The New Year is here! Welcome to the party time!
It’s that time of the year when you have endless list of parties to attend or social gatherings to look up to. Although a lot of fun, such social events can easily sabotage all the hard work you have been doing to make healthier choices throughout the year.
No matter how strong your will power is, it’s easy to get carried away with eating all kinds of foods and drinks that you might not typically consume, just because it is displayed all over and readily accessible.
However, this need not be the case during parties!
With a little pre-planning and knowledge about the kinds of foods to eat before a party, you can turn the table and make it work in your favour.
Not only will you be able to enjoy the true essence of celebration, but also enter the new week without a hangover or that awful bloating feeling.
One thumb rule if you want to party smart is to never starve yourself throughout the day thinking that’s going to help you save calories for the night. It’s a big mistake to try to “save” calories by skipping meals before the event.
This inevitably leads to overeating and making poor food choices. Be sure to eat regular meals (every 3-4 hours) before the event.
Given below are some specific foods you can eat before a party to rescue yourself from the harmful side effects of partying too hard:
Chug Water and Natural Electrolytes
Alcohol is extremely dehydrating and there is going to be a lot of drinking for sure.
So it's wise to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day and even in-between drinks to survive the onslaught of alcohol.
It is also a wise decision to have some tender coconut water or bananas during the day as the natural electrolytes like potassium and sodium present in them work better than any hangover pill.
If not coconut water, even the plain old lemon water with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt does the job.
Lemons have the capacity to subdue the upcoming nausea to a large extent.
Eat Raw During the Day
You may have no control on eating choices at a party, but what you eat during the first half of the day is 100% under your control.
Raw foods are highly alkaline, rich in live enzymes, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Loading yourself up with raw food for breakfast and lunch will help your body prepare for all that you eat at night. You’ll also get a handy dose of antioxidants to protect your liver and gut from excessive damage.
It will help create an alkaline environment and support better digestion of the cooked foods. Choose to have a breakfast of fruits and soaked nuts and seeds. You can even opt for a vegetable juice.
For lunch, try having a bowl of salad that has the goodness of sprouts or hummus and some olive oil for a complete and balanced meal.
Find it boring and bland? Then how about chaats with coriander chutney like chana chaat , rajma salad or sprouts chaat.
Chomp on Liver Friendly Foods
Your liver bears the brunt of all that you eat and drink during the party.
Liver is an important organ and glutathione, the body’s most powerful antioxidant and detoxifying agent, is produced in the liver. Alcohol can deplete this antioxidant and make it a task to filter out the toxins.
While we can look at liver cleanse later on, it’s a good idea to add some liver-health boosting foods that support and stimulate glutathione production, at least a week before the big party. Like garlic, onions, asparagus, avocados, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, parsley and watercress.
Other top picks that stimulate secretion of liver enzymes are raw carrot ( juice or stick), radish and raw tomato juice. Cinnamon, cardamom and curcumin also offer benefits in terms of bile production. Eggs can help too.
Not only will they keep you fuller for longer, they also contain large amounts of cysteine (a component of glutathione), the substance that breaks down the hangover-causing toxin, acetaldehyde.
Raw and Soaked Nuts & Seeds
A handful of soaked nuts and seeds is all it takes to give you an adequate dose of omega 3 that can effectively line your stomach and slow down the rate at which alcohol enters your bloodstream.
Not only that, the fat and fibre in them can be your secret weapon to avoid overeating at a party as well.
Vitamin B-12 Rich Foods
What is the most commonly deficient vitamin found in humans, apart from vitamin D3?
It’s vitamin B12. Even low to moderate consumption of alcohol is one of the risk factors for vitamin B12 and folate deficiency.
What happens is that alcohol damages the mucosal lining of the stomach due to which the stomach cells are no longer able to produce a protein called intrinsic factor (IF) necessary for B12 absorption.
Hence its wise to get your dose of Vitamin B12 before you head for the big night out.
Opt for fresh water salmon, free range eggs, sprouted alfalfa, potato, moringa, overnight soaked cooked rice, leafy greens or a quality supplement, if needed.
Safeguard Your Gut with Probiotics
Party food and alcohol can wash down the good bacteria in your gut and disturb the digestive ecology.
This imbalance can culminate in digestive issues like bloating, indigestion , flatulence or could even aggravate an already leaky gut.
Think of adding probiotic rich foods during the day.
It could be fresh homemade yogurt, overnight soaked rice, fermented pickles, kefir or even a probiotic supplement if you are heading to a destination party and have no access to such foods.
Additionally, if you want to retain B12 in your system you need a probiotic to maintain healthy gut bacteria.
Cooling Foods
Alcohol and too much meat can get a little hot for your system and cause mouth sores, ulcers, skin breakouts and boils.
In this case, consider eating cooling foods like fennel seeds, sweet basil seeds, coriander juice, sattu (roasted gram powder), cucumber, mint and pomegranates.
(Luke Coutinho is M.D. Alternative Medicine (Integrative & Lifestyle) & Holistic Nutritionist. Luke treats patients with disease and specializes in cancer with a holistic and integrative approach worldwide.)
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