Seven Simple Steps to Cure a Food Hangover

  The food hangover.  We've all experienced one.  Too much YOLOing with cookies, ice cream, chocolate, chips, ice cream, candy, cheese, bread, ice cream and blah blah blah.  Beyond the guilt of over indulging and your jeggings feeling a little tighter, you feel like complete C.R.A.P.

  Food hangovers can come in the form of bloating, stomach aches, gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, headaches, and mental incoherence.  Our bodies aren't used to digesting certain foods (aka Highly Digestive Foods) in such high amounts, so our entire system goes haywire.  

  The key to recovering from a food hangover is to replenish critical systems and give your digestive tract a break.  These remedies are real food approaches.  You could always take an antacid, but we in the holistic community think they do more harm than good.    

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate:  If you hopped off the whole food bandwagon for the sugar express, you are probably dehydrated at some level.  Aim for at least an ounce of water per pound of body weight.  I always feel so much better after a few glasses of water!
2. Broth:  Broth, specifically homemade from animal bones, contains gelatin.  Gelatin aids and helps repair digestion.  You can use broth to make soup, cook veggies, or just drink it straight.
3. Ginger or Peppermint Tea:  Both Ginger and Peppermint are known for stomach relief, specifically for pain or distress.
4. Well Cooked Starchy Veggies: Such as sweet potatoes or squash.  The soluble fiber will help things move through a bit easier.  
5. Meditation: If we are stressed out, digestion will be one of the first systems to be put on the back burner.  Highly Offensive Foods stress our body.  Being intentional about not stressing out, even if it's just for ten minutes, will help our digestion get back on track.  
6. Avoid even more offensive foods:  This includes sugar, alcohol, and caffeine, including coffee.  Remember, we want to give our body a break, so a little hair of the dog may do more harm than good.  
7. Time:  The old saying goes "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."  You've worked hard to get rid of the toxic garbage in your life.  But now your body considers certain food toxic and it takes time to get it out.  

  Regular probiotics will help build a bullet proof stomach so bad food doesn't hit you quite as hard.  Of course I am a fan of whole food sources of probiotics such as kombucha, raw sauerkraut, or kimchee.  But if you do not have access to these foods or they gross you out, you can find a good supplement from your local health food store.  

  Remember that the best way to avoid a food hangover is to avoid the food in the first place.  But you and I live in the real world and ice cream is just so gosh darn good.  When you do find cause to induldge, do it and move on.

  Because ya know, YOLO and all that.

Cheers!

-Kelsey

I'd love to hear about your real food remedies for a toxic food hangover!  Please share in the comments!