Rough night last night? We’ve all been there. Waking up with a pounding headache and an upset stomach is never fun, believe me. A lot of us often utilize the day following a night out as a “recovery day” — for a good reason.
There are tons of hangover remedies that exist: water, food, ibuprofen, and even weird ones like pickle juice or fish. But food is a popular “cure.” Every person you ask will probably give you a different answer as to what they eat to help their twisted tummy.
But regardless of what the food is, does it actually help you feel better?
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Lucky for you, food is proven to be the perfect thing to revitalize your body. When you are hungover, a lot of essential nutrients have been washed out of your body. You are left dehydrated and undernourished. To overcome a hangover, you need to replace what has been lost.
Your liver is working on overdrive, but it can only work so fast. When there is food in your stomach, it helps absorb some of the alcohol and redirect it to the digestive system. Alcohol that is not absorbed in the stomach unfortunately ends up in our bloodstream because the wall of our small intestines are so porous. This alcohol in the bloodstream will eventually get detoxified in the liver, but only at a particular rate. The liver breaks alcohol down into nutrients that can be absorbed by the body.
Alcohol that is in your bloodstream moves around quite quickly, which is why we often get drunk quickly. The faster alcohol is out of your circulatory system, the better you will feel.
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While the liver is breaking down alcohol, it creates a chemical called acetaldehyde that is more toxic than alcohol itself. Not only does your body need to rid itself of alcohol to feel better, but it needs to rid itself of the acetaldehyde as well. This is why hangovers sometimes take awhile to overcome.
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A build up of acetaldehyde in the liver can leave us feeling quite icky. But of course, the more we eat and the more the alcohol is absorbed, the quicker the hangover will end.
For an extra boost, eat carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the best energy source to speed up the neurotransmitters in your body, causing faster digestion.
Food is a must after a night out. Make sure to replenish your body and avoid caffeine and alcohol until you are feeling better! Even if you are feeling nauseous, trying to eat food will help in the long run. Plus, if you are trying to recover for another crazy night, you will need all the help you can get.
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