The day after drinking, many people suffer from hangovers. Hangovers come with a range of symptoms, such as stomachaches, fatigue, headaches, and nausea, and can sometimes last all day. Wouldn’t it be great if there were foods that could ease this discomfort? Today, we’ll introduce 12 foods that help relieve hangovers and 4 foods you should avoid. We hope this article helps make your next day a bit more comfortable.
Foods that Help Relieve Hangovers
1. Korean Pear
Korean pear is excellent for relieving hangovers. According to a study, pear juice significantly reduces severe hangover symptoms and lowers blood alcohol levels. Drinking pear juice can help improve symptoms like impaired concentration, memory loss, and sensitivity to light and sound.
2. Honey
Honey can speed up the elimination of alcohol from the body. Consuming honey can reduce the time it takes to bring blood alcohol levels to ‘0’, thus helping alleviate hangover symptoms and shorten the duration of the hangover.
3. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Since hangover symptoms are related to inflammation, eating sweet potatoes can be effective. The daily requirement for vitamin A for adults is 500-600µg, and 100g of sweet potatoes contain 20,000µg of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
4. Meat
Meat is rich in zinc, niacin (vitamin B), and essential amino acids. These nutrients can increase the body’s alcohol metabolism rate and help reduce hangover symptoms.
5. Eggs
Eggs are rich in cysteine, an amino acid that helps the body produce glutathione. Glutathione is an antioxidant critical to alcohol metabolism, and alcohol depletes the body’s glutathione stores. Eating eggs can restore glutathione levels and help relieve hangover symptoms.
6. Ginger
Ginger has antioxidant properties that protect the liver, lungs, and kidneys from alcohol-induced changes. Ginger is known to aid digestion and alleviate nausea. Consuming ginger in drinks or food can help reduce alcohol-induced inflammation and stomach discomfort.
7. Legumes
Legumes are rich in zinc, which is essential for effective alcohol metabolism. Research suggests that zinc helps the body metabolize alcohol faster, and consuming zinc-rich foods can reduce the severity of hangovers.
8. Coconut Water
Coconut water is rich in electrolytes like potassium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Coconut water helps replenish electrolytes and increase hydration, though some studies suggest electrolyte replenishment does not significantly reduce hangover symptoms.
9. Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium, an electrolyte. A medium-sized banana contains about 450mg of potassium, which can help alleviate hangover symptoms by replenishing electrolytes after drinking. However, there is no research to support this claim.
10. Avocado
Avocados are rich in niacin (vitamin B3). A medium-sized avocado contains about 3.5mg of niacin, which is 25% of the daily recommended intake. Niacin helps the body break down alcohol and alleviate severe hangover symptoms.
11. Asparagus
Asparagus can enhance the activity of enzymes that break down alcohol. The compounds in asparagus are known to help protect the liver from toxic substances.
12. Mango
Studies on rats have shown that mango can lower blood alcohol levels and increase alcohol metabolism. The fructose in mango is believed to promote alcohol metabolism. However, no studies have confirmed this effect in humans.
Foods That Worsen Hangovers
1. Greasy Food
Greasy foods are hard to digest and can cause heartburn or stomach discomfort, exacerbating nausea from drinking. It’s best to avoid greasy foods the day after drinking.
2. Caffeine
Both alcohol and caffeine are diuretics, causing you to urinate more frequently and leading to dehydration. While drinking coffee to wake up after a night of drinking might seem like a good idea, it can worsen dehydration due to its additional diuretic effects.
3. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are highly acidic and hard to digest. Consuming citrus can cause acid reflux or stomach pain.
4. The Hair of the Dog (Alcohol in the Morning)
Drinking alcohol the morning after doesn’t help recovery. Hangover symptoms occur when the body experiences withdrawal from alcohol. Continuing to drink will only perpetuate the “drink-hangover” cycle.
Conclusion
Have you realized how important what we eat is in reducing the next day’s pain? Remember the foods that help relieve hangovers and make sure to avoid the foods that you should stay away from the morning after drinking. We wish you a healthy drinking life.