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Never Get A Hangover Again By Starting The Party With These Pre-Drink Rituals

Taz Bhatia, M.D.
Author:
May 12, 2017
Taz Bhatia, M.D.
Integrative Medicine Doctor
By Taz Bhatia, M.D.
Integrative Medicine Doctor
Dr. Taz Bhatia is a board-certified physician, specializing in integrative and emergency medicine, pediatrics and prevention, with expertise in women’s health, weight-loss, hormone balance and nutrition. She attended Emory University, the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia.
Photo by Stocksy
May 12, 2017

It's common knowledge that as a doctor, you take the number of alcoholic drinks your patient tells you they are drinking each week and double it to get the truth. There is no doubt that alcohol consumption continues to be a mainstay of our culture, despite the health consequences. Before you roll your eyes or just throw in the towel, don't despair—there are definitely ways to "drink smarter."

Balance your blood sugar.

Alcohol in all its forms—beer, wine, or tequila—is recognized simply as sugar by the body. With indulgence, a few drinks spike your blood sugar, activate insulin, and trigger the cycle of inflammation. Add the years, the weeks, and the drinks and consistent consumption of alcohol will lead to inflammation and irregular blood sugars, setting the stage for prediabetes, diabetes, and fatty liver.

On a big night out, start the evening with a balanced meal, high in protein and healthy fats. The alcohol of the night will most definitely eat away your day's "sugar budget," so skip any desserts and focus on lean meats, high-fiber veggies, or beans, lentils, and quinoa. A high-protein shake can also be a great start to the evening before consuming more alcohol. These foods will help keep blood sugars stable for hours and help prevent too much fluctuation of blood sugars with the ingestion of alcohol.

Hydrate.

Alcohol is dehydrating so for every alcoholic drink, double your water intake. As an added bonus, add electrolytes to your water to minimize the impact of multiple drinks. Hydrating the day of and through the night can lessen the impact of alcohol consumption. Electrolytes can help balance calcium and magnesium, key electrolytes that can shift with alcohol consumption, leaving us feeling dizzy, nauseated, and fatigued the day after.

Boost your antioxidants.

Under the microscope, alcohol can affect two key pathways: mitochondrial dysfunction and methylation. These pathways cause oxidative stress, accelerating aging, and cell death. They also impair detoxification. Prevent the damaging effects of alcohol by boosting your antioxidants—vitamins A, C, E, and glutathione to name a few. Do a few green smoothies on the days before or after drinking to get an extra boost of antioxidants. Turning kale, spinach, or your favorite greens with fresh fruit into a delicious smoothie concoction can minimize the role of oxidative stress inflicted by alcohol.

Choose a "healthier" alcohol.

I am always asked what the healthiest alcohols are. Remember, all alcohol turns to sugar—but here are a few healthier, lower-calorie options.

Liquor:

It is easy to control alcohol and sugar consumption by choosing small amounts of liquor diluted with lots of ice and placed in larger glasses. Be specific about the amount of flavoring that you want added. A vodka soda or bourbon and Coke can actually have fewer calories when controlling for these factors.

Red wine:

Red wine does have antioxidants and promotes relaxation. Limit to one glass per night, just a few nights each week. White wine, on the other hand, usually does have more sugar and more calories.

Beer:

Choose a light beer if beer is your drink of choice to keep calorie consumption low. Beer, unfortunately, may worsen conditions like candida, given that it has the highest yeast concentration.

Pick low-alcohol friends.

Finally, celebrating does not always have to include alcohol. Finding alternative ways to celebrate, toast, and relax can ultimately be the healthiest option, preventing inflammation, a sluggish liver, and allowing many more celebrations to come.

Taz Bhatia, M.D.
Taz Bhatia, M.D.

Dr. Taz Bhatia is a board-certified physician, specializing in integrative and emergency medicine, pediatrics and prevention, with expertise in women’s health, weight-loss, hormone balance and nutrition. She attended Emory University, the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia, and was a recipient of the Emily Gardner Award for Best Pediatric Resident in 2000. She is the author of the Superwoman RX and The 21-Day Belly Fix. Personal health challenges in her twenties combined with a broken health care system motivated Bhatia to pursue an alternative definition of health and healthy living. As a young resident, she was sick and without answers, and began searching for help to heal her health issues. Studying various systems of medicine including Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Ayurveda, she found a wealth of information not yet taught in conventional medical schools. It led her to opening her now nationally-recognized practice, CentreSpring MD (formerly Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine). Today, Bhatia and her team work relentlessly to find a patient’s core health problems, their centre, in order to spring them forth in health, pulling from multiple systems of medicine, including integrative, functional, Chinese and holistic medicine.

Read More About Taz Bhatia, M.D.

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Functional Nutrition Training

Check out Functional Nutrition Coaching

A cutting-edge nutrition deep dive taught by 20+ top health & wellness experts

Learn more
Taz Bhatia, M.D.
Taz Bhatia, M.D.

Dr. Taz Bhatia is a board-certified physician, specializing in integrative and emergency medicine, pediatrics and prevention, with expertise in women’s health, weight-loss, hormone balance and nutrition. She attended Emory University, the University of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia, and was a recipient of the Emily Gardner Award for Best Pediatric Resident in 2000. She is the author of the Superwoman RX and The 21-Day Belly Fix. Personal health challenges in her twenties combined with a broken health care system motivated Bhatia to pursue an alternative definition of health and healthy living. As a young resident, she was sick and without answers, and began searching for help to heal her health issues. Studying various systems of medicine including Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Ayurveda, she found a wealth of information not yet taught in conventional medical schools. It led her to opening her now nationally-recognized practice, CentreSpring MD (formerly Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine). Today, Bhatia and her team work relentlessly to find a patient’s core health problems, their centre, in order to spring them forth in health, pulling from multiple systems of medicine, including integrative, functional, Chinese and holistic medicine.

Read More About Taz Bhatia, M.D.

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