MAGEN'S FAVES: Fave Ways to Avoid the Holiday Hangovers

We’ve updated our most popular blog and are sharin’ these faves again!
What to do the day before, during and the mornin’s after your holiday events to stay looking & feeling your best through the season!

Even if you’re not someone who overindulges, this blog contains wonderful tips for feeling great all year round.  Be sure to scroll down blog to read:
- Checklist for what to have on hand/at home
- Pre-party tips
- Post party bests
It didn’t take my 20 years as Health & Lifestyle Coach and fitness instructor to realize that December is NOT the time to try to lose a bunch of weight or to take on new, major lifestyle changes.  But it has taken me a few years to come up with just the right combo of tips to keep my clients looking and feeling their best during this socially demanding season.  Follow my pre, during and post party advice to avoid gaining weight and ward off the dreaded food and drink hangovers that can turn you into the Grinch ;)

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WHAT IS A HANGOVER?
Although there is no official definition, a hangover is the crummy feeling that follows a night of excessive alcohol or unhealthy food and includes at least two of the following symptoms:  headache, nausea, diarrhea, gastrointestinal disorders, fatigue.
          
Drinking drains and interferes with the body’s absorption of vitamins and minerals such as:  amino acids, B12, B6 and folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and more.  Eating foods that you may have allergies or sensitive to like gluten, dairy or sugar, can have the same draining effect on your brain and body-leaving you sluggish and bloated.  

Simply put:   Alcohol is a toxic substance.  When you ingest toxins of any kind (and as far as I’m concerned that can include being around emotionally toxic environments/people,) it may result in dehydration, lack of sleep and other side effects to throw your body out of balance.  

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HOW TO AVOID THE HOLIDAY FOOD AND DRINK HANGOVERS
BEST BETS FOR WHAT TO DRINK AND EAT AT THE PARTY

ALCOHOL

• Try to pace yourself to ONE STANDARD DRINK PER HOUR (2 ounces of hard liquor), which is about the rate at which your liver can keep up. For most people, the most pleasant moment is when the first one kicks in (.05) and drinking more at that time just moves you away from the “sweet spot."  At one per hour, your blood alcohol level will tend to stay in that range, resulting in more pleasant feeling.  Never, ever drink more than three.  

• I reco CHOOSING LIGHT TOP SHELF LIQUORS (vodka or tequila are the preferred) over dark liquors (brandy or whiskey). But whatever you choose, STICK WITH ONE TYPE OF ALCOHOL.  Light liquors have fewer “congeners" (a minor toxic chemical element of alcohol that gives it it's distinctive characteristics,) which may contribute to hangovers.   

• MY FAVE: 2oz of top shelf TEQUILA .  SIP IT or have your FAVE VODKA or tequila ON THE ROCKS and SQUEEZE IN SEVERAL FRESH LEMONS OR LIMES to your taste.  I guarantee this will slow your drinking way down.  The water from the ice will also dilute your drink over the course of the hour.        

• BEST ADVICE:  Keep a glass of water in your hand and set the alcoholic drink down on a nearby table sipping only after you’ve had a sip of water.  Choosing to sip on water in between drinks, you lengthen the time taken to finish the alcoholic drink and you still have something to occupy your hands in a social setting.  This is worth repeating:  STAY HYDRATED.  Alcohol makes you urinate more, which can lead to dehydration.  The processes that break down alcohol also produce lactic acid and other chemicals that interfere with the production of glucose (sugar) and electrolytes.    

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FOOD

WHAT TO EAT: 4 OUNCES OF LEAN PROTEIN & UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF VEGGIES.
WHAT TO AVOID:

• THE MOST COMMON ALLERGENS, DIFFICULT TO DIGEST FOODS THAT CAUSE BLOATING, GAS AND FATIGUE:  GLUTEN, DAIRY, SUGAR, BEANS AND GRAINS.  I will be blogging about this more next week so stay tuned.  In the meantime, read Grain Brain.  I know this is challenging at Thanksgiving but stick to turkey, veggies and skip the stuffin’ and pie! 

• NUTS AT THE BAR:  Dried nuts in large quantities have too many calories and may affect your stomach.  Unlike my friend Christina who can have one or two, I have to remove the bowl of nuts or push them out of arm’s reach, or else I might eat 20-30:) If you’re going to have the nuts, have the almonds and have only 12.    

• DESSERT AND SUGARY FOODS   

• CHAMPAGNE and CARBONATED MIXERS:   Champagne and sparkling wine can literally go straight to your head.  Studies have shown that the effects of bubbles in alcohol increases the delivery of alcohol through your system and cause you to become intoxicated faster.  THEY CAN ALSO CAUSE BLOATING.  

TRY MINDFUL EATING HABITS  
Chew your food UNTIL IT’S THE CONSISTENCY OF BABY FOOD + EAT ONLY UNTIL YOU’RE 80% FULL. That one’s tough. 

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 STAPLES TO HAVE ON HAND AT HOME​

• LUNCH & DINNER FOODS for day before and the next day when your'e not feelin' like eating healthy:   4 ounces lean protein,  Organic hormone and antibiotic-free chicken breast, turkey OR Quinoa + green, leafy veggies (kale, chard, broccoli, brussels sprouts asparagus.)  Amy’s Organic Gluten Free, Dairy Free Pizza (they come in small or large) OR Amy’s Organic Rice Pasta OR Andean Dream Quinoa Pasta. Get them next time you’re at Whole Foods or click the links to order on Amazon.com. These non-perishables are my quick & healthy go-tos for comfort food.
• MORNING AFTER BREAKFAST:   Food For Life Gluten free bread, muffins or bagels (These taste great and are also corn and soy free which many gluten free products are not).  Organic, free-range, hormone and antibiotic free eggs (Vital Farms is my fave provider), turkey bacon.
• SMOOTH MOVE TEA
• Good Olive Oil   

• 1 fresh LEMON or a 1/2 inch piece of ginger.  Ginger is a great digestive aid and can soothe the stomach. Great to keep around.  

• Several packets or one box of DAILY HEALTH BOOSTER E BOOST & NATURAL ENERGY E BOOST.  These give you a dose of all the vital nutrients like the B vitamins and C you need to help maintain your energy and your mood as well as some of the minerals you may lose from drinking.  You can also use any high quality multivitamin. My FAVE:  INNATE RESPONSE FORMULA* for Women or Men Over 40.  If you’re under 40 get their regular multi.   
• Innate Response Magnesium Supplement or CALM Magnesium
• SOURCE NATURALS NUTRA SPRAY MELATONIN
• BACH RESCUE REMEDY Natural Stress Relief.  Dr. Oz uses this for himself and the kids version for his kids.
• NUX VOMICA Natural hangover remedy

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DAY OF THE PARTY
Upon Rising, on an empty stomach: Drink Lemon Water - Juice of 1/2 Lemon + 12 ounces warm (tea temp) filtered water.  Makes the blood more alkaline, is cleansing and starts you off on a good, hydrating note.      

• Eat a healthy, light lunch. See options above.   

• Throughout the day, approximately every 4 hours, have 12 ounces filtered water + electrolytes

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BEFORE YOU GO OUT

• Eat a healthy dinner before going out so that alcohol isn’t absorbed as quickly and you don’t overeat at the cocktail party.  Eating food helps to reduce the acetaldehyde in your stomach, and it is the acetaldehyde that is thought to be one of the main causes of hangovers.   

WHEN YOU GET HOME, BEFORE BED

• Take two Innate MAGNESIUM CAPSULES with 1 PINT OF WATER. These are good for digestion and calming.

• 2TBS Olive Oil OR SMOOTH MOVE TEA.  I know, yuck, but you’ll thank me in the morning.  It’s good for elimination and you’ll want to eliminate as much as possible/flush toxins out the next day.

• Best not to eat before bed but if you must, try two pieces of Gluten Free toast with GRASS FED butter.   

• Open a window to freshen the room and get some fresh air. This will oxygenate your body and help you sleep better too.
• Put your Source Naturals Melatonin next to your bed and if you wake up anytime before 3AM and can’t go right back to sleep, take 2 squirts and practice breathing through your nose six counts in and out until you fall back to sleep. 

AVOID TAKING ANY ACETAMINOPHEN BASED PILLS 
Alcohol metabolism increases the toxic effect acetaminophen has on the liver and can be dangerous when mixed with the alcohol in your system-even before going to bed while alcohol is still prominent in your system.  These also make you urinate more leading to further possible dehydration.   

DAY AFTER PARTY TIPS

SLEEP IN  if you can or follow the next two steps and go back to bed. 




UPON RISING

• LEMON WATER - 8 ounces of tea temp water with the juice of  ½ lemon.  This will make your blood more alkaline/less acidic and rev up digestion.  + 2 MAGNESIUM CAPSULES

• Take one EBOOST NATURAL ENERGY Packet with 8-12 ounces of water.  REPEAT EVERY 4-6 HOURS. No more than three in one 24 hour period.

• Dissolve 5 pellets of NUX VOMICA under tongue.  You can repeat this 3x throughout day.

• IF ANXIOUS/Stressed:  BREATHE- Practice your deep, nasal six-count breathing + 4 drops of Bach Rescue Remedy under your tongue for 60 seconds ( you can repeat this as often as you like throughout the day,) or go to one of my weekend Fitness/Yin Yoga classes.  

WHAT TO DRINK

• BULLET PROOF COFFEE - If you are a coffee drinker, have one cup.  But be sure to follow it with a big glass of water.  Caffeine will only dehydrate you more and it will not help your stomach.  AVOID Milk and other DAIRY products in your coffee and in general-they may make you feel more queasy or bloated.  If you’re not a coffee drinker try some GINGER or other HERBAL TEA-Ginger soothes the stomach. 

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WHAT TO EAT

• BREAKFAST - After you’ve done steps above, have a breakfast with healthy alternatives to the normal greasy, hangover foods.  See ideas above.  LUNCH & DINNER:  Turkey Burger-no bun or Amy’s Organic Pizza or Rice Pasta.

• Take a shower. A good shower, although it does not treat the symptoms of the hangover helps you feel revitalized.  Use warm water, not hot and finish with a 30-60 second cool rinse.  

• Only if you’re well hydrated take your fave SOUL CYCLE or other spin class, a light jog, or 25 minutes on the URBAN REBOUNDER. They’ll make you smile and release some endorphins. If you are sleep deprived and you go to class it can make you feel worse. 

• Too tired to go to class?  Watch a funny movie.  Laughter always makes us feel better.   Whatever you do, don’t call that friend that’s always in a bad mood.  You’re likely to feel a little depressed if tired, hungover so you want to avoid negative people.

• Get out into the SUNSHINE and the FRESH AIR, even if only for a few minutes.  Our body in order to function properly needs oxygen.  

AVOID 

• Typical hangover food: starchy, fatty and greasy. 

• The Hair of the Dog:   Is it true that the best way to  be okay the next morning is to drink the same drink as you did the previous evening?  Maybe temporarily because alcohol raises blood pressure.  If you are going to attempt this method avoid carbonated drinks such as champagne and anything with sugar and go for something milder.  But remember that this trick is temporary.  
• Last, and most importantly, EXPRESS GRATITUDE to yourself or to the Universe for all that you have.  Be grateful for the family and friends with whom you’re spending the holidays and the job you have that requires you to go to that office party and for all those other social opportunities, good friends and family to celebrate the holidays.  Some people are really alone at this time of year. Gratitude makes us feel better right away. 

​You can also email me with questions [email protected].  Please get your doctor’s approval before starting any supplement protocol (and if you are pregnant or nursing or have any health concerns.)

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