You might have overdone it at that holiday party: your mouth feels like it’s packed with sawdust, your head is throbbing and moving seems impossible.
A hangover is a bell that truly cannot be unrung — once you’ve got it, nothing will make last night's drinks disappear.
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But the good news is that there are some ways you can fill your belly that might help you feel a bit better, both physically and emotionally.
Here are 11 of the best foods for a hangover — the science may not be 100 per cent solid on some of these, but we'd argue that *feeling* like it helps is half the battle.
Water
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OK, it’s not technically a food but it should be your first idea when you have regrets about last night's martini. Alcohol is dehydrating, and water is obviously hydrating, Nerd Fitness notes. So get some fluids in you!
Eggs
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This may seem counterintuitive, but eggs are easy to digest and also a great source of protein — including cysteine — which may help break down all the gunk that booze leaves behind in your body. Maybe that’s why an Egg McMuffin is the perfect hangover food.
Coconut Water
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Remember how we told you water was hydrating? Some claim that coconut water is even more so, like a natural Gatorade. If you’r not a big fan of just plain water, drinking something with some flavour might be easier to do. Coconut water is also a source of potassium, something you may have sweat out on the dance floor.
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Bananas
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Bananas are another source of potassium, an electrolyte your body could really use after a night of drinking. And bananas are pretty easy on the stomach, which makes it more likely that they’ll stay down there. Also, the fibre in bananas and other fruit can help your body process out whatever remains of last night’s over-indulgences.
Soup
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Chicken noodle soup isn’t just great for a cold! Soup is hydrating, since it’s mostly liquid, and a great way to get some nutrients into your body without having anything sit in there too heavily. It’s also got the benefit of being something you can eat pretty slowly, which might be very important right about now.
Coffee
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For obvious reasons, coffee is the way to go during a hangover. Besides the fact that you're probably tired, caffeine can help dilate blood vessels, which is a good thing if you’ve got a post-booze hangover, Live Science notes. But keep in mind that coffee can be hard on the stomach, so you probably shouldn’t make it the first thing you consume the morning after.
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Lemon Or Mint Tea
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Lemony or minty flavours can help settle a nauseous stomach — just ask anyone you know who has dealt with morning sickness, Newsmax notes. And tea is hydrating, especially if you choose a caffeine-free one. If you don’t like tea, try squeezing a bit of lemon into a glass of water.
Pickle Juice
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Look, we’re suspicious too, but some people swear by pickle juice as a natural hangover cure, Medical Daily reports. The thinking is that the sour flavour might help with nausea, and that salt can boost your electrolytes. But if you’re going to try it drink it by the ounce, not the glass — too much sodium is never a good thing, hangover or not.
Miso Soup
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In addition to the benefits that already go along with post-hangover soup, the fermented miso in this sushi-restaurant staple may help settle your angry stomach, Bon Appetit notes.
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Crackers Or Toast With Honey
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This hangover solution does double-duty. Crackers and toast are bland, which makes them easy to digest, and have simple carbs that can help up your blood sugar, which might have crashed after a night of sugary booze. And honey adds a bit more sugar to the mix. Just be sure to get some protein in there too, either with this or shortly afterwards, to avoid crashing your blood sugar all over again.
Oatmeal
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Oats are full of the B vitamins. Shape magazine notes, that some help fight (or prevent) a hangover. Oats are also full of filling fibre. If you are having oatmeal, don't forget to add in some of these other hangover helpers, like honey or bananas.