8 Healthy Hangover-Busting Foods
We get it: you’re all about living a healthy lifestyle, yet you still love to enjoy yourself and raise a glass when the occasion calls for it. Hey, life’s all about finding that healthy balance!
Looking to battle the effects of the dreaded hangover that your body is oh-so-prone to during the holiday season (and beyond)? Wondering what the best hangover foods are? We’ve got you covered. We put together a list of eight foods that can help treat hangover symptoms so that you can live a little — minus the headache. These food and drink options contain a variety of hydration-boosting nutrients that help replenish your body and treat the symptoms that can be brought on from a night of drinking!
8 Healthy Hangover-Busting Foods
1. Bananas
When you consume alcohol, it diminishes your body’s potassium. Bananas are chock full of this mineral, so a banana or two is a great way to replenish your potassium stores after a few too many drinks.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Slice a banana and slather each half with a layer of almond butter.
2. Watermelon
Watermelon is also an excellent source of potassium, as well as vitamins A, B6 and C. This hydrating fruit also contains glutathione, an antioxidant that aids liver function and detoxifies the body.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Whip up this Strawberry Chia Watermelon Smoothie by Minimalist Baker.
3. Ginger
Ginger is a well-known stomach-soother, which is why ginger ale has traditionally been the drink of choice for many people when they are sick. Ginger is an effective remedy for nausea, and may be effective in preventing or reducing vomiting. To top things off, this root boasts antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to help rid your system of unwanted toxins.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Sip on this DIY Lemon Ginger Morning Detox Drink by The Harvest Kitchen.
4. Raw Honey
Fructose helps your body to metabolize the alcohol in your system. In doing so, your body is rid of alcohol at a quicker rate so that you can feel better, faster. Honey is a natural source of fructose that can help your body process alcohol quicker, while also containing antioxidants that battle the toxins remaining in your system after a night of drinking.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Drizzle fresh banana slices, watermelon slices, or your favorite toast with a thick layer of honey.
5. Avocados
Much like bananas, this fruit is packed with potassium, an electrolyte mineral that gets depleted as a result of alcohol consumption. To top things off, avocados are also bursting with healthy fats, fiber and B6 to give you an extra superfood boost when you need it most.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Mash up an avocado to make avocado toast, or blend avocado into your morning smoothie.
6. Maple Water
Ditch the Gatorade and sugar-y electrolyte drinks, and grab an organic Drink Simple Maple Water instead! Maple water is packed with electrolytes -- with half the sugar of coconut water, which is also known for its electrolyte content. Research by the International Journal of Molecular Medicine has shown that maple water can boost the metabolization of alcohol within the body, which could reduce hangover symptoms.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Brew your coffee with maple water, or use maple water as the liquid base for a superfood smoothie like in this Raw Cacao Superfood Smoothie.
7. Oatmeal
A hearty bowl of oatmeal is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates that assist in stabilizing your blood sugar, soothing your stomach after a night of heavy drinking, and providing you with sustained energy to get through the day ahead.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Instead of using plain water to make your oatmeal, use Drink Simple Maple Water to give your meal a hydrating electrolyte boost!
8. Nuts
A night of heavy drinking can diminish your magnesium stores. Nuts high in magnesium such as almonds, cashews and brazil nuts are great sources to replenish the essential mineral within your system, minimizing the negative symptoms and helping your body mend its way back to optimal health.
Hangover-Buster Breakfast Idea: Snack on mixed nuts, trail mix, or top a slice of toast or fruit with pure almond or cashew butter.
By Lauren Kelly Bienko