It’s Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend.  You’ve been celebrating with your friends, drinking beer all day, and partying most of the night.  You haven’t made some good decisions food-wise (just a couple of chips turned into half a bag, with guac, a burger, and a huge piece of apple pie).  You wake up feeling kind of gross – between the drinks and the food you feel like you may have been rolled over by truck a couple times.

Sound familiar?  We’ve all been there, and while I can give you tons of tips on how to eat healthfully at a barbeque, how to not overdo it on the drinks, etc…  guess what?  I’m not going to.  Sometimes you just don’t want to think about that!  And that’s ok as long as you don’t make having one indulgent night a weekly thing!  What I will do is give you some tips that will help you bounce back quickly from a bender.

1. Ditch the Booze-brunch:  It’s a common misconception that after drinking and eating heavily the night before, it makes sense to have a bloody mary the next day.  A little hair-of-the-dog that bit you right?  While initially the alcohol does make you feel better, by breaking down any remaining ethanol in your system into less dehydrating compounds, the hangover will just come back harder and with more of a vengeance later in the day.  And that’s no party for anyone!
2. Fried foods are a no go:  Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it sucks the water out of your system like a very dry sponge.  So anything salty or fried will only dehydrate your system further and make you feel more like poop.
3. Hydrate like it’s your job:  Water, gatorade, and coconut water will all do a good job at replenishing your system and helping to beat any morning-after bloat.  Also, try eating foods that have a high-water content, like cucumber, celery, fennel (helps to debloat!), apples, and watermelon.  All of these foods will help to balance out your system and replace any electrolytes your body lost.
4. Skip the gum:  Avoid anything that is sugar-free or contains sugar alcohols, which will bloat you up like the dickens (yes I just said that).  So skip it and stick to real food.
5. Break a sweat: I know this probably sounds like really annoying advice, but the absolute best cure I have ever found for a hangover is working out.  You may feel yucky at first, but sweating out those toxins will do your body a world of good, not to mention your digestive system.  Even forcing yourself to go for a brisk walk outside can help get the blood flowing again and help your body repair and recover.

Have a very happy, healthy, relaxing and fun Memorial Day, be safe and thank a serviceperson if you can (it is THEIR holiday after all!!)