You’ve been there before: not just hungover, but like, super hungover. And you were able to count all of the drinks you had on one hand! At least, you think it was only one hand…
Anyway, the amount of sugar in your drinks from the night before could be the culprit. The recommended daily intake of added sugar is only 6 teaspoons (24 grams) for women and 9 teaspoons (36 grams) a day for men, which can be reached dangerously quickly after only a few drinks. Want to avoid (well, at least lessen) that splitting headache the next morning? Try out these tips:
1. Watch your mixers
Photo courtesy of @carbonation.nation on Instagram
Hard alcohol is naturally sugar-free, but mixers and chasers can make you reach the daily recommended intake very quickly. An average vodka and cranberry has 7.5 teaspoons of sugar, more added sugar than the AHA says a woman should consume in a day. And if you finish just half of a bottle of Mountain Dew as a chaser, you’re looking at nearly 2.5 tablespoons of sugar, not to mention that nasty headache that’s in store for tomorrow. #yikes
2. Rosé? No way
Photo by Steven Baboun
We know this one hurts. But if you’re drinking wine, sticking to drier reds and whites is the way to go, rather than semisweet wines such as rosé.
3. Choose your vodka flavors carefully
GIF courtesy of giphy.com
UV unflavored: 0 grams of carbs per shot. UV Chocolate Caramel: 12 gram of sugar per shot. With a 3-teaspoon difference per shot (times two, three, four), switching flavors is an easy way to monitor your sugar intake while drinking.
4. Swap soda for seltzer
Photo courtesy of Spiked Seltzer
If you’re ordering at a bar, choosing seltzer water (which has no sugar) over the nutritional disaster that is soda brings your intake down to 0 grams.
#SpoonTip: Change your life with this alcoholic seltzer and thank us later.
5. Stay above the (drunchies) influence
Photo by Emily Waples
Your friends are inevitably going to want to get food once your buzz starts to fade. Distract them from demolishing an entire pint of ice cream with a more low-sugar option like popcorn. FYI, sugar intake from snacking still counts, even though you may not be able to actually count it.