I was down for the count yesterday, when I woke up angry at the world. My head was pounding, and my stomach wasn't my ally after a fun time out the other night. Many shots of Whiskey with friends that I lost count is eventually what did me in. However, after desperately eating the things in this short list, I have magically regained my strength and focus!

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These are some unlikely things you can eat when you're already hungover,
and the health benefits I found in hindsight.

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1) Macoroni and Cheese

You think I would be joking, but according to Vice, this happens to be an unexplored remedy when you can't seem to hold down any food the day after drinking... It was also one of the few things in my freezer that I could easily make. While T.V. dinners may not be the best "go-to", having this particular one after partying may in fact be your saving grace!

According to Kamin (2015), "Cheese is filled with all kinds of great things: calcium, enzymes, protein; it has the incredible property to coat things, so it soothes your tummy" (Cheese Is Your Hangover's Best Friend).

When I think about it, cheese does make a lot of sense when you compare it side by side with the "oily fast food" remedy. While it may be a great idea to hit up the drive-thru before a night out, doing it the next day actually has an opposite effect, and will drag your symptoms out.

Bell (2015) states that "Grease, contrary to popular belief, won’t absorb the alcohol (especially if you slept before eating—your body already absorbed it). Not only that, but if you’ve ever woken up with an upset stomach kind of hangover, greasy food’s only gonna make it worse" (DOES GREASY FOOD ACTUALLY HELP A HANGOVER?).

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2) Pickles and Pickle Juice

Even after demolishing two dinners and laying down to rest, I still felt the shadow of death looming over me. I barely had the energy to move, but was still determined to end this hangover.

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It's always interesting how we return to our fridges, hoping that some new food has appeared since the last time we checked.

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This is exactly what I did.

I had completely forgotten that I had picked up a jar of Dill Pickle Spears. Now don't just go to your grocery store and blindly pick out a jar, the last time I did this, I accidentally grabbed the semi-sweet variety. This tastes a lot closer to relish and doesn't have the strong vinegary taste I've grown accustomed to.

Since I was in no condition to go out to grab myself some Gatorade ( my favorite is the light blue one! :D), the pickles would become a great alternative method. I snacked on them as I could and eventually finished out the jar and juice. Although an acquired taste, pickle juice is known to reduce hangovers before drinking if used as a drink-back. Some places do have them, and I always try for it first- With a Pine-back (pineapple juice) to my light rum as a backup plan.

Rainey (2016) Identifies that pickles and pickle juice have sodium, and Vitamins C & E. You know all of those sports drinks meant to rehydrate you after working out (and possibly drinking)? Sodium is an Electrolyte that helps to restore needed fluids in your body that are lost in drinking. Vitamins C & E are also antioxidants that help your immune system health (2016, Rainey. Drinking Pickle Juice: 10 Reasons It's All the Rage).

In my feeble attempt to calm my mind and body, I happened to grab just the right item to eat! I would end up getting hungry later in the day, but still unable to stomach "normal people food". After inspecting my fridge closely once more, I pulled out another jar- With the look of victory in my eyes.

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3) Kimchi

Yeah, I bet you didn't know you can eat kimchi to cure your hangover right? I didn't learn this myself until yesterday. I happened to pull out a new unsealed jar of kimchi I forgot was in there. I ate a good portion of the jar and juice, and soon I began feeling better. I had to look all of these up to see if there was something that made them genuine superfoods, or if I was simply imagining it.

There are a slew of health benefits to eating kimchi that I wasn't aware of, but the one I want to focus on today is that it's a probiotic food.

According to Organic Facts (2018), "The process of fermentation not only enhances the taste but also creates healthy bacteria, Lactobacillus, which is required by the body to keep a healthy state of intestinal flora" (10 Surprising Benefits Of Kimchi).

If you've ever heard of "healthy gut bacteria", this is what probiotics are. You can find them in yogurt, natto, and apparently kimchi as well. It's said that your stomach controls your physical health- To cure your sickness, cure your stomach first.

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Real Hangover Cures

After reviewing each remedy that I tried by happenstance, realizations that I had may help you out the next time you are grossly hungover, and in need of a possible rescue mission;

• Mac and Cheese (fermented Milk)
• Pickles (fermented Cucumbers)
• Kimchee (fermented Cabbage).

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My solution to cure a hangover is; "Fermented foods after fermented drinks."

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All images in this article are under Creative Commons public domain and are free use.

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Further Reading:

Bell, E. (2015, November 2). DOES GREASY FOOD ACTUALLY HELP A HANGOVER? Vine Pair. Retrieved from https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/does-greasy-food-help-a-hangover/

Kamin, C. (2015, January 19). Cheese Is Your Hangover's Best Friend. Vice. Retrieved from https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/aeypbj/cheese-is-your-hangovers-best-friend

OrganicFacts. (2018, Februrary 18). 10 Surprising Benefits Of Kimchi. Organic Facts. Retrieved from https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/other/health-benefits-of-kimchi.html

Rainey, A. (2016, May 3). Drinking Pickle Juice: 10 Reasons It's All the Rage. Health Line. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/drinking-pickle-juice

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