The best ways to help you avoid and deal with a hangover

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 

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 

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 

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

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.

Tuna is high in electrolytes

Pickled foods are also good at fighting the hangover

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 

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 

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. 

How did Dry January help your skin?

Facialist Joanne Evans, from Skin Matters, explains how giving up alcohol for a month may have helped your skin to glow. 

Less inflammation

Face stops looking puffy due to lymphatic system overload. Reducing sugar, the evil of all, also helps here. This is a negative calorie so just burns cells up and causes inflammation of the whole system and is a free radical.

Better circulation

Eyes look brighter, sleep improves and circulation to the skin improves, so stops dullness and also helps improve healing and reduces breakouts.

Fewer toxins  

It’s not about detox but more about simply trying to give your body fewer toxins to deal with. 

The liver and kidneys can work over time trying to eliminate toxins from the body that can convert into fat cells, or slow the elimination of fat.

Kills sugar cravings

Reducing sugar which alcohol is full of helps recharge and support the immune system.  

Booze also makes us have cravings for sugar and greasy food which can sabotage any health regime. 

Reduced rosacea

Women who suffer with rosacea will see a great improvement to the skin when reducing their alcohol intake. 

Not only does the sugar activate the condition, so do the sulphites found in booze.

 



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