Australian_Mens_Fitness_2016_08_

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Who hasn’t had

a solid bender

from time to time. Hell,

getting trashed is fun.

The after ef ects, sadly,

are not. No matter how

epic your night was,

the way you feel the

next morning can

be anything but.

The headache, the

nausea, the “kill me

now” feeling.

“Hangovers are

caused by consuming

more alcohol than your

body can handle,” says

alcohol metabolism

expert Dr Jim Schaefer.

“And unfortunately,

especially during certain

times of the year, not

everyone is willing to

stick to their limit.”

When your body

processes alcohol

it produces a toxic

chemical by-product

called acetaldehyde,

which is responsible for

those awful feelings

that come with

hangovers. Alcohol

also dehydrates you,

irritates the lining of

your stomach and

causes your blood

sugar to drop and

vessels to expand

— all of which are

guaranteed to make

you wake up feeling

like someone has i lled

your head with concrete

and done a poo in

your mouth.

While we can’t of er

you a “cure” for that

hangover, we can of er

you some wise advice on

how to lessen your pain,

regret and the hours

you might otherwise

have spent driving

that porcelain bus. So

read on, and next time

you head out to get

shitfaced, raise

a drink to us. You’ll

thank us in the morning.

shutterstock

PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING

●Don’t hit the turps

without having

hadagoodfeed.

“A lway s d r i n k on a

full stomach. Eat a

[balanced] meal with

some low-glycaemic

carbs, like sweet

potato or brown rice,”

says health coach

Kerry Bajaj. A hearty

meal before you go

out will keep your

blood sugar stable

and give you energy.

PREVENTION TIP #2

Sweet potatoes

● Alcohol is a thief:

i t r o b s y o u r b o d y

of electrolytes and

nutrients. Juice will

flood your body

with vitamins and

minerals, boosting

your defences when

you switch over

t o a l c o h o l. F i t i n a s

many greens, like

spinach, kale, bok

choy, celery and

cucumber as you can.

To sweeten it,

try apple or lemon.

● Protein is the

drinker’s mate. When

combined with low

glycaemic-carbs,

it helps keep your

blood sugar steady.

When your blood

sugar drops, “you

have spikes and

crashes, and you lose

energy, feel jittery

and can get really

shaky, especially

when you’re drinking

alcohol,” explains

Bajaj.

● Don’t forget

supps. “Certain

supplements can

be helpful,” says

Bajaj. “A herb called

milk thistle supports

the liver, so taking

it before you drink

can help your body

process alcohol

better.” The longer it

takes for the toxins

from the alcohol to

exit your body, the

longer hangover

symptoms will last.

PREVENTION TIP #1

Green juice

PREVENTION TIP #3

Chicken breast

PREVENTION TIP #5

Milk thistle

● Cucumbers are

kind of boring, but

they’re also 95%

water, so munching

on a few slices before

you go out will not

only hydrate you,

but also help flush

out toxins lingering

in your body.

Cucumbers contain

small amounts of

sugar, B vitamins and

electrolytes, which

could help prevent

later headaches.

PREVENTION TIP #4

Cucumber

Beat the booze blues

82 MEN’S FITNESS AUGUST 2016