It can be fun to stay out late celebrating with friends, but you might regret it when you wake up feeling awful the next day. While there’s no magical cure for a hangover, some foods can ease your symptoms and accelerate recovery.
From easy on-the-stomach foods like toast and bananas to refreshing pick-me-ups like juice and yogurt, these foods can nourish your body to help you feel more comfortable and get you moving. You might eat them before a night out or during a hangover for relief.
Jump Ahead:
- 5 Best Foods to Eat Before Drinking
- 7 Best Foods to Eat When You’re Hungover
- Is Greasy Food Good for a Hangover?
- Fast-Forward Your Recovery With a Hangover IV Drip
5 Best Foods to Eat Before Drinking
The foods you eat before drinking can immensely impact how you feel at the end of the night and the following day. Choosing the right foods can help balance electrolytes, control hunger and reduce some adverse symptoms associated with alcohol.
If you need help deciding what to eat before drinking, check out these five foods and the benefits they can provide ahead of a night out.
1. Bananas
Bananas are the perfect nutritious fruit to eat before drinking. With four grams of fiber per banana, this fruit can help delay alcohol absorption into your bloodstream, preventing hangovers. Bananas are also rich in potassium and made up of approximately 75% of water. Drinking makes you urinate more often, leading to electrolyte loss and dehydration. Loading up on potassium and hydrating with a banana can help prevent the imbalance.
Bananas also offer a natural antacid effect to help prevent acid reflux and other gastrointestinal discomforts associated with drinking.
2. Berries
Berries like blueberries, strawberries and blackberries provide plenty of essential nutrients, including manganese, fiber and vitamins C, iron and B. They also contain plenty of water, helping you stay hydrated to minimize the effects of alcohol.
What’s more, eating antioxidant-rich foods like berries might protect your cells from alcohol-induced harm. One animal study found that ginseng blueberries could suppress liver damage caused by alcohol. You might add berries to smoothies, salads or yogurts to reverse some of the ill effects of drinking.
3. Avocados
Rich in heart-healthy fats, avocados are one of the best foods to eat before drinking. That’s because fat takes longer to digest than carbs or protein, potentially slowing alcohol absorption into your bloodstream. Avocadoes are also high in potassium, which can help balance electrolytes.
4. Eggs
Eggs are nutritious, supplying around six grams of protein per large egg. Snacking on these protein-rich foods before drinking can help delay alcohol absorption and slow the emptying of your stomach. Eggs can also help you feel fuller for longer, reducing alcohol-induced food cravings later in the night.
5. Trail Mix
Homemade trail mix is a quick and easy snack to eat before drinking. Trail mix with ingredients like walnuts, almonds and flax seeds contains lots of fiber and protein. Eating trail mix before drinking might help you feel fuller longer and lessen the adverse effects of drinking alcohol.
Plus, it provides an excellent source of potassium, calcium and magnesium to prevent electrolyte imbalances caused by drinking.
7 Best Foods to Eat When You’re Hungover
While there is no specific cure for hangovers, some foods and drinks may help ease symptoms.
Here are seven of the best foods for hangovers.
1. Juice
Fruit juice is a rejuvenating, refreshing drink perfect for a hangover. Enjoy it anytime as a snack or supplement to another meal. You might combine it with fresh fruits or yogurt to make a smoothie or drink apple or cranberry juice on its own. The fructose in these drinks gives your body instant energy, plus the water and vitamins needed to rehydrate.
2. Chicken
One cup of chicken has 140 grams of protein, making it one of the most protein-rich meats. Alcohol prevents your body from absorbing some amino acids. However, the body breaks down protein into amino acids, meaning chicken might help you better handle a hangover by preventing amino acid deficiencies.
3. Toast
Carb-heavy and bland meals like toast are some of the best food for hangovers. Toast is gentle on the stomach, which is helpful when you’re struggling with hangover nausea. Carbohydrates also provide the energy needed to fuel your body. Topping your toast with avocado can make it an even more nutritious option after a night of drinking.
4. Sports Drinks
The road to hangover recovery starts with hydration for re-balancing your electrolyte levels. Consuming a sports drink or electrolyte-enhanced beverage before bed or immediately in the morning can help replace the electrolytes lost from drinking. Hangover IV therapy can also be an excellent option for quick and easy hydration.
5. Salmon
Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which play an essential role in the body, from combating inflammation to supplying B vitamins to prevent intense hangovers. A 2022 study suggests that fish oil can alleviate hangover symptoms like thirst and nausea. Salmon is also high in protein, supplying 17.3 grams in a three-ounce serving, which may help metabolize alcohol in your system.
6. Ginger
Ginger is a well-known remedy to reduce nausea, making it an excellent option to eat when hungover. It might settle your stomach and be easier to keep down after a night of drinking. Try dried ginger, ginger tea or grated ginger in a fresh smoothie.
7. Honey
Like ginger, honey can settle your stomach during a hangover. Studies show the fructose in honey can also help reduce hangovers by speeding alcohol metabolism. As a result, eating honey before or after a night of drinking can positively affect your body.
Is Greasy Food Good for a Hangover?
Eating greasy food before drinking may help slow alcohol absorption in the blood. However, eating greasy foods the morning after might upset your already sensitive digestive system, worsening hangover symptoms. It’s best to avoid fatty, greasy foods when you’re in the throes of a hangover.
Fast-Forward Your Recovery With a Hangover IV Drip
Though alcohol dehydrates you, a hangover IV drip can provide the fast hydration you need to combat uncomfortable symptoms. Mobile IV Medics can provide quick, convenient hangover treatment options wherever and whenever you need them.
Our hangover IV offers speedy and efficient relief with its combination of vitamins and electrolytes. Give us a call, then sit back and relax. We’ll deliver a remedy straight to your door. To learn more or book a treatment, contact us today.
