How to Cure a Hangover

I apologize to anyone I texted, called, or saw on Sunday because I was a hot mess. A serious shit show. But, I had a great time, so I'm not really that sorry. However, Monday morning made me want to die. Luckily, I've been in this situation once or twice, so I've perfected the art of the hangover cure.

Ok, this was Sunday, but it's pretty much how I felt on Monday...

Preparation is key. If you're going to be drinking, make sure you have something in your stomach, and you're not already dehydrated when you start drinking. And if you can, drink some water and eat something before you go to sleep (pho in Chinatown open 24 hrs).

Vegan pho at 4 in the morning.

The first thing you have to do is rehydrate (after you brush your teeth and get the taste of shame out of your mouth... while you're at it, you probably need a shower...). I drank a ton of water and some coconut water too. You are really dehydrated after a night of drinking so you have to replenish fluids as well as electrolytes. Potassium is super important for this so I ate a banana too.

Next, no matter how much you want to puke, you have to eat something! Thank goodness I live right down the street from the best breakfast place ever, so that step is easy. As much as you want to eat something greasy and bad for you, it will just make you feel worse, so try to eat something healthy-ish. Stay away from anything super sugary too. It always gives me the worst headache. Try eating a little fruit with your breakfast. The free radicals that are created when alcohol is broken down need antioxidants to be eliminated.  Vitamin C will help too, so eat some grapefruit, or drink some orange juice. My go to hangover breakfast is the veggie crepe with whole wheat toast and grapefruit from Egg Works. Bomb. Is it bad that the waitress knows me there? Like she legit has my phone number. Yeah, I got there that much.

I take the time during breakfast to piece together my night with a puzzle of incoherent texts, facebook posts, tweets, pictures and bank statements. And I give my boss a call to let him know I'll be late (unless he's the one that made me get so hungover then I just send an unpleasant text).

A lot of people say the only way to treat a hangover is with the hair of the dog that bit you. That sounds like the worst thing you could ever do to me (unless you're on vacation because in that case you can just be perma-hammered the entire time). But, my hair of the dog is kombucha. At first when I tried it, I hated it, but now I can't get enough. I have one almost every day. The ginger one is my favorite. Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that is a little fizzy and contains trace amounts of alcohol, due to the fermentation process. It supposedly helps detox you and aids in digestion. Plus, ginger naturally soothes an upset stomach. And it's yummy! It also contains caffeine which can combat the chemicals that are released during the breakdown of alcohol. Just make sure you continue to drink a lot of water, because caffeine is a natural diuretic.

Work out!! I know, I know, it's the last thing on the planet you want to do, but it will make you feel soooo much better if you can get through the first 10 minutes. Seriously, a little cardio will help out so much. I like to go for a little run and do some hot yoga. Just keep drinking water!!

So that's how I go from the brink of death to feeling like a brand new person. Happy hangovers everyone, and please don't drink and drive!!