Jack, Johnny and our generous four cousins - a fun night out with our favourite men who deinitely advocate eating before a binge drinking session on a night out on the town. The problem begins when we eat too less, or too much before downing one too many tequilas. Alcohol can really mess up your diet programme, as most drinks are loaded with empty kilojoules - goodbye pride and hello larger waist-line!
Kilojoule-wise, the best mixers are water, soda water or lime cordial, so aim to stay away from fizzy drinks, which can contain the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar. Grenadine, juices and sugary syrups are a no-no!
- glass of red wine (448 kilojoules) = 1 piece of brie cheese (459 kj)
- strawberry daquiri (670 kj) = 2 servings of mash & gravy from KFC (658 kj)
- glass of champagne (473 kj) = 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (492 kj)
- beer (563 kj) = 3 McDonald's chicken nuggets (578 kj)
- Smirnoff Spin (747 kj) = a large slice of Club Pizza from Debonairs (808 kj)
Waking up with a sore head, dry mouth and a loss of pride (think: beer goggles) is usually the result of eating too little before downing a few shooters at the bar. You wake up swearing that you will never look at a vodka and lime again, but nevertheless you find yourself standing at the bar the next Friday.Think Lil' Jon's Shots - yes, this song speaks to any drunk soul who's willing to sacrifice their liver for a night of binge drinking. Avoding a hangover is pretty easy if you eat the RIGHT food about an hour before drinking - lining your stomach is a MUST!
You want to try to eat specific food that will slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream, leading to a little more shuffling, and a little less bonding time with the toilet bowl. Avoid hot, spicy food as this is absorbed faster and could get you tipsy far too quickly!
- Try carbohydrate rich food, which serves as a buffer before going on a drinking spree. My favourites are oats, toasted low-G.I brown bread or cereal.
- Eat food high in vitamin B, as this is heavily depleted when the body processes alcohol. Basically if these levels are too low before a night of fist pumping and tequila, the body cannot break down alcohol fast enough. So aim to eat vitamin B rich foods, such as lean meat, fish and green vegetables.
- Eating food that has a small amount of fat in it is recommended, as this slows down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. Choose foods such as fish, nuts, avocado and hummus on low-G.I bread.
Bottoms Up - Eating is really NOT cheating!
