10 Drinks and Foods to Cure a Hangover

Raise your hand if you’re going to be hungover on January 1st!

My 21st Birthday

Whether I drink a lot, a little, or not at all, I swear I always suffer from hangovers. I’ve heard of various foods and drinks that help get rid of or prevent them altogether, and now I’m throwing them all into one post in preparation for New Year’s Eve festivities.

Before I get into that, though, here’s a recap of my latest workouts:

Workouts

Yesterday, I ran 4 recovery miles and did two of my favorites workouts: Shredded Shoulders and the 8-Minute Plank Challenge.

Today, I ran 4 miles at 36:29 with 6 short sprints thrown in. I also did my Lean Legs Circuit 1x through since I’ve been neglecting leg work because of all my running.

Tomorrow, I’m taking the day off. My plan is to start next week’s training on Sunday because I’ll be gone most of the week and won’t have many days to fit in runs. Plus, I don’t think I’ll be in the mood to workout or run on the 1st when I’m inevitably suffering from a hangover.

Hangover Cures

Try drinking or eating some of these to help cure a hangover:

Drinks to Help Cure a Hangover

• Water, water, and more water. This means before, during, and after. Since alcohol is a diuretic, you need to make up for what’s leaving the body with lots of water! My #1 way to cure a hangover (or at least tame it) is to drink water several times throughout the night. It’s pretty much ingrained in my mind to take a few sips of water every time I wake up or am nearing consciousness.
• Sports drinks. The electrolytes will help rehydrate the body.
• Energy Gels. My unscholarly sources tell me that these babies could help as well, what with their electrolytes and such. I’m intrigued and will definitely be trying this one out.
• Fruit juice. It’ll help replenish nutrients that have been lost by drinking alcohol.
• Ginger Ale. It doesn’t exactly help with rehydration, but ginger helps settle your stomach. There are conflicting views, however, on whether carbonation improves or worsens nausea.

Foods to Help Cure a Hangover

• Fruit. Just like fruit juice can help, eating fruit can help replenish important nutrients that are lost. Oranges, strawberries, and grapefruit are all great options as they’re high in vitamin C. Bananas, on the other hand, have potassium and magnesium which will also do the body good. When I know I’m going to be doing more drinking than usual, I tend to bring a banana with me. Gotta be prepared!
• Crackers or toast. These starchy carbs will help raise your blood sugar back up without bothering your stomach.
• Eggs. They contain the amino acid cysteine, which breaks down the toxins, helping them leave your body.
• Bouillon-Based Soup. When I’m feeling especially blah, soup often sounds better than real food. Bouillon broth has salt and potassium that can help replace electrolytes.
• Pills. I don’t exactly eat pills…I swallow them, but you get the point. Stay AWAY from acetaminophen (Tylenol) because it can damage your liver when mixed with alcohol. Aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil), on the other hand, can be taken. It’s recommended you take them the following day, though, when you don’t have as much alcohol in your system.

There are plenty of other claims at what are good foods or drinks to cure a hangover, but I find these to be the most practical for my life. Since everyone’s body is different, you may consider one food to be a cure while another person may find it to be quite the opposite.

I know I’m quite partial to bananas and drinking 7 gallons of water over the course of the night—and by 7 gallons I mean a few Nalgene bottles full of water if I don’t spill them all first.

Second time in the last 24 hours. Time for a sippy cup, I’d say.

Hope you find this useful if your alcohol consumption gets the best of you on New Year’s Eve !

What’s your go-to hangover cure?

Any plans for New Year’s Eve?

I’m doing exactly what I did last year, and I’m stoked! Hanging out with lots of friends, my siblings, and my bf. No place I’d rather be. 🙂