Beating the Hangover [Vegan Version]

Bliss‘s Vegan Breakfast Burrito

I don’t know about you but the morning after a night of drinking, I am nutrient-starved. I crave a variety of tastes and textures, and their accompanying nourishment. Hangover remedies are much like old wives tales. But through the years of trial and error after a night of drinking errors, I have learned a thing or two about how to snap back into some semblance of shape. Here, in no particular order, are what help me eat away my hangover.

Everything bagels do wonders. The salt replenishes electrolytes, the garlic helps the liver with cysteine, sesame seeds have sesame oil which has wonder-antioxidant vitamin e, poppy seeds are a “folk” hangover remedy, as are caraway seeds. Plus the 3-5 servings of carbohydrates stabilize the blood and are utilized immediately as energy. I prefer my bagel toasted with Earth Balance and jam alongside a small cup of black coffee.

Fresh-squeezed juice is necessity. Make sure you are chugging water as well because it is a bit of a bummer to down a $6.00 fresh-squeezed juice in 30 seconds. I always spring for a combo packed with ginger to soothe the belly. Ginger root is your gastric juices’ friend. And fructose, the naturally-occurring sugar in fruit, helps the body burn up lingering alcohol poisoning your morning. If fresh juice is not readily accessible, I spring for Mango Tango from Odwalla. There is something so nourishing about this drink.

Brunch. The bagel got you primed and ready for a bit more variety, a more nutrient-dense meal. Brunch always hits the spot. The range of temperature and texture in a brunch menu is broader then lunch and it seems more time-appropriate since your brain is still in sluggish morning mode. A perfect hangover brunch contains a salty starch (potato, any style), a zing (like in above’s pico de gallo), a bit of coldness (like in above’s tofu sour cream) and something hot to sink your teeth into and chew (like above’s breakfast burrito: tofu scramble vegan cheese, assorted veggies). Fresh fruit, like banana and berries, up the nutrient ante.

Sunlight, light strolling and someone to be silly with in your witless state also help the cause followed by more restful sleep. A personal hangover savior, in my case The Electrician, can make transitioning back to normal part of the fun of a drunken night-before. Now… time for a night cap.