Oh the holiday hangover. We all start off with the best intentions, but somehow the hours get away from us, as do the amounts of drinks we are drinking. It’s all fun and games until the next morning…the headaches, the feeling of being tired, crabby, hungry and well hungover.
As a nutritionist I know the damage I’m doing to my body every time I have just one more glass, but sometimes I just get caught in the moment! So rather than feel guilty about having a hangover, I devised a supplement protocol for those rare times. It’s the “I need to feel like a super woman” protocol while the little voice inside my head is telling me to crawl back into bed and sleep it off! I don’t want this post to be misunderstood. I’m not encouraging drinking alcohol, at all. However I’m also realistic and know that every now and then we overdo it. If (or when) you find yourself feeling not quite so awesome after a night (or afternoon-we are not judging!) out on the town, the following protocol might help.
My Hangover Protocol:
- Arm your water with electrolytes – Electrolyte Synergy – is a complete and balanced electrolyte formula to help promote optimal hydration, especially after excessive drinking. It contains potassium, sodium, chloride, and magnesium, the main electrolytes found in the body.I realize this is not unique advice for avoiding a hangover. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration. This sounds easy enough, but once the fun gets rolling it is easy to forget. Take this idea one step further and set your phone to remind you a few times throughout the night to drink 8 ounces of water. Why do we get dehydrated when we drink. We found a great article on the science of alcohol dehydration here. In short, alcohol acts as a diuretic (which means you pee out more than you intake) leaving us dehydrated and feeling hungover. When we get dehydrated we also cause a depletion of essential electrolytes like Potassium, Sodium, Chloride and Magnesium. I love adding an electrolyte powder to my water–it really helps you feel less miserable because you can help your body recover its delicate balancing act to keep water and electrolyte levels just right.
- Take a complete multivitamin – When we drink alcohol we deplete many of our fat soluble vitamins and our body also struggles with ATP (adenosine triphosphate) production, which is essentially our muscles source of energy. Hence, the feeling of “please just let me lay here….I’m so tired.” My favorite is is a full-spectrum multivitamin DFH Complete Multi™ with Albion chelated minerals for maximum absorption and bioavailability.
- Replenish your B vitamins….. B-Supreme is my favorite…take before you go to bed after a night of indulgence! Since alcohol depletes your body’s B vitamins while working hard to metabolize your night’s intake it is important to load up on them the night you plan to go out as well as the day after. A vitamin B complex with other co-factors added is crucial so that your body can actually absorb them.
- Don’t forget your hall pass – Lastly, if you know you are going on a carb freakout the day after all of the fun I have what I like to call my hall pass supplement, ProtectZyme™. It is an enzyme that will not only help you break down those greasy eggs, potatoes, and cheese but it has a patented starch blocker called Synetrim CQ to help decrease the effects that high carb meals can have on your body. You just take 1-2 before you indulge and then promise yourself to get back on track the next day.
I hope this helps you not only feel better but realize we all screw up and some of us are bound to induce a hangover every now and then. It’s ok. Tomorrow is a new day, lets just get through this one first!
