Recovering From A Heavy Meal Or Binge Drinking - The Healthy Way

Okay, so it was weekend. And after a long week of hard work, you deserve to indulge in yourself and hit the restaurants and bars with a few of your friends. But it is now the day after and you feel slightly guilty, sluggish, bigger around the waist and possibly slightly hangover. How do you quickly recover from your weekend extravaganza and get back on track?

To get you back to tip top shape as quickly as possible, I have outlined a few simple tips to get you going and have split it into two categories for your convenience: Binge drinking and eating.

If you drank too much:

1. Water
I cannot stress to you how good water is for you. For preventive measures against hangovers the next day, drink at least 2 glasses of water before you go to bed. As alcohol dehydrates your bodys system, rehydrating it can very effectively counteract the effects of alcohol.

2. Sports drinks (ie. Gatorade)
Similar to above, sport drinks are high in electrolytes which can help to not only replenish your electrolytes, but to rehydrate your body as well. Drink it before you go to bed and the morning after if youre not feeling in top shape!

3. Lemon Water
If you dont have any sports drinks, lemon water is a great healthy alternative for a hangover cure. Get some warm water and squeeze at least half a lemon into it. Lemon is great for you as it activates your liver functions, releasing and flushing out your toxins and cleansing your insides.

4. Supplements or foods that are high in vitamin B and C
As alcohol is a diuretic, you lose a lot of vitamins and nutrients after a night of heavy drinking. If possible, take a multivitamin supplement to replenish your bodys nutrients, and if you cant, concentrate on getting at least Vitamins B and C back into your body. Vitamin B aids in the alcohol metabolizing processes as it dilates your blood vessels and restores your energy level while Vitamin C stimulates the liver and helps break down the alcohol to ensure that youre on your way to a quicker speedy recovery.

5. Exercise
As crappy as you might be feeling, doing some light exercise can really help cure your hangover. Going for a walk/run and doing some light stretches can help increase your blood circulation and prompts your body to get rid of toxins quicker.

If you ate too much:

1. Sit down and relax
Right after the large meal, sit down and relax and focus on your digestion. When you do this, your parasympathic system will kick in which speeds up your digestion. Do not in circumstances go to bed immediately as your entire body system will slow down and reduce your digestive speed.

2. Have some tea
Herbal teas such as mint, peppermint, ginger or chamomile are great to prevent bloating and help in digestion and system cleansing. Have a cup of tea after the large meal to soothe your stomach and reduce that feeling for fullness after a heavy meal.

3. Walk it off
After resting for a bit, go for a 30 min walk and ensure you continue to do that for a few days after that night of heavy eating. Walking helps to move food along your digestive system and encourages cleansing of your bodys system. You will feel much lighter and much less guilty after the light exercise!

4. Eat well the day after and do not starve yourself.
Eating your normal meals a day the days after is important as it ensures consistency and regularity in your bodys digestion. A tip is to have a healthy breakfast rich in insoluble fiber to get your bowels moving. Great options include oatmeal, high fiber cereals and whole meal breads and fruits. Remember to also drink plenty of water to help your body digest and eliminate toxins and waste!

5. Have a digestive supplement
Digestive supplements are great in aiding food digestion and detoxification. They should normally contain supplies enzymes to help breakdown carbohydrates, fats and proteins to relieve bloating and indigestion and encourage cleansing and detoxification through your bodys systems. If youre not sure which supplement to buy, there is a good supplement in the market called USANAs Digestive Enzyme that works well and helps your body recover quickly from overindulgence.

Hope youre feeling much better!

~Regina