Christmas Hangover Recovery Recipe

Christmas Hangover Recovery Recipe

At the first mention of politics at the dinner table, you reach for the closest bottle of red and never look back. Accompanied with four helpings of mashed potatoes, an argument with drunken uncle Tom and a night spent tossing and turning in your old childhood bedroom, it’s no wonder that the next morning you feel like you got run over by Santa’s sleigh.

Swigging back one too many spirited holiday drinks may looked like a great idea at the time, but the hangover symptoms like illness and that aching head will probably feel like Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas song on repeat. You need it to stop. ;) Here are some helpful tips for alcohol consumption during the holidays!

Don’t drink on an empty stomach

Putting anything in the stomach prior to indulging in alcohol helps prevent a hangover, but fatty foods in particular stick to the stomach lining longer and therefore slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. While that might make it take longer to feel the alcohol's effects, it also gives the body more time to process the byproducts and will increase a drinker's chances of feeling decent in the morning. So much so, in fact, that a Mediterranean folk tactic is to take a spoonful of olive oil before drinking alcohol. Eating lighter food such as a fruit smoothie will provide energy and alleviate some symptoms by replenishing the electrolytes the body lost from dehydration.

Stay Hydrated

As a prevention method, drinking a glass of water for every alcoholic beverage slows down drinking, providing more time for the body to deal with the alcohol (the body can only process about three-quarters of an ounce of alcohol in an hour). Drinking a few glasses of water before going to bed helps fight dehydration after the body finishes breaking down the alcohol.

Replenishing the body's water supply after a night of drinking combats dehydration, and it also helps dilute the leftover byproducts in the stomach. Adding salt and sugar to water helps replace the sodium and glycogen lost the night before. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks can achieve the same effect.

Help ease the hangover

When you're hungover, your body is feeling the effects of alcohol. The nausea, weakness, and headache you're feeling will only go away if you try to counteract them in the most practical and healthiest ways. That includes rest to let your system recover, water to rehydrate your body, and some way to replenish the essential vitamins you lost overnight. The right minerals and nutrients help ease the hangover. Here are the ones that will help you on the way!

Cysteine
Cysteine is an amino acid that helps create anti-oxidants in the body and can reduce the severity of hangovers. It breaks down acetaldehyde, a chemical formed when the body metabolizes alcohol. High cysteine foods include soybeans, sunflowers seeds, oats, fish, cheese, eggs, and legumes like red pepper, garlic, onions, and broccoli.

Pottasium
Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
Eating bananas the morning after a night of heavy drinking provides lost electrolytes like any food would, but it also specifically replenishes the potassium lost to alcohol's diuretic effect. Other high potassium foods include potatoes, leafy green vegetables, fish, white beans, avocados, mushrooms, bananas, and cooked tomatoes. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks work as well.

Fructose
The fructose (fruit sugar) in a fruit juice helps to naturally increase the body's energy. Studies have proven that it also increases the rate at which the body gets rid of toxins such as those left over from alcohol metabolism. Fruit juice is also a good idea the morning after because it's high in vitamins and nutrients that were depleted the night before because of alcohol's diuretic effect. Vitamin supplements high in vitamins C and B are also effective.

Electrolytes
Electrolytes are essential nutrients necessary for maintaining a proper balance of hydration and pH in the body. A deficiency or imbalance of any electrolyte can disrupt electrical signaling in the muscles leading to muscle cramps and fatigue. Key electrolytes for the body include sodium (NA), potassium (K), calcium (CA), magnesium (MG), Phosphorus (P), and Chloride (CL). Foods high in electrolytes include yogurt, cheese, coconut water, soymilk, seafood, and green leafy vegetables. Non-caffeinated, non-carbonated sports drinks work as well. Watch out for caffeine in sports drinks, as while caffeinated drinks may make you feel better temporarily, they'll only extend your hangover and delay your recovery.

Veggie Food Tip: Asparagus Omelet

The minerals in asparagus help to reset your liver and break down the alcohol in your system. Plus, the amino acids (cysteine) in eggs remove any remaining toxins still lingering in your system. Pack a one-two punch and eliminate your hangover by combining those ingredients in a omelet for breakfast!

Vegan Food Tip: Potato Burrito

Of course there are also many vegan hangover breakfast options. How about a vegan potato burrito? The great thing about burrito’s is that you can make endless combinations! You can find a nice one here!

The Biology of Your Hangover

A product of alcohol metabolism that is more toxic than alcohol itself, acetaldehyde is created when the alcohol in the liver is broken down by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. The acetaldehyde is then attacked by another enzyme, acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, and another substance called glutathione, which contains high quantities of cysteine (a substance that is attracted to acetaldehyde). Together, the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and the glutathione form the nontoxic acetate (a substance similar to vinegar). This process works well, leaving the acetaldehyde only a short amount of time to do its damage if only a few drinks are consumed.

Unfortunately, the liver's stores of glutathione quickly run out when larger amounts of alcohol enter the system. This causes the acetaldehyde to build up in the body as the liver creates more glutathione, leaving the toxin in the body for long periods of time.

Some of the most common hangover symptoms; fatigue, stomach irritation and a general sense of illness all over can be further attributed to something called glutamine rebound.

Glutamine Rebound

After a night of alcohol consumption, a drinker won't sleep as soundly as normal because the body is rebounding from alcohol's depressive effect on the system. When someone is drinking, alcohol inhibits glutamine, one of the body's natural stimulants. When the drinker stops drinking, the body tries to make up for lost time by producing more glutamine than it needs.

The increase in glutamine levels stimulates the brain while the drinker is trying to sleep, keeping them from reaching the deepest, most healing levels of slumber. This is a large contributor to the fatigue felt with a hangover. Severe glutamine rebound during a hangover also may be responsible for tremors, anxiety, restlessness and increased blood pressure.

Because alcohol is absorbed directly through the stomach, the cells that line the organ become irritated. Alcohol also promotes secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, eventually causing the nerves to send a message to the brain that the stomach's contents are hurting the body and must be expelled through vomiting. This mechanism can actually lessen hangover symptoms in the long run because vomiting gets rid of the alcohol in the stomach and reduces the number of toxins the body has to deal with. The stomach's irritation may also be a factor in some of the other unpleasant symptoms of a hangover, such as diarrhea and lack of appetite.

Christmas Recovery Session

In case of an emotional Christmas hangover, we have you covered in our Christmas Recovery Session! Restorative yoga with Wim Hof breath work and sweet soothing harp music! Wooohaaa! Check the event here!

New Moon in Sagittarius: Retrospection & Wisdom

New Moon in Sagittarius: Retrospection & Wisdom

2018 has been a year full of changes, transformations, and uncertainties. But it was also filled with healing, love, and compassion. This new moon in the sign of Sagittarius falls on the 6th of December and it will take us on a ride down memory lane. While life is evolving around us constantly, it can be difficult to see our development. With the end of the year also approaching, comes a pressure to go through your achievements. Though it may feel like you are exactly at the same spot as you were one year ago. Don’t forget, no matter how small or big, all of us grow and develop inevitably. Even if you still haven’t achieved that dream, it doesn’t mean that you didn’t develop internally. The energy of the Sagittarius New Moon brings us retrospection and wisdom. Thus, the minimal act of visualizing your accomplishments and victories will boost your motivation for the coming year!

Sagittarius New Moon

New Moon, new beginning. As the Sagittarius New Moon has the ability to let us see the bigger picture, it can refocus our energy on our blessings and gratitude. Let the Sagittarius energy take you through a retrospection and allow its wisdom to let you see what you have achieved. It can be so easy to go through what you could have done better or should have achieved. Let go of the coulds and shoulds. The fact that you made it through 2018 and that there is a whole new year waiting for you is already a huge achievement! This last lunar circle of the year is the perfect time to relax and enjoy the holiday season! Celebrate you just as you are.

“Every Moment is a Fresh Beginning” - T.S Eliot

New Moon Healing Circle

The Conscious Club provides a great way to start fresh! On the 6th of December, from 8:00 PM till 9:00 PM the event New Moon Healing Circle takes place. Together with Maaike Aker you can discover the power of a new moon mantra meditation. For further information, you can visit our events page! 

Conscious Contributor: Zeynep Kizilirmak

Source

Foreverconscious

Full Moon in Gemini: Illumination and Revelation

Full Moon in Gemini: Revelation and duality

With the end of the year in sight, it is natural to feel a sense of renewal and rebirth. Since all of the changes in 2018 are getting you ready for 2019, the uncertainty of what is ahead can build up a bit of a tension. Don’t despair, the Gemini Full Moon’s focus on illumination and duality provides some direction and clarity!

The upcoming two full moons are both in the sign of Gemini! These full moons will bring more clarity and illumination: truths are starting to come to the surface. And though these truths may not always be pleasant, it is a necessary revelation in order to move on.

Gemini Full Moon

It is certainly no coincidence that there are two Gemini Full Moons before the end of the year—the Universe is sending us a message. Represented by the Twins, the Gemini energy stands for duality. Like the Yin Yang symbol, the Gemini energy also represents many dualities such as life and death, light and dark, good and bad, the moon and the sun, and so forth. The same goes for the dualities that we have in ourselves. We have good and bad qualities, we can be happy or sad. This philosophy can be applied to an infinite amount of concepts. But oftentimes the importance of these dualities is overlooked. As the black and white dot in Yin Yang illustrates, these dualities are not only contradictory to each other but also complementary. The dualities in the universe are interconnected, one cannot exist without the other.

There is no better time for the heightened energy of the Gemini to peak. This Gemini Full Moon encourages us to assess and adjust our dualities in order to create the best possible, balanced version of ourselves. The Gemini Full Moon also reminds us that nothing in life is black and white—remember the balance in the duality, if you can see the middle ground, you’ll lead a more peaceful and stable life!

FULL MOON HEALING CIRCLE 

The Conscious Club provides a great way to heal and let go! On the 22nd of November, from 8:00 PM till 9:00 PM the event Full Moon Healing Circle takes place. Together with Maaike Aker you can discover the power of a full moon mantra meditation. For further information, you can visit our events page! 

Conscious Contributor: Zeynep Kizilirmak

Source:

Foreverconscious