Oh the hangover. As I sit here to write this the timing couldn’t be more perfect.  What started out as an afternoon birthday brunch with friends turned into “How have I been here for 6 hours and did we seriously just have a dance party?”  I’m feeling  tired, crabby, hungry and I’ll be honest, a bit hungover.

As a nutritionist I know the damage I’m doing to my body every time I have just one more glass, but sometimes it’s just too much fun!  So rather than feel guilty with a hangover, I devised a supplement protocol for days that I need to look and feel like a super woman even though the little voice inside my head wants to crawl back in bed, tell the kids to buy hot lunch, and go back to sleep.

I don’t want this post to be misunderstood.  I’m not encouraging drinking alcohol but, I am also realistic and know that every now and then we overdo it with alcohol.  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 might help:

    • Alarm your water and spike with electrolytes

    • 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.  My favorite product is Electrolyte Synergy™   And when you are feeling tip-top it is a great post workout recovery drink.

    • 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

    • 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.  You can find my favorite B complex is B-Supreme.

    • 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 we are bound to do induce a hangover every now and then.  It’s ok. Tomorrow is a new day, lets just get through this one first!

A discount at our Designs for Health store

You can see a full description of products mentioned in this post via the links below.  Use coupon code FIRST20 to receive 20% off your first purchase.  Avoid a hangover with these key supplements:

Electrolyte Synergy™
 DFH Complete Multi™
B-Supreme.
ProtectZyme™.