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Power Nutrition to Stop Hangovers

While there are dozens of hangover cures, the most effective are those that are taken before the drinking occurs. Hangover pain is mostly from dehydration, allergic impurities in the alcohol and poisoning known as acetaldehyde damage. Speaking from experience, drinking plenty of water before and during drinking, can lessen the effects of the alcohol. Drinking alcohol with fewer impurities in it, can also lessen hangovers. For example, good quality vodka will tend to give the drinker less of a hangover than dark rum. My best drinking experience, as a young soldier, was fruit juice with medical alcohol. I only suffered some fatigue and dehydration without the usual blood shot eyes, headaches and nausea.

However, be very, very careful when drinking any kind of “medical alcohol.” The DIETHYL alcohol is relatively safe in moderate quantities. But METHYL alcohol (aka wood or rubbing alcohol) is poisonous and can kill you. Several soldiers once drank a punch made from methyl alcohol. One went blind and another died. This is another good reason to stick with bottled drinks when visiting strange establishments.

Aside from drinking plenty of water between drinks, you should also eat before and during drinking. Fruits will supply water and electrolytes, but proteins and fats will slow down the absorption of alcohol. Unfortunately, most pubs try to encourage thirst by feeding their patrons pretzels, chips and crackers. Mostly empty carbohydrates. If you can, snack on meats, seafood and cheese. The German tradition of eating bratwurst (sausage) with their beer might have postponed many a hangover. Since alcohol depletes the body’s reserves of zinc, Vitamin A and protein, these high protein foods will replace many of the nutrients lost while drinking.

Before attending a party, I will often take several multiple vitamins, especially vitamin B1 and C. I also have been known to take the amino acid cysteine. If no cysteine or cystine is available, I will knock back a raw egg. Eggs are very high in cysteine and the raw form is most potent. Caution point here: ensure that the egg is fresh, thick, hard and clean with no cracks in its surface. Raw eggs sometimes run the risk of salmonella poisoning and consuming too many raw egg whites will inhibit your body’s supply of Vitamin B7 (Biotin). The raw egg should be placed in hot or boiling water for about 10 seconds to kill off the protein known as avidin. Avidin is part of the egg’s natural defense mechanism that binds with biotin in invading microbes. Lightly poached eggs will also work will also work to sterilize the shell and neutralize the avidin.

This raw egg strategy is not something that I just made up. A scientist, Dr. Herbert Sprince, discovered a nutrient combination that gave strong resistance against alcohol by-product (acetaldehyde) damage. In his experiment, he gave one group of rats enough of acetaldehyde to kill 90% of them. The second group large dosages of vitamin B1, C and cysteine. None of the second group of rats died. How about that? I wonder how many alcohol poisoning cases could be prevented with this kind of prevention.

Of course, people with long range foresight usually do not find themselves poisoned by alcohol in the first place.

This is anti-hangover formula is just old information rediscovered. Medical interns have been known to give themselves vitamin B1 shots for hangovers and there is an old wife’s hangover cure of a raw egg stirred into orange juice. The raw egg contains cysteine and the orange juice contains vitamin C. How about that? Grandma already knew what the scientists had to prove in the laboratory.

For further tips on health and fitness, go to:

www.2ndwindbodyscience.com

Power Nutrition to Stop Hangovers / Author: Doug

Occupation: Health and Fitness Consultant
Doug Setter holds a Bachelor’s of Human Ecology. He has served as a paratrooper and U.N. Peacekeeper, completed 5 full marathons, climbed Mt. Rainier and is the author of Stomach Flattening and One Less Victim. He instructs fitness, muscle-gain, weight-loss, “stomach flattening” and kick-boxing. He currently manages 2nd Wind Body Science at www.2ndwindbodyscience.com and can be reached at doug@2ndwindbodyscience.com
http://www.2ndwindbodyscience.com

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