The obvious thing to avoid a hangover is not to drink in the first place or drink a reasonable amount but sometimes, we just need to let our hair down and have a good time.
So here are a few useful tips that will help you to avoid a hangover, splitting headaches, dehydration, interrupted sleep, upset stomach or feeling lethargic…

Tip #1: Don’t drink on an empty stomach
If you are the party host, have healthy appetizers like carrot or cucumber sticks on rice cakes or gluten-free oatcakes.
My favourites are Nairn’s gluten-free oatcakes with organic houmous which makes a great healthy snack and was recommended by my Nutritionist.

Tip #2: Eat before going out
If you are going out, eat a meal that involves carbs, proteins and healthy fats like this delicious spicy prawns salad rather than a green salad. Food will help slow down the body’s absorption of alcohol.
Red meat is great too as it contains a high concentration of amino acids and B vitamins that help process the nasty byproducts of alcohol.

Tip #3: Drink lots of water between each glass
Alcohol is a diuretic which means, it removes fluids from the body and drinking excessively will lead to dehydration.
Dehydration is what causes many of the symptoms of a hangover.

To avoid dehydration, my sister Elodie uses the following technique:

For each glass of wine she drinks, she sipped 1/2 bottle of water afterward which is the equivalent of a pint. She also drinks plenty of water before going to bed and then again,  first thing in the morning.
However, do not drink carbonated water as it will speed up the absorption of alcohol into your system.

Tip #4: Limit your intake
Units are like the 5 a day portions of fruits and vegetables, we never quite know what it is (for fruits, a portion is about 80g by the way) so while we think we ‘only’ drank two glasses last night, two large glasses means that you basically drank 6 units.

The daily recommended unit is three to four units a day for men and two or three units for women.
You can download the Change4Life Drinks Tracker app on iTunes and Google Play but here are a few examples to give you an idea:

• a can of standard lager, beer or bitter – 1.8 units
• a pint of standard lager, beer or bitter – 2.3 units
• a small glass of wine (125ml) – 1.5 units
• a large glass of wine (250ml) – 3 units
• a measure of spirits (25ml) – 1 unit

Tip #5: Don’t mix alcohol and avoid fizzy drinks
Like carbonated water, fizzy drinks accelerate the absorption of alcohol into your system so unfortunately, a whiskey coke is not a great idea.
While orange juice won’t prevent a hangover, fruit and vegetable juices contain extra vitamins so they are always a better alternative for you than soda.

I’m sure by now, you know how I feel about coke and refined sugars but if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend you watch the documentary “Hungry For Change” on Netflix.
It was a game changer for me and encouraged me to kick my daily coke habit to achieve better health & well-being.

Tip #6: Start rehydrating before going to bed
The best time to rehydrate your body is before going to bed so while your guests are having a nightcap, now is the time to start drinking as much water as you can.

What to do the morning after to recover quickly…

• Have a glass of fresh lemon juice in lukewarm water to cleanse your system and drink plenty of water first thing in the morning.
• Then aim to drink at least 3L of water throughout the day.
• Eggs are rich in cysteine, which helps break down a headache-causing toxin that’s produced when your body digests alcohol. So rather than having a piece of greasy bacon that will upset your stomach furthermore, go out for brunch and enjoy some scrambled eggs & smoked salmon, an omelet or a bowl of porridge.
• If your stomach is really upset, have food rich in vitamins and minerals and easy to digest like a Bouillon soup.

What about you? Have you got some great tips to ease the pain the day after?

1 & 4. Found on Pinterest sources unknown| 2. Pretty wasted feature for Interview magazine | 3. Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis