The New Year’s celebration is one of the biggest in the world. For many, the revelry involves alcohol, and lots of it. But when a new day (and year) dawns, party goers often feel the aftereffects of their festivities in the form of a nasty hangover.
If this is your predicament, don’t reach for greasy foods, caffeine, or medications, which can worsen the effects of alcohol on your body. Use these natural remedies instead for a fast and healthy hangover recovery.
1. Water
One of the most tried-and-true, widely recognized remedies for too much alcohol is to drink lots of water. Many hangover remedies sound strange and follow bad logic, and will probably not do any good, but this simple tip makes sense. Water will dilute the alcohol in your body, minimize alcohol’s dehydrating effect on your body, and flush out toxins. Try to stay hydrated before, during, and after drinking and its negative effects will diminish considerably.
2. Fruit and fruit juice
Once you’re properly hydrated, start replenishing the vitamins you’ve lost and get your blood sugar back to normal with a tall glass of juice. Orange or tomato juice will replenish lost vitamins and contain natural sugars to help your body metabolize alcohol faster. Bananas are great for restoring depleted potassium levels associated with overindulging, and they have magnesium, beneficial for headaches. If you don’t have any fruit juice, down a Gatorade or other electrolyte-containing sports drink.
3. Ginger
Ginger has been used for centuries as an aid for motion sickness, nausea, and vomiting. Brew some ginger root tea for soothing relief, or pop open a ginger ale for a quick fix.
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Did you know it matters if you drink cold water versus warm water? It seems like there are always tips and tricks when it comes to losing weight. One of the tips I’ve heard is to drink water before you eat and there are a few proven reasons on why this is true. The first reason is that sometimes when your body is dehydrated it confuses the signal of being thirsty for hunger. The signal is sent to your brain and as a result you feel like eating. If it’s actually because you’re dehydrated, drinking a glass of water will help alleviate the urge to eat something.
The second reason to drink water before you eat a meal is because it will make you feel more full. You may have heard this already but do you know whether you should drink cold or warm water? If you are wanting to feel full for longer, you will want to drink room temperature or warm water. Warm water tends to stay in the stomach longer than cold water. The reason for this is because when you drink cold water, it has to leave the stomach faster so your body can heat it up quickly. So when choosing between the two, go for warm water.
Another trick I’ve heard over the years is that drinking ice cold water makes your body burn more calories. Is this fact or fiction?
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By Michelle Schoffro Cook for Care2.com
We hear about importance of drinking enough water constantly. On the flip side, there has been a growing trend in the media lately that the commonly recommended eight cups of water daily is a myth, which is technically accurate, but not the whole story. Whether you need eight cups of water daily, or four or ten, most people are not getting the message that whatever their particular water needs are, they aren’t meeting them.
And even dietitians, nutritionists, and medical professionals are contributing to the problem by informing people that they get enough water in their diet in the form of fruits and vegetables. That might be true for some people, but after assessing the diets of countless people, I assure you that isn’t the case for most people.
Plus, have you ever noticed that when you throw vegetables in a pan and turn on the heat you’ll see liquid in the pan soon afterward, and then shortly after that you’ll see steam rising from them? That’s because you’re literally cooking the water out of the vegetables.
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We’ve all heard the rule that we should drink eight, 8-ounce glasses of water each day to stay properly hydrated and healthy. But where did this rule come from? What is the science and research behind the recommendation? Do you need to drink more water if you work out a lot? And what about the foods, like soup and grapefruit, that have a lot of water in them? Do they count towards your daily water-total?
A new commentary in the British Medical Journal, where a doctor called the recommendation to drink six to eight glasses of water a day, “thoroughly debunked nonsense,” is causing many to question what had been considered hydration-law. To clear this whole water-recommendation thing up, we talked with some experts about hydration to get the real deal on how much you really need to drink.
Do I Need to Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day?
Basically, there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to optimal hydration, says Dr. Josh Wagner, owner of The Life House on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he practices chiropractic and sports medicine.
“Eight cups of water per day is the classic recommendation for keeping hydrated, but how could, say, a 105-pound woman need to consume the same amount of water as a 240-pound man?” Dr. Wagner asks. “I usually advise my patients to drink at least half their body weight in ounces of water per day, and to add even more water if they tend to enjoy caffeinated beverages or alcohol or if they have other health concerns, such as diabetes. You’ve heard it before, but water makes up such a large percentage of our bodies and is one of the most important parts of a healthy lifestyle.”
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With this week’s record breaking heat, which has been blamed for five deaths in Tennessee, Maryland and Wisconsin, some experts predict an unusually hot summer for the United States.
According to MSNBC.com, a new study from Stanford University predicts that global climate change will lead permanently to unusually hot summers by the middle of the century. So, as the summers heat up, what can you do to stay cool and keep hydrated?
Lather Up: With excessive heat often comes excessive sunshine and no matter how much time you plan to spend outside, sun safety is critical for preventing skin cancer. Use sunscreen with an SPF30 or higher daily for protection and if you’re planning on spending the day outdoors, up the ante to an SPF45 or higher.
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