The Real Truth Behind Food And Drink Hangover Remedies

Talk to anyone who drinks and they are sure to have a “surefire” hangover remedy to help you through the next morning. Many of these remedies involving eating or drinking something special. Here is a look at some popular ones to see which ones really work.

One popular belief is to go with the “hair of the dog that bit you” – meaning, have another drink. Unfortunately, this is false and only going to prolong your misery. Since a hangover is caused by the liver processing toxins, drinking more alcohol is only going to give your liver more work to do.

Burnt toast is a recommended food with the idea that the carbon in the bread will act like a filter to cleanse out the alcohol. While activated charcoal, a form of carbon, is used to treat some poisons, alcohol poisoning is not one of them. Charcoal is used in some of the over-the-counter remedies that you take before drinking, with the idea that it attracts the congeners. Either way, the black stuff on your toast is not the same thing, and will not do anything for your hangover.

For those that have to get up and going in the morning, coffee is considered an excellent remedy, particularly black. However, it is merely the caffeine in it that makes the drinker feel better. As soon as the caffeine wears off, they may feel worse than before. Fatigue sets in, blood vessels go back to their normal size causing headaches, and the diuretic effects can leave the drinker even more dehydrated than before, increasing hangover severity. So while it may get you out the door in the morning, do not count on it to keep the hangover away.

Fried or Fatty foods are another remedy. Eating these after drinking will usually only further irritate your already nauseous stomach, so as a cure it is not very effective. However, fried and fatty foods can work as a preventative to the hangover. Eating when drinking helps the body to absorb less alcohol into the blood stream, and the fatty foods take longer to digest so are particularly effective. It will take you longer to feel the side effects of the alcohol, and give your body more time to process the toxins, allowing you to feel better in the morning.

Eggs have long been touted as a wonder food. Besides giving you energy for the morning after, they also contain cysteine, which breaks up acetaldehyde in the liver. This can help get rid of any left-over toxins from your night of drinking.

Bananas are another popular cure with some truth behind them. They help provide lost electrolytes, specifically potassium, and are often well tolerated by nauseous stomachs.

Drinking water helps to get rid of dehydration, one of the main causes of hangover pain. Having salts and sugars added to the water, as in the case of some sports waters, will help produce nutrients lost when drinking. To prevent hangovers, drinking a glass of water with each alcoholic drink will help slow down drinking and keep you hydrated.

Fruit juice is a popular morning after remedy. The fructose in the juice helps give energy, and it may increase you body’s ability to rid itself of toxins. It is also high in vitamins and nutrients like Vitamins C and B that your body lost from the alcohol.

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