Are you plagued by hangovers? I certainly am - and it only gets worse as I get older! I used to bounce right back after a late night of drinking, but these days I almost always find myself hungover the morning after even after a glass of my favorite whiskey. Luckily, I know a few of the best foods to cure a hangover.
Everyone experiences hangovers differently. Some find themselves with a simple headache and fatigue, while others are wracked with gut-wrenching nausea and an upset stomach. No matter what hangover symptoms you experience, the cause is the same: it's mostly dehydration. You can try to prevent it the night before by loading up on carbs, which will keep your blood sugar levels regulated, or by drinking lots of water. But once you're already hungover, try some of these foods to cure what ails you.
1. Coconut Water
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Since you're dehydrated, coconut water is a great option for the morning after. This coconut liquid contains a ton of potassium and electrolytes, which means it has the same composition as sports drinks (like Gatorade) while also being naturally occurring. All of this means much-needed hydration to your body. And, since it's more flavorful than water, it might be easier to choke down, too.
2. Ginger
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Ginger is a naturally remedy for upset stomachs - it's been used to cure nausea for thousands of years. It will certainly help with your churning stomach the morning after, so reach for a fresh ginger root and get to grating.
If you can't stomach the though of food, grate some ginger into a glass of hot water. Or, double up on your hangover food and grate it into fresh orange juice (we'll get to fruit as a hangover cure in a moment!).
3. Tomato Juice
Do you ever wonder why a Bloody Mary is such a popular morning drink? It's not just the hair-of-the-dog effect - it's because tomato juice is a well-known hangover remedy. You'll start feeling better after the first sip!
You'll benefit from some essential nutrients in tomato juice (like vitamins and antioxidants) while your body does the work to rid you of the pain. The tomato juice will speed up your liver functions, helping your body process the alcohol more rapidly.
4. Caffeine
You might always start your day with a cup o' joe, but there's a good reason to drink coffee when you have a hangover. Since caffeine dilutes your blood vessels, it will help you get rid of that pounding headache a little bit quicker.
That means you'll lose the fatigue and perk up while also ditching the hangover. If you want to go one step further, add some heavy cream to that cup. Healthy fats are also known to be beneficial hangover helpers.
5. Eggs
Eggs are one of the best foods to cure a hangover because they're easy to eat and even easier to find. Your favorite greasy spoon diner is sure to have at least one egg dish on the menu! It doesn't matter how you enjoy them, you'll benefit from the amino acid cysteine. That compound will work hard to break down acetaldehyde (the toxin responsible for most of your hangover pain).
6. Fresh Fruit
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I know you're probably craving greasy food, but you should try to reach for some fresh fruit instead. The fructose in fruit will boost your energy - naturally - and help you speed up the rate at which your body rids itself from alcohol's toxins. At the same time, the vitamins and minerals in fruit will replenish everything you lost during your drinking session. Sounds pretty win-win to me!
7. Cayenne Pepper
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If you really want to speed your recovery up, reach for this super-spicy pepper. You might become a little more miserable as you heat up your body, but you'll sweat the toxins right out! As a bonus, you'll probably want to drink more water (because your mouth is on fire), so you'll rehydrate that much more quickly.
8. Honey
Honey is loaded with antioxidants and fructose, which will replenish your nutrient loss while also boosting your energy. As a bonus, digesting that fructose will actually compete with processing the alcohol.
Since your body wants the fructose more, it'll actually push out the alcohol more quickly so it can absorb the beneficial fructose! At the end of the day, that means processing your hangover more quickly.
9. Fresh Citrus
It doesn't matter if it's a lemon, lime, or orange - give it a squeeze into your morning glass of water. You'll begin the rehydration process and also boost your vitamin C intake. Since vitamin C supports detoxification and alleviates liver inflammation, that means your citrus-water will help you filter all that alcohol out of your system.
10. Avocado Toast
I can't think of a single occasion where I would say no to avocado toast! Not only is it comforting (which will help ease your mental pain a bit), but it's also loaded with everything your body needs to recover.
You'll get healthy fats and the carbs in the bread will help your liver create more glucose to regulate your blood sugar, giving you the energy you need to keep moving.
