Life is a party: 10 out-of-the-box hangover cures for you and yours

You might not have heard of them but they are effective and what better time than December - the month of mad parties - to try them out for some much needed relief.

When you are drinking…

The day you drink…Pears help

Drink pear juice before hitting the bottle. The fruit acts on the enzymes that break down alcohol, so a glass before going out could be your saving grace.

Pop in some milk thistle

Both oil and tablets help. Milk thistle has antioxidant properties, and helps cut hangover symptoms, besides helping your liver to regenerate. So pop in some thistle before you go out to drink - works!

Milk cure

Drink a pre-emptive glass of milk before you start boozing to line the stomach and prevent excessive nausea and acidity later. Try it, it works.

The day after…

When you wake up late, exhausted, achy, mealy-mouthed and cotton-headed, then:

Drink up

You body is dehydrated, and that’s why the symptoms are so severe. Alcohol inhibits the body’s anti-diuretic hormones, which are needed to absorb water from fluids. One drink = twice the urine. So first guzzle water like there is no tomorrow.

Depend on White magic

A bowl of yoghurt or a glass of milk helps soothe the gut fast. So, down that fast.

Banana

Bananas help settle the stomach and ward off nausea since they are natural antacids and also help replace the lost potassium (to balance the electrolytes) and the lost magnesium (to help relax those pounding headaches by easing your distorted blood vessels). Dig in.

Have some Vitamin B

B complex is always lost along with the water when you drink, so replen-ish it ASAP.

Honey on toast and ginger tea

Spread honey liberally on whole-wheat toast – the complex carbohydrates (in toast) will help neutralise the acidic stomach and the simple carbs of honey will boost your energy fast and cut lethargy effectively.

Bacon, eggs, cheese with toast

Eat a greasy meal as soon as you can face it the morning after, preferably a carbohydrate and protein combination. Eggs, cheese, meat all deliver cysteine, which makes glutathione in the body, an effective mopper of leftover toxins. Besides, eggs also contain amino acids that produce endorphins and help to steady blood sugar. Skip food containing white flour or white sugar, as they will just exacerbate the problem.

A citrus fruit and yoghurt and honey

Oranges, guava, kiwi… all help replace vitamin C, which dumbs down the symptoms drastically. So chew them slowly early in the day. Or try drizzling some honey over fruit and yogurt to help lessen the leftover alcohol grossness. Honey possesses anti-intoxication activity, due to its high fructose content.

Author bio: Kavita Devgan is a Delhi-based nutritionist, Weight Management Consultant and author of Ultimate Grandmother Hacks and Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of thin people

From HT Brunch, December 15, 2019

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