Dry January is finally over, but those who are looking forward to opening a bottle of wine tonight might also be fearing the banging headache in store after reducing their tolerance for booze with a month of abstinence.
Luckily Expert Home Tips has compiled a list of unexpected tricks to prevent a hangover and ease a sore head the morning after – including taking a shot of olive oil before heading out and drinking fermented milk to soothe an upset stomach.
Five million Brits officially signed up to Alcohol Concern’s Dry January campaign this year with many more following the plan by themselves.
If you’re one of them, read on to find out how you can make the transition back to drinking a lot less painful as you start to enjoy a tipple again.
No one likes a hangover, so here are the best ways to avoid or prevent hangover (Stock image)
BEFORE YOU DRINK
SHOT OF OLIVE OIL
It may not be your typical choice of tipple, but doing a quick shot of olive oil before a night out is an ancient Mediterranean method to avoid hangovers the next morning.
This is because the fat in the oil limits the amount of alcohol your body can absorb, experts say.
A shot of olive oil before a night out is an ancient Mediterranean method for avoiding hangovers the next morning
AVOID THE FIZZ
Although your choice of poison may be teamed with a fizzy mixer of some sort, those bubbles may come back to haunt you.
Carbonated drinks speed up the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream, and that’s not just the non-alcoholic bevvies – the same goes for Champagne and Prosecco.
CARB UP
The phrase ‘eating is cheating’ may see you spending less money on booze, but it heightens your chances of feeling horrendous the next day.
By eating a carbohydrate heavy meal before a night out, the absorption of alcohol will be slowed as will the acetaldehyde production.
Acetaldehyde is a poisonous byproduct of alcohol metabolism – and is one of the factors involved in making you feel worse-for-wear the morning after.
Eating a meal heavy in carbohydrates slows down the absorption of alcohol as you knock back the wines
THE WHITE STUFF
A glass of milk before hitting the town lines your stomach, which also limits the amount of alcohol absorbed into your blood steam.
Drink milk to line your stomach, as it limits the amount of alcohol that is absorbed into your blood steam
PEAR JUICE
Another drink that can help you keep a hangover at bay is pear juice.
According to experts, if you sip on the juice before a night out, it helps the body to get rid of alcohol – which brings down the severity of the dreaded hangover.
Research has found that 220ml of Asian pear juice can act upon the key enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism, although it’s not yet clear if a drink made with other varieties has the same effect.
Pear juice before a night out helps the body get rid of the alcohol, which softens the blow of the hangover
THE MORNING AFTER
REPLENISH ELECTROLYTES
Whilst most people opt for water when dealing with a hangover, it’s not always the best choice. You can drink as much water as you like, but if your electrolyte (salt and mineral) supplies are low, you’ll stay dehydrated.
Try going for a sports drink, or eating foods like tuna in brine, raisins, bananas, canned soup, pickles and olives.
You can drink as much water as you like, but if your electrolyte (salt and minerals) supplies are low, you’ll stay dehydrated. Try eating tuna or pickles (right)
GINGER
Ginger is one of the best natural hangover cures as it calms an upset stomach.
Opt for a ginger tea, or treat yourself to a slice of cake with ginger – the sugar will help give you a quick burst of energy too.
Sip on a ginger tea to help soothe an upset stomach after a big night on the town
FERMENTED FOODS
Fermented foods are a great hangover cure, as they contain healthy bacteria which balances out the bad stuff and soothes your irritated stomach.
Miso soup is one example, or Kefir, a fermented milk drink, is full of of calcium and probiotics.
Sauerkraut the pickled cabbage, often served with sausages, is full of goodness for your gut.
FRY UP
Nutritionists actually recommend to eat a breakfast high in fat, so a fry up is one of the best meals to munch on
One of the most obvious meals to whip up is a Full English Breakfast when you are feeling a little green.
As well as tasting great, and smelling delicious, there is science behind this greasy dish’s ability to cure a hangover.
Nutritionists actually recommend to eat a breakfast high in fat, which then breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde.