The Best Ever Holiday (or Any Time) Hangover Food Cure

It is New Year's Eve and, for many of us, that means partaking in the celebrations by drinking alcoholic beverages. In the spirit of welcoming in the New Year, we sometimes get carried away and drink an excessive amount of liquor that leaves us wriggling in pain from a nasty hangover on the following day.

Whether it was party, a wedding, a night at the club or some (or perhaps no) special occasion, and whether you had too much champagne, wine, beer, shots or some other cocktail, the symptoms of a bad hangover are basically the same, to varying degrees. There is usually that pounding headache, nausea, loss of appetite, dehydration, dizziness and diarrhea. Some people also feel very tired, are irritable and unable to focus or concentrate on anything. Still others experience body aches, a sensitivity to light, noise, heat or cold and have sweats, chills or problems regulating their body temperature.

The hangover symptoms can last for a couple hours to a couple of days, depending on the individual and the severity of the hangover and it is no laughing matter. One symptom that particularly stands out as being the most common and shared by most people is dehydration. It is a well known fact that alcohol dehydrates you. It has been shown that dehydration causes headaches, thirst, loss of appetite and fatigue. I think this is the principal reason why this particular food cure works so well in helping to relieve many of the hangover symptoms.

So, what is this amazing hangover cure? It is simple, easy to make Garlic Soup. Here is the basic recipe - the quantities and cooking time are approximate and should be adjusted to individual taste:

4 cups of water
3-4 vegetable bouillon or broth cubes
1 small onion
4-6 small to medium gloves of garlic*
1 TB butter or olive oil
2-3 sprigs of parsley

1. Cut the onion and 2-3 garlic cloves in half and place in the water, together with the vegetable broth cubes.
2. Bring to a gentle boil.
3. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
4. Crush remaining cloves of garlic and chop the parsley.
5. Add the butter or olive oil, crushed garlic and chopped parsley, stir and serve immediately.

For a more hearty version of this soup, you may also add the following to step 1 above :

1 medium potato, cut into small cubes
1 small carrot, cut into thin slices

You can also add croutons, rye, french or sourdough bread (cut into cubes) at the end, a few minutes before serving.

For more flavor, you can add the following spices to step 1 above:

1/2 tsp whole caraway seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1-2 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp Knorr Maggi liquid seasoning or Bragg's Liquid Amino

As you can see, you can vary the basic recipe quite a bit or add additional ingredients that you may like to suit your individual taste and depending upon which ingredients you have at home. You can also make up a larger batch and drink a little bit throughout the day, until the hangover is gone.

*Garlic Warning: Garlic, especially in its crushed raw form, is very potent. Some people are allergic or have an intolerance to garlic. This recipe is for people who do not have any physical or medical condition that would prevent them from consuming garlic or who have a good, healthy tolerance to garlic. If you are not certain, please check with your doctor first!