When you wake up with the dreaded hangover headache and upset stomach, you’re typically in for a rough morning. You’re tired, you’re hungry and you need to eat something immediately. Before you reach into the bag of stale fries you had delivered before bed, it’s important to understand that while delicious they may make everything worse. To find hangover relief, it’s crucial to make wise choices about what you consume. While greasy and unhealthy foods might seem tempting, they can exacerbate your symptoms and prolong your recovery. Instead, opt for foods that are gentle on your stomach, such as bland carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables. Rehydrating with plenty of water or electrolyte-rich beverages can also help replenish lost fluids.
There are many foods that you should eat when hungover, and those you should not. Certain foods may dehhydrate you more, or upset an already upset stomach. Let’s go over the foods you should avoid when you’re hungover.
Greasy Food
One of the things they tell you when you have your first hangover is to eat something greasy. Eating greasy foods is actually one of the worst things you can do for yourself when you’re hungover.
The idea of a bacon cheeseburger when you’re hungover is great, in theory. In actuality, your body is releasing cortisol, which means it will store more fat than usual. Your body won’t be able to digest the burger and the alcohol all at the same time.
Oily Food
This one goes hand in hand with greasy foods, but avoiding oily food is also important. The oils can upset your stomach and make your hangover situation much worse. If you’re feeling nauseous, stay away from anything involving a lot of oil.
Orange Juice
The vitamin C, and mimosa potential of orange juice make it a tempting hangover choice. If you have a strong stomach, you might be able to get away with it, but it should typically be avoided. This is because orange juice is very acidic which can irritate your stomach.
“Hair of the Dog”
Along with orange juice, drinking more alcohol should be avoided. While the Ernest Hemmingway method has been sworn by for years, drinking more alcohol the morning is a bad idea. All you’re going to be doing is putting off the inevitable. You’ll continue dehydrating yourself, and the hangover you have could be much worse.
Caffeine
While a cup of coffee won’t hurt, try to avoid chugging an entire pot of it when you’re hungover. Alcohol can be hard on your stomach, and so can caffeine. Combining them in your body can make matters worse.
Meat
If you find yourself craving a lot of meat when you’re hungover, try to avoid it. If you’re eating only high amounts of protein and no carbs, you could make your hangover symptoms worse. This is because your blood sugar can be lowered by drinking alcohol, and you need carbs to balance it out.
Other things to consider
The best way to prevent a hangover is by drinking less alcohol, eating before you go out and drinking plenty of water. Nowadays, there are also lots of different natural hangover supplements on the market which are designed to support recovery that you could try.
The Bottom Line
When in doubt, eat something healthy. Avoid the hangover cures you hear about like a greasy burger and hair of the dog. These “remedies” will only make matters worse. Even if you don’t feel like eating, it’s important to make sure your body is getting nutrients when you’re hungover. So get up, get to brunch and get some healthy food in that body!
