How to Prevent a Hangover (& Fat-Burning Detox Shake Recipe)

‘Tis the season . . . for the hangover. Though I feel most people use the “It’s the holidays!” excuse to scarf shortbread, swap cookies (“I’ll trade you four dozen rum balls for rugelach”), spike everything with Bailey’s, and take a month-long hiatus from any exercise that doesn’t involve trolling the liquor store for more Cabernet, chances are good this free-for-all, “holidays are but once a year” attitude ain’t gonna change anytime soon. I mean, Jesus would want us to celebrate his birth with chocolate martinis, right?

So to keep feeling festive through January 1, use these preemptive strategies during the holidays (and throughout the year). And if—despite your best intentions, of course—you overimbibe, I’ve included some “morning after” remedies.  Hey, it’s the holidays!

Meg’s No-Hangover Tips

Before the Party:

• Eat a nutritious meal or snack containing lean protein and healthy fats (e.g., turkey and hummus wrap; Greek yogurt with chopped apple, cinnamon and almonds; my Skinny Egg Muffin or Detox Shake) before imbibing will help you metabolize alcohol more slowly; fat- and oil-containing foods (e.g., nuts, nut butter, flaxseed, avocado, olive oil) also buffer the stomach lining, helping to prevent intestinal irritation and nausea. (Bonus: A preparty snack will help thwart a buffet binge.)
• Drink . . . water. Or eat water-rich fruits or veggies, such as apples, oranges, cucumber and celery. A hangover is primarily caused by dehydration, thanks to the ethanol in alcohol which increases urine output (layman’s terms: makes you pee). Keeping hydrated will offset most of alcohol’s inevitable aftereffects (cue dry mouth, fatigue and a POUNDING headache . . . ).

Party Trivia: The ethanol in alcohol breaks down in the body to acetaldehyde, a potent carcinogen more toxic than alcohol itself. Congeners, toxic byproducts of alcohol fermentation, can also affect the severity of a hangover. Red wine (especially cheaper plonk) and dark liquors (e.g., bourbon, scotch, whiskey, tequila) have more congeners than white wine and clear spirits (e.g., vodka, gin, white rum).

At the Party:

• Pace yourself and—wait for it—don’t drink to excess. Remember, the key to avoiding a hangover (aside from not drinking!) is to stay hydrated, so alternate an alcoholic drink with a large glass of flat or sparkling water.
• Nibble wisely: for every drink, nosh a few nuts, a couple of cheese cubes or a smoked salmon crudite to moderate alcohol absorption.
• Keep it clean. That is, mix spirits with club soda or sparkling water only; not only are juices, pop, punches and drink mixes laden with sugar and calories, but many contain artificial preservatives, sweeteners and other additives, which can cause or exacerbate headaches, nausea and allergies.

More Trivia: Many alcohols, including wine and beer, contain preservatives such as sulphites, which Health Canada ranks as one of the nine allergens most likely to cause a severe reaction. So if you’re sensitive to sulphites in foods, you’ll likely react to sulphite-containing alcohols, notably red wine.

After the Party:

OK, so you didn’t take my advice, and twinkling tree lights now resemble a spinning disco ball. Seek relief (and relieve your liver) with these hangover remedies:

• Rehydrate with water first thing. (Sorry, the “hair of the dog” “cure” is anything but!) Skipping coffee will probably exacerbate a throbbing head, so drink an extra glass of water to counter caffeine’s diuretic effects.
• Pass on greasy breakfast fare, but make it sunny-side up: eggs are full of cysteine, a protein that binds to and removes hangover-inducing acetaldehyde from the body. Or sip my detox shake, which contains whey (also high in cysteine) and mineral electrolytes.
• Get out for a walk and fresh air; exercise and oxygen raise the body’s metabolic rate, which will assist the liver in eliminating alcohol’s toxic metabolites. Sweating in a sauna or hot shower or bath will also speed detoxification.

Hangover No-No: Don’t take acetaminophen (Tylenol) for a hangover; the combination (alcohol + acetaminophen) can cause liver damage.

Drink Responsibly: Alcohol can be addictive, and it may raise the risk of some cancers; the maximum recommended intake is one to two drinks per day. (A standard serving is five ounces of table wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1½ ounces of spirits.)

Megan’s Detox/Fat-Burning Shake

This delicious shake is full of alcohol-depleting mineral electrolytes, including calcium, magnesium and potassium. It also contains vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, and metabolism-boosting B vitamins, including vitamin B12 and vitamin B1 (thiamine), which may reduce brain accumulation of glutarate, a compound linked to headaches. Bonus: Studies find whey protein is a proven fat burner.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup filtered water
• ½ cup frozen peaches or strawberries (can also sub ½ cup ice)
• 1½ scoops vanilla whey concentrate powder (I used 1 scoop IsaLean Shake and ½ scoop Isapro)
• ½ tsp orange-flavoured powdered vitamin C/electrolyte powder (I like Energenix by Isagenix)

Directions: Add ingredients to blender in order listed. Blend until smooth. Drink immediately. Serves 1.

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  Delicious and detoxifying – give that liver a break!

Health Chair Reform: Stand Up to Lose Weight and Live Longer

Stand to work! A standing desk may help you lose weight and live longer.

You may want to sit down stand to read this. It turns out sitting is a serious health hazard, raising the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even death. Here’s why you should stop sitting—and start standing!

Sitting can make you fat.

Sitting not only replaces calorie-burning activities (we burn one-third fewer calories sitting than standing), the enzyme lipoprotein lipase (LPL), stored in our muscles, is released upon standing, capturing and annihilating fat. When we sit, LPL activity slows way down, leaving fat in the bloodstream to accumulate. But won’t regular workouts offset sitting’s sluggish effects? Nope. Research finds it’s not how much we eat or exercise that determines weight, but how much we sit. In a Mayo Clinic study, participants followed similar health-wise diets, but obese participants sat 2.5 more hours each day. Our bodies are meant to move, and small, constant movements boost metabolism—and fight flab—the most.

Sitting strains your body.

Desk jockeys know prolonged sitting yields stiff backs and poor posture. The reason? Sitting dumps body weight onto the spine and pelvis, forcing the spine’s natural S-curve into a C-shape, which puts pressure on spinal discs. Sitting also shortens the hip flexors and weakens the glutes and hamstrings, causing back strain. Given the average eight-hour workday and other seated “activities” (e.g., eating, commuting, watching TV), it’s no wonder nearly 10% of Canadians have chronic back pain and over 60% of Canadians are overweight or obese.

As if a sore back and bigger butt aren’t enough, sitting may shorten life span, too.

A study of 17,000 Canadians, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, found that, after adjusting for factors such as smoking, age and body mass index, those who sat the most had a higher risk of mortality from all causes, including heart disease and cancer, regardless of other physical activity. Similarly, a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that women who sat more than six hours daily were 37% more likely to die, particularly from heart disease, than women who sat fewer than three hours. So, when people tell you to get off your butt, don’t be offended: they’re looking out for your health!

Five ways to sit less

To prevent “corporate butt,” my oh-so-technical term for the 9-5 posterior spread, try these stand-up tips.

• Fidget! Putter! Notice how little kids can’t sit still, whereas adults can sit for hours? Well, the official term for the energy expended on everyday movements is nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). Research finds lean women stand, move and fidget more than heavier women, burning 300 extra calories daily.
• Move around after eating, when blood fat levels are highest, to stimulate LPL release.
• Stand or walk while on the phone (I use headphones) and when doing things such as sorting mail, scanning the paper/magazines/memos or chatting with colleagues. Make seated habits standing ones.
• Get your Venti to go: sip and stroll instead of sitting.
• Stand and stretch at least once an hour. Set your computer or phone alarm to remind yourself, or download the iPhone app Alarmed. Better back stretch: Stand and place hands on lower back (fingertips down). Gently push hips forward and arch back, gazing upward. Hold for a few moments; repeat.

Chair-free seating ideas

Listed from least to most expensive, these “seats” are better for your body.

• $: Sitting on an exercise ball forces the body to shift and engages core muscles. Bonus: Recline over the ball for a full body stretch.
• $: Construct a stand-up desk: place wooden bed risers or blocks under your desk, install a wall shelf or build/buy a crate, box or tiny table to put on your desk. Search the Web for DIY stand-up desk ideas, then source home improvement stores for cheap fixes.
• $$: Place a TrekDesk or laptop holder over your treadmill. Studies show that walking at just 1-3 mph can double your metabolic rate. Work—and work out!
• $$$: A sit-to-stand desk is pricey, but proponents say it relieves wrist and back pain and improves productivity, thereby boosting your bottom line (and your bottom!). A worthy investment, in my opinion. After all, we spend as much time sitting at a desk as we do sleeping—likely more!

Have you tried a stand-up desk? Do you have any DIY stand-up desk ideas? I recently put my laptop on a phone book on my mantle. It’s not pretty, but my back and hips are reaping the rewards!