The magic of spring break has quickly faded upon returning to campus, but one thing might still be clinging on: your hangover. The unfortunate after effects of having a great spring break might still be affecting how you feel and perform, and as busy college students, we just don’t have the time to be underperforming. Good news for all you wayward, hungover souls, I’m about to tell you how you can alleviate (and maybe even cure) your hangover with food.
Coconut water: Excess alcohol consumption can lead to dehydration by decreasing the amount of anti-diuretic hormone your body secretes. Dehydration caused by alcohol consumption can cause dizziness, headache, nausea, and irritability. Coconut water has a very high amount of electrolytes, much higher than any sports drink. These electrolytes, potassium and sodium, are important for restoring and maintaining the body’s hydration balance and can help alleviate some of the hangover symptoms you’re experiencing. So drag yourself to the nearest Whole Foods and buy an overpriced bottle of weird tasting coconut juice and thank me later.
Eggs: Eggs and other animal products contain an important amino acid called Cysteine. When your liver breaks down ethanol from alcohol, it leaves behind a chemical called acetaldehyde, which causes those brain-splitting headaches that can accompany a hangover. The cysteine in eggs breaks this chemical down, relieving your hangover headache. Use this as your excuse to treat yourself to an Eggs Benedict at brunch the next morning.
Eat a Big Breakfast: Alcohol has a fair amount of calories (7 kcal/gram), and drinking a lot of it can cause a spike and crash in blood sugar. Having big, balanced breakfast will raise your body’s blood sugar to a stable level and alleviate the symptoms of low blood sugar, which include nausea, headache, weakness, and fatigue. Contrary to popular belief, eating overly greasy foods the day after drinking will not help alleviate your hangover, and instead work the best at preventing a hangover when eaten before or during drinking.
Ginger: Nausea can quickly overpower other hangover symptoms; if you feel like you’re about to puke your guts out you’re not going to lay in bed and nurse your headache, you’re going to sprint to the nearest toilet. If this is what you’re experiencing, ginger is going to be your best friend. Ginger is scientifically and medically proven to relieve the symptoms of nausea and upset stomach. Drinking a warm ginger tea, and even using sliced ginger root in hot water, will work wonders at calming the urge to run to the bathroom when you think about all the lapses of judgement you made over the break.
Have a Small Alcoholic Drink the Morning After: Okay, strictly speaking, this is not a healthy food, nor is it recommended by health professionals to alleviate a hangover. But can be effective and we’re here for a good time, not a long time. After a long night of drinking, methanol (found in small amounts in alcohol) is eventually converted into formaldehyde, which can cause common hangover symptoms. If you have a new drink in the morning, the ethanol in alcohol can halt the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde, and your body excretes the methanol instead. There is a trick to this method, make sure you’re combining it with the other methods to keep your body hydrated and stabilize your blood sugar. If you don’t, that morning after drink can actually further dehydrate your body and make your symptoms worse.
Coming back to class is hard, and even harder if you’re suffering from a hangover. Make it easier for yourself and try out these scientifically-backed methods of getting rid of common hangover symptoms so that you can come back to class feeling better than ever!
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