, you should also probably consider planning hangover remedies for the first day of 2019. Unless you want to end up wasting your entire day in bed, we’ve put together a list of 15 foods that will not only have you feeling fresh at the beginning of the year but will also give you sufficient leeway to get as sloshed as you like on New Year’s Eve without having to worry too much about its aftermath the next day.
15 foods that will help cure your next hangover
What’s more, most of these foods are probably already available in your kitchen and if not, are just a phone call away from your local grocery shop. So, here are 15 alternatives to plain old lime juice that will cure your next big hangover in no time.
1. Avocados
Avocados could help increase potassium levels that have decreased in your body from alcohol consumption and dehydration. In fact, one single avocado of about 136 gm could pack on 20 per cent of the DV (daily value) for this mineral. Additionally, avocados also contain compounds that protect your system against liver injury. And since excessive alcohol consumption could affect your liver, avocados could aid in curing hangovers.
2. Nuts
Nuts contain a high amount of magnesium which make them another great food for curing hangovers. Drinking liquor can deplete magnesium in your cells and as a result, refilling their stores might help treat hangover symptoms. Consuming half a cup of almonds (about 71 gm) could add about 50 per cent of DV for magnesium.
3. Oatmeal
Oatmeal comprises complex carbohydrates that provide a gradual release of sugar into your body’s bloodstream and thus it helps curing a hangover instantly. According to a study, consuming complex carbs instead of refined sugars for breakfast results in improved mood, blood sugar levels and decreased fatigue.
4. Honey
Honey has a high fructose content which may help it to reduce hangover symptoms of anxiety and fatigue. And fructose also supposedly helps rid your body of alcohol more quickly. According to a study conducted on 50 adults, consumption of honey during a hangover increased the rate of alcohol elimination by up to 32.4 per cent in their bodies.
5. Watermelon
Hangovers and headaches are usually synonymous with each other. This is because dehydration from consuming alcohol leads to decreased blood flow to the brain. Watermelon is rich in L-citrulline, a nutrient that helps increase blood flow in your system. Thus consuming watermelon could keep you hydrated and get rid of the headache associated to your hangover.
6. Crackers
Crackers contain carbs that act fast and can increase your blood sugar during a hangover, thus improving related symptoms. When your liver is processing alcohol, it deviates from regulating blood sugar. As a result, people especially with diabetes are advised against alcohol consumption since it can considerably lower your blood sugar level. Consuming carbs increases blood sugar and hence crackers could be useful in curing hangovers.
7. Pickles
Pickles contain a high sodium content, an electrolyte that is generally depleted during excessive drinking. Consumption of pickles or even drinking the brine from them could help boost your sodium levels and overcome your hangover.
8. Bananas
Consuming alcohol prevents the production of a particular hormone that helps your body retain water, instantly leading to dehydration and loss of electrolytes in the form of potassium and sodium. Bananas are a rich source of potassium and can help replenish your body’s stores of the same. A medium banana contains about 12 per cent of the DV for this nutrient.
9. Tomato juice
Apart from water, tomato juice is another beverage that could help you keep hydrated and cure your hangover. According to research, tomatoes contain compounds that protect against liver injury which could potentially be caused due to excessive alcohol consumption. Hence, tomatoes act as a counter-effect to drinking alcohol. According to another study, drinking tomato juice could accelerate the rate at which enzymes process alcohol.