If your social calendar includes cocktails on the beach, backyard beer blasts or champagne dinners, you can avoid nasties like nausea, headache, fever, flatulence (oh my!) and more with these hangover-fighting tips:
BEFORE THE PARTY:
– Cushion your stomach with high fiber, healthy fat and complex carbs. Try wheat crackers with cheese or almond butter, avocado slices and a handful of nuts.
– Start your water-drinking regimen early. Stock your fridge with H2O bottles and coconut water.
– Boost your well being with a multi-vitamin that contains Vitamin C.
DURING THE CELEBRATION:
– Keep track of your drinks and have a designated driver standing by.
– Despite the temptation, don’t try to be the life of the party by drinking a fishbowl-size martini.
– Avoid bubbles. Tonic water and club soda mixers can make you feel the affects of alcohol faster. Choose non-carbonated water or fruit juice as mixers instead. Champagne bubbles can have the same negative effect.
– Order cocktails on the rocks. You’ll consume less and the melting ice will dilute the alcohol.
– Stick with one kind of drink. Beware of mixing diverse libations like beer, wine, tequila, champagne and shots.
– Stay hydrated. Drink at least one full glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you consume.
– Avoid cheaper booze that can cause more hangovers. And shy away from darker liquor that often produces more headaches than lighter liquor. (A clear vodka drink might be a better choice than a darker bourbon cocktail.)
– Feeling the effects? Switch to mock cocktails. Order fruit juice in a champagne glass or a festive-looking drink with no side effects.
– Talk it up. If you’re busy chatting (or eating), you’re less likely to guzzle your drink.
AFTER THE FESTIVITIES:
– It’s time to start the “rinse cycle.” Before you go to sleep, drink coconut water to replenish your electrolytes. Keep a pitcher of water bedside and rehydrate through the night.
– Order a simple breakfast of hangover-healing eggs, bananas, and toast with almond butter or honey. Coffee could make you feel worse, so try more coconut water. A spoonful of bicarbonate of soda mixed in a glass of water can also help settle an over-served tummy.
– Although you might not feel like it, a run around the block or other exercise can be rejuvenating.
– If you have a headache, two aspirin might help. After drinking, it’s better to choose aspirin rather than acetaminophen (Tylenol) which should not be mixed with alcohol. – Once you’re feeling like your old self, it’s time to plan your next party adventure, armed with a cooler full of refreshing H2O and coconut water.