Had a lot of fun last night at the party, but feeling a little worse for wear this morning? It’s great to have fun with friends over a few drinks, but dealing with the hangover the morning after can be awful! Along with that headache, hangovers can actually cause havoc with your overall body function. Thankfully there are some natural cures that can help ease the pain.

Hangovers occur when the liver struggles to clear excess toxins that have built-up from over the consumption of alcohol. Your blood sugar takes a nose dive, the body becomes dehydrated and fatigue takes over, causing you to feel totally drained.

While it is best to try and prevent a hangover in the first instance, if you do have one why not try one of these natural cures to help you through.

Banana

Alcohol is dehydrating, particularly when you consume it in excess. Your urine output increases and your body is drained of potassium. Bananas are a powerhouse of potassium, so eating one or two will help you to replenish the lost potassium and reduce the symptoms of your hangover.

Ginger

Ginger is a proven remedy for nausea and sickness. So if you are feeling nauseated, have some ginger ale or if it is not available some ginger tea is your best bet. You can make it by chopping a ½ inch piece of ginger and boil it in 4 to 5 cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain, add the juice of one lemon and honey and drink it over 1 to 2 hours for quick relief.

Honey is a key ingredient in this remedy as it contains fructose which helps metabolise the alcohol and prevents headaches.

Carbs

Not everyone feels like eating when they are recovering from a hangover, but you do need to keep your energy levels up. Start slowly with something bland that won’t upset your internal organs; mild and easy to digest food like toast, rice or porridge is good. These carbohydrate-rich foods mix with the alcohol in your body and dilutes it and its effects on your body.

Juice

Freshly squeezed juices like orange or pineapple juice will help to raise your blood sugar levels and ease the symptoms of your hangover. In case you cannot muster up strength to squeeze fresh juice try packed apple juice.

Coconut Water

Alcohol molecules have an affinity for water molecules, so the more alcohol you consume, the more water it sucks out of your system, and your body becomes dehydrated. Keeping yourself hydrated is the best way to go and if it is fortified with electrolytes even better. While sports drink can be ideal for electrolytes, they do contain artificial food dyes that may not be good for your body. Coconut water is your best bet as it contains as many electrolytes as a bottle of your favourite sports drink without the unnatural additives.

Eggs

Eggs are an incredible source of nutrition and these are good to combat hangovers too. Eggs pack a good amount of cysteine, an amino acid that is responsible for breaking down of toxins in your body. Also, these are high in Vitamin B that helps to lessen the symptoms of hangover. So a piece of plain toast with a boiled egg might just do the trick for your hangover.

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