So you made the most of Arthur’s Day, and you’re looking for that morning after pick-me-up. Either that or you’ve a pretty good idea what the weekend has in store for you.Everything from burnt toast to more drink gets touted as a hangover cure, but few actually work. Chomp through these five things, however, and you’ll be well on your way.
By Robert Carry
Eggs
Eggs will boost your energy like any other food and in doing so will speed up your metabolism and increase the rate at which your body processes the alcohol still in your system. However, they also contain tons of cysteine, which is extremely effective at breaking down hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde. So, by helping to clear up those left-over toxins, eggs will reduce your hangover time.
Bananas
While the thought of confronting your face with a banana the morning after a heavy night out might seem a tad off-putting, they will help recover some of the electrolytes lost the night before. This happy yellow fruit which comes conveniently packaged into single servings also replenishes the potassium stripped away through alcohol’s diuretic effect.
Vitamin C
Scientists believe vitamin C can help the body clear itself of alcohol more quickly. Try taking a chewable 500 milligram vitamin C tablet or if you’ve none to hand, opt for a vitamin rich food such as oranges or tomatoes. If you’re still not up to going back on solids then throw back a glass of orange juice.
Not only will the vitamin C it contains help you out, but the naturally occurring fructose sugar in the drink will increase energy levels. Another plus is that it will help replenish levels of various other vitamins and minerals that get stripped away by alcohol’s diuretic effect.
Water
This one might be a bit obvious, but is still worth mentioning for those who might get upset and confused when they discover that their tongue feels dry and they don’t know why. Many of the nasty symptoms which constitute a hangover come from alcohol’s dehydrating effects. Throwing back a couple of litres will rehydrate you while diluting the leftover byproducts in the stomach. Sports drinks with added sugar and salt work in the same way. Only better. It’s also worth noting that downing a pint or two of water before going to bed will drastically improve your situation the following morning.
Rasher sandwich
There are few things on this earth that go together as well as a hangover and a rasher sandwich, and with good reason. The bread in your sandwich is packed with carbs which will help boost energy levels and the rashers are full of protein so they help replenish the amino acids lost while drinking.
Also, your body loses salt when processing alcohol which is why we can often crave this type of gear the morning after. Consuming salty food the next morning helps restore your imbalanced electrolytes and has the benefit of making you want to drink more water – which in turn combats dehydration.
So there you have it – even in these dark days when the pharmacy refuses to hand over the Nurofen, you can eat your way to a hangover-free Sunday.
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