Hungover? We test-drive your cures
New Year’s Day is meant to be a time of new beginnings and new resolutions. But for many, it’s spent nursing a massive hangover from the night before.
With the last days of your summer break ahead, you don’t want to miss a moment doing what makes you happy because of a few too many.
To help drag you out of your holiday headache, two brave Sunday Star-Times reporters tested out a mix of classic and doctor-ordered hangover cures.
Our shocking conclusion? You can’t go wrong with a good old burger and the morning in bed.
Citrus, salt and sugar drink
Auckland nutritionist Cliff Harvey says most hangovers are caused by a combination of dehydration and congeners in alcohol.
Drinking can also give some people low blood sugar so a little something sweet with lots of water can give ‘‘a bit of acute relief’’, he’s previously said.
Harvey recommends a pinch of salt in water with a squeeze of lemon, lime or a teaspoon of honey to rid yourself of last night’s ghosts.
Intrepid reporter Karanama Ruru said this was a hit. ‘‘It tastes kind of summer-y... I could just keep drinking this’’.
The verdict: ‘‘Like booze, but there’s no booze in it’’. (Probably not something that’s wanted if the smell of alcohol is enough to make you gag.)
Cloves
Harvey says many hangover cures are psychosomatic and lack any medical explanation.
However, some research ‘‘suggests cloves can help to improve alcohol clearance and some fruits and veggies can enhance or inhibit alcohol metabolism’’.
With not enough time to get our hands on clove extract, I tried to find the most palatable way for Ruru to swallow the spice whole. We mixed it with milk.
‘‘It tastes so foul. It smells so foul,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s not worth the pain’’.
The verdict: ‘‘Absolutely not.’’
Electrolyte drink
Similar to the citrus, salt and sugar mixture, electrolyte drinks are another nutritionist-approved solution for your hangover headache.
Harvey says alcohol can cause some ‘‘electrolyte disturbances’’ so drinks like Powerade and Vita Sport can help.
‘‘This is a classic,’’ Ruru says. ‘‘Always a go-to when you’ve had a big night.’’
The verdict: ‘‘Highly recommend.’’
A burger
There may not be an easy scientific explanation for why a burger does wonders to settle the stomach after a big night out, but it does the trick.
Ruru says this hangover cure takes top spot. Combined with the electrolyte drink, it is a match made in heaven for the dusty reporter.
The Verdict: ‘‘Absolutely amazing’’.