5 ways to help your hangovers

As Christmas party season is nearly upon us, I thought it would be a good time to share some tried and tested ways to lower your chances of a dreadful hangover. Obviously the best way to feel fresh is not to drink at all, and the second best way is to stick to just one or two drinks, but these suggestions can be your backup...

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1. Milk thistle: Take one of these before you start drinking, ideally an hour beforehand, and then take one before bed. Milk thistle is an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant so it can protect your liver from some of the harmful chemicals in alcohol.

2. NAC: Take one capsule with the milk thistle around an hour before you start drinking, ideally with a meal/snack which contains carbs to help absorption. Then take one more before bed, alongside the milk thistle. NAC is an amino acid which supports the production of glutathione, the body's master antioxidant, which gets depleted by alcohol.

3. B Complex: Take one of these alongside the milk thistle and NAC an hour before you start drinking. Take another one when you wake up in the morning. B vitamins are depleted by alcohol and are needed to process it.

4. Elete electrolytes: This is amazing the morning after. Put 20 drops into a large glass of water first thing and you'll (probably) feel much better. These electrolytes are 100% natural and don't have any additives or sugar, so they do taste a little salty but you know they're working hard for you. Electrolytes, like magnesium, are important because dehydration is one of the key causes of a hangover, and having electrolytes in your water can improve hydration levels more quickly.

5. Choose wisely: Alongside the alcohol content, the colour of your drink and the sugar content can both impact how you feel the next day. Go for lighter coloured alcohol as it contains fewer congeners (toxic compounds produced during fermentation) which means you'll feel better in the morning.

   • Mixers: Choose soda water as it contains no sugar and it means you'll stay more hydrated too! Adding fresh lime makes it more tasty

   • Spirits: Vodka has the lowest congener content, but gin and tequila blanco are also good options. Anything aged in barrels generally has a high congener content, with bourbon being the worst culprit

   • Beer: Not the best option overall as it's quite high in carbs (= sugar) and congeners, but if you must, BrewDog's Lightspeed or Lost Lager are good options. Pilsners are generally a better option than real ales. Cider tends to be pretty high in sugar so best avoided

   • Wine: Red wines have high levels of those pesky congeners, which is why a red wine hangover is pretty unpleasant. White wine is obviously lighter in colour, so a dry (= less sugar) white like a Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis or Albariño may be a better choice. I find a low-sulphite dry white wine is the best wine option as sulphites can make your hangover worse

   • Fizz: Try and choose brut nature/zero dosage - it means there's no sugar added during its production and I find my hangover is less bad. This brut nature Cava is very reasonable and also delicious! This is a really good organic, no added sulphite Prosecco which I love (also available in Whole Foods!)

   • Cocktails: Avoid sweet options, like margaritas or mojitos or daiquiris, as the sweetness masks the alcohol so you're more likely to drink more and it can also contribute to your hangover. Sipping on one or two martinis or negronis is a better choice, and I also love Campari sodas

   • The rest: Sherry, port, and other dessert wines and liqueurs are probably best avoided.

If you'd like to put this to the test, all of the products I mention are available on The Natural Dispensary and you can use code 'LAJN15' for 15% off.

Now go forth and have fun.