Best Hangover Foods and Hangover Cures

We've all been there: the brutal hangover, the splitting headache and sweating, that feeling of guilt that maybe you didn't exactly need to do damage to your liver on a Thursday night.

Luckily, however, there are some foods that are "hangover cures"-at least anecdotally. By hangover cure, I mean a set of foods that will alleviate the symptoms of hangover, especially the piercing headache and irritated state.

A hangover is mainly about dehydration-the alcohol from the previous evening has dried your body out and the headache is the result of your brain "shrinking". As the tissue dries and shrinks, it pulls against your skull, creating a headache. This is also why muscle aches occur after a night out on the town: your muscles are literally dehydrated, like dried out sponges.

The first key, then, is to rehydrate as much as possible the next morning. Have a couple large glasses of fresh water or a refreshing glass of freshly squeezed orange juice-you will also get your daily dose of vitamin C this way, limiting the chances of getting a cold or other illness (drinking a lot of alcohol can lower your immune system's natural defenses).

Next, have an omelette with cheese or some scrambled eggs. Or consider eggs benedict with salmon spread-between the salmon and the eggs, you will get a healthy dose of "good fats" such as omega-3 fatty acids. The eggs also have a lot of calories, filling you up and "neutralizing" some of the lingering discomfort in your stomach from the night before.

Contrary to popular belief, going to brunch the next day and ordering an alcoholic drink such as a mimosa or Bloody Mary will not improve your hangover symptoms. If your headache lessens, it is because the alcohol dulls that pain-the underlying problem is still there. You need to rehydrate.

Similarly, avoid coffee or caffeine-rich foods the morning after your night of heavy drinking. Caffeine causes you to urinate more often and acts as a diuretic. This will lead to further dehydration, which is the exact opposite of what you want. For this reason I recommend sticking to cold water and orange juice.

By the way, is there even such a thing as a hangover cure? Not really; regardless of what you eat, you will experience some discomfort as your body moves from a state of severe alcohol-induced dehydration back to its normal state of hydration.

One "bar trick" you can try to limit your hangover is to have a full glass of water for every bottle of beer or shot taken while at the bar. Matching water to your alcohol intake can limit the dehydration, and subsequent discomfort, to some degree at least.