Thursday, December 30, 2010

Health Tips! How To Prevent A Hangover




By Chef M. Travis Ball

Picture it: You and the boys are planning a big night out on the town -- the kind of night that gives rise to those legendary stories. Well, just because you plan to have a smashing time, doesn't mean that you have to have a smashing reminder.
Here are some tips that you can use before, during and after your big night out, to avoid a hangover.

What is a Hangover?
Simply put: Alcohol is a toxic substance. When you ingest toxins, your body is going to feel the aftereffects. A hangover is an umbrella term that describes what's happening to your body as it recovers from the poison you ingested the night before. Symptoms often include fatigue, headaches and dehydration.

Before You Get Drunk...
Eat: Don't drink on an empty stomach. A lot of guys like fatty foods before they eat because the fat sticks to the stomach lining longer and absorbs more alcohol. But the main idea here is to put volume in your stomach, which will dilute the effects of the alcohol. So be sure and eat something.

Drink milk: Milk coats the lining of your stomach and can help minimize the amount of alcohol you absorb. At least, that's the theory. A lot of guys use this one, but there isn't any evidence to support it. Still, most nutritionists will tell you that a glass of milk a day is part of a healthy diet, so there's really no harm in trying this one.

Drink olive oil: This is an old Mediterranean remedy and it works on the same theory as eating fatty foods. Personally, I'd rather eat dinner than swallow a spoonful of olive oil, but if there's any truth to this theory, I suggest you dip some bread in olive oil rather than slather it with butter (if nothing else, most doctors would agree that your heart will thank you).

Take multivitamins: You should take vitamins either way, but when you go out for that big night, it's even more important to make sure that you take your vitamins. Why? Drinking depletes the nutrients in your body; vitamins will help you minimize the loss.

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