It is the end of the year and you know it is time for you to put your party dress on! Some of you might be too excited that you kind of forgot about the painful regret felt morning after until, well, you wake up the morning after.
In order to make this season indeed a season for you to be and feel jolly, let’s get you ready and prepared just in case you wake up with that terrible thud at the back of your head. Here are some delicious hangover cures.
Soft-Boiled Egg
What better way to start your morning than with a spoonful of good ol’ soft boiled egg with some pepper and soy sauce, especially after a night of wild partying and drinking.
Not only delicious, eggs are a breakfast staple for a reason. Eggs are chock full of hardworking amino acids like cysteine and taurine. Taurine boosts liver function and may help prevent liver disease. Cysteine breaks down acetaldehyde, the yucky headache-causing chemical that’s left over when the liver breaks down ethanol.
So, keep that dozen in the fridge before going out for a night of merry-making.
Kopi ‘O
If you are used to getting your daily dose of caffeine to pick you up during “normal” days, get a cup of Joe after a night of drinking. The liquid in coffee can help re-hydrate your body, and it does give you a little boost of energy.
Besides, a study showed that the combo of caffeine and over-the-counter inflammatory drugs (panadol or aspirin) may help counteract the head-pounding effects of a hangover.
However, if you rarely drink coffee, don’t try taking it to cure your hangover. Coffee is a mild diuretic and it can worsen the dull thud behind your head to a full-blown bomb explosion in just one sip.
Curry Mee
Curry Mee is indeed delicious but can it be a hangover cure? Don’t scratch it out from the list just yet.
The curry mee broth is usually prepared using shellfish such as shrimp, clams or prawns in order to give that rich, delicious flavour everyone loves so much. That is not the only function it has.
The taurine content in the shellfish may be able to reverse liver damage, whether it is from a long term alcohol addiction or just a night of too much partying. When we drink too much, there is fat build-up in the liver that causes it to swell and decrease the blood flow.
Not just a delicious meal now right?
Ginger Tea
If your habit is to drink a cup of hot ginger tea in the morning, call up your mom now and thank her for making it every day when you were young. This is because this habit of yours is one of the delicious hangover cures listed.
Ginger is a spice that has a long history as a natural remedy for morning sickness, upset stomachs and motion sickness, so it just might be your saviour.
The best way to consume it is from a cup. Just throw chunks of chopped ginger root into a mug, pour in boiling water and cover the cup with a plate to let the flavour steep for five minutes.
Asam
Again, don’t be so sceptical with asam because you might just thank this sour dried fruit when you have nothing in the cupboard but asam.
Asam is a good hangover cure since they are filled with hangover-fighting electrolytes (sodium) which is good to keep you hydrated. However, if you feel slightly ‘atas’ and have extra cash lying around, get a jar of pickles instead.
Isotonic Drinks
Isotonic drinks like 100 Plus or Gatorade are not only for when you are working out or when you are sick.
Reach for a 100 Plus or similar beverage to restore liquids and electrolytes stat. Or pop open a box of coconut water, which has five of the electrolytes found in human blood, while most sports drinks only have two. Finally, one more cure that’s garnered a cult following: Pedialyte, a drink intended for dehydrated children, provides even more sodium and potassium than Gatoride, for far fewer calories.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Nothing says “wild night out” like a bowl of mom’s famous chicken soup, right? It might not be the most conventional hangover food, but a cup o’ noodles can help restock sodium and water levels in the body. Chicken also contains cysteine, which gives the liver a much-needed boost.
Coconut Water
Believe the hype. Coconut water is super-high in electrolytes: A 11.2-ounce container has 660 mg of potassium, compared to 422 mg in a banana! Compared to a commercial sports drink, coconut water was equally as effective in hydrating participants after an intense workout, a 2012 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found.
Do feel free to share these Malaysian-ised hangover cures with your friends. There’s no better way to start off a brand new year with the most amount of fun yet with little to no hangover! If you’ve tried some of your own DIY hangover cures, do share them with us in the comment box below.
