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HOW TO NOT GET HUNGOVER [Nutritionist's cheat code] · No Forking Nonsense - The Nutritionist UK

• 0:00
  @paulthenutritionist: Welcome to no forking nonsense. The podcast that slices through the nonsense and serves you straight talking nutrition advice that actually works. I'm Paul, a registered nutritionist and your host. And every episode, I'll be debunking diet myths, breaking down confusing food advice and giving you practical science backed tips to help you eat better, feel better and get your edge back. There'll be no fads, no shite, just real talk that makes sense.
• 0:28
  Let's get stuck in. Hello and welcome to another episode of No Forking Nonsense and this episode is about alcohol, hangovers and how to hopefully guide you through if you are drinking, how not to let it completely ruin your progress, how to avoid hangovers and to help stop it it stop you again. Wait, now the problem with this time of year if you're listening to this as it comes out, it's the festive period but this podcast is very relevant for most of the year, certainly if you do drink alcohol. And the problem I find at this time of year is obviously a lot of it is centred around alcohol and people in December panic about food, weight gain, ruining progress and alcohol in general. The goal of this is to give you practical non judgment strategies so that you can enjoy alcohol and the Christmas period without derailing everything.
• 1:23
  So the first thing to say about alcohol is I'm not suggesting that you cut out alcohol. I drink, I'm a rugby player so I often will have a couple of Guinness on a Saturday night. I've got a good relationship with alcohol. I don't need alcohol, I've cut alcohol out for large periods of my life to see if it improves my life and some people it makes a world of difference. For me I've found it doesn't really.
• 1:44
  I'm not somebody who once I'd start drinking I can't stop drinking. I'm quite happy having a couple of drinks and then stopping. Equally I can go on rugby tour and continue drinking and don't get hungover because I'm a nutritionist and I've got a cheat code and I'm going to share a bit of that cheat code with you today. So the first thing to say about alcohol is that you need to know what you're actually drinking. So to help you understand, alcohol has seven grams seven grams seven calories per gram, which is nearly as high as fat, but there's absolutely zero nutritional value to alcohol, it suppresses fat burning temporarily, it is a poison, your body is trying to kind of get that alcohol out of your system, it increases hunger and essentially it does pretty much physiologically it impacts every organ in your body.
• 2:36
  Just as a bit of a kind of rundown, so cocktails are probably the highest in calories because some of them can have like 500 calories, a lot of sugar in there as well. A pint of lager can range from like 180 calories to 150 calories. Wine can be anything from 120 to 150 calories per glass and then spirits plus mixer is anything from 55 calories to 120 calories, so a huge variation in calories from 55 calories to 500 calories. Now the problem with drinking over the festive period is that often the drinking is paired with overeating, sleep will be impacted because of changes in habits at Christmas and the festive period, but equally alcohol directly negatively impacts sleep. Plus there's a lot of social situations happening and that just creates this kind of energy surplus that we want to get on top of.
• 3:34
  So if we are going to drink, what we want to do is we want to embed what we call like a pre event nutrition strategy. So the aim is to try and ensure, because there's two facets here, there's the over consuming of calories via alcohol, but also as well there's this trying to prevent the fact that it is going to impact your probably in the next twenty four, sometimes forty eight hours. I've got clients where if they drink on a Saturday, their weight is up until the Tuesday and it's about ensuring that we have a strategy in place before that, so that we're not going in blindly. So the first thing is that you need to make sure that you're eating normally throughout the day and one of the biggest mistakes you can make is by starving yourself to save those extra calories because inevitably it's going to backfire. It'll backfire because you're going to get drunk a lot quicker but equally as well it will guarantee some form of bingeing and fast drinking either the evening of or the next day because your body always remembers, I ve said this in the podcast episode before, if you under eat, at some point your body is going to eat back those calories if not a little bit more.
• 4:38
  So how we do this is we want to ensure that we have protein first meals, so we stabilise our appetite and slow the alcohol absorption, we build our meals, and you should be doing this anyway, but we build our meals around protein. The other thing that we want to do is have higher volume foods, so vegetables, fruits, yoghurts, just foods that are super high in volume so that we're giving our stomach something to kind of have so it isn't an empty stomach. But I guess as well the other thing that a lot people don't do is they don't really plan what they're going to be drinking. So it's important to kind of set a limit and it sounds really obvious but you plan your first drink in advance which removes the panic and reduces sober eating, so you know what you're going have or you have a strategy. So for me, I have a little bit of a saying where I say always two beers, sometimes three beers, never four beers.
• 5:30
  So if I am going to continue drinking, and remember just so you know, the psychological and the dopamine and serotonin that's released from alcohol usually tops out at about three alcoholic drinks so that feel good factor if you like, it stops at about three drinks. So really there's no massive point in continuing drinking, you're just basically prolonging a hangover but if you are to continue drinking, it's at that point after three beers that you should be moving on to those lower calorie spirits and mixes and what have you. But set yourself a soft limit instead of pretending you're just going to have one. If you know you're going to a party and it's really social and you're in the swing of things, if you say I'm just going to have one, it's probably unlikely you're going to do that if you know yourself. So if you can't just have one, say to yourself I'm going have three and that's going to be me and then I'm going to move on to some perhaps low alcoholic drinks, Perhaps I'm going to have non alcoholic, so I'm a Guinness drinker as I say so, I'll happily have a Guinness syrup, taste the same, just as good, just to have a break between drinks and you know I'm usually quite happy then.
• 6:33
  But also really important that you hydrate as much as possible before leaving the house. If you're dehydrated when you start drinking, you're done. So strategies around this, get yourself some electrolytes, have a couple of electrolyte tablets beforehand. You're not going to probably be taking electrolytes really but when you get back and we'll talk about when we get home in a second but you want to make sure you've got electrolytes to hand to stop yourself having that horrendous headache the next day. So when we are drinking, so during drinking, one of the simplest strategies is to try and alternate every drink with a soft drink.
• 7:08
  There's that thing where it's like one alcoholic drink and one water, you're not going be walking around with water so let's be smarter here. If you're out for the long haul, so let's say you're on a big night out, then I would suggest going through my rule of one, I would probably have one Guinness, maybe two Guinness, then a soft drink and then maybe another Guinness and then move on to some spirits. Now the beauty of having vodka, lime and soda is that once you're done you can probably move on to just soda and lime, just to make sure you are rehydrating yourself. But sticking to clear spirits with zero out calorie mixes, If fat loss is a focus, it's really going to help you as well because those additional calories just give us nothing but a beer belly. Avoid cocktails unless you're very, very aware of the calorie costs.
• 7:53
  So as I said, of these cocktails can be 500, I've seen cocktails that are like 800 calories which is absolutely insane. But also don't let the buffet blackout happen, so if there is food available to you whilst you're drinking, just be mindful of that and pick one plate, sit down, eat mindfully then stop. The one plate rule is something that's really essential around buffets and kind of socially, and so you just grab one plate, stick to that one plate, move on and decide in advance what your food plan is going to be kind of post event and that kind of avoids this one am going to a takeaway or whatever. So what I tend to do is I know that when I come home and this usually happens on a rugby day because obviously if you play rugby then and although I car blade, what happens is kick off is usually either at 02:00 or 03:00, so what happens is I'm essentially missing a window for lunch, then I'll have some food post rugby and then I might have a couple of drinks and then I'm absolutely starving. So I know what I'm having for dinner and sometimes if I'm out, properly out, what I do is I know what I'm going to be having when I come home and I'll have something like peanut butter on a bagel or just something that I'm going be looking forward to.
• 8:59
  I'm not really a takeaway person but it will prevent me wasting money and loads of calories going to a takeaway. Hanover's actually happen because of the following reasons. The first one that you probably know is dehydration causes a hangover. The other thing is that there's a thing called acetaldehyde, which is a build up from the alcohol breakdown, electrolyte loss, low blood sugars, poor sleep quality, really impact your sleep and inflammation response and all of these things cause you to feel like shit the next day. Christmas drinks as well, again if we're keeping it kind of festive, tend to be higher in sugar which makes your symptoms worse and this kind of blood sugar is being impacted.
• 9:40
  There are things that actually help when it comes to preventing a hangover. What we want to do before I go into this is to be mindful that alcohol is going to impact you the next day. So your sleep will be impacted. A lot of people will be like nah, I have an alcoholic drink, I remember listening to someone, I can't remember whether it was someone I knew or I just heard somebody say oh I drink alcohol because it helps me sleep, it doesn't. What happens is it will knock you out but you'll see quality if you've got a fitness watch, you'll see quality will put you on your arse.
• 10:12
  So it's super important that we don't think that alcohol is going help sleep. Your sleep is impacted and then the next day your energy is really low because your sleep has been so poor and you end up craving certain types of food, usually hyper palatable foods because your body is literally trying to drag your ass through the day. So I have a really hard rule that if I'm drinking, then the next day I'm going to the gym and I'm going to be functioning as much as possible. What I will never do is turn. It's the bargain that I've made, if I'm going out to drink, it means the next day has to be focused.
• 10:43
  Sitting on the sofa all day, like slobbing around eating crisps is just going to make you feel worse the following two days. And it'll make you feel really unproductive as well, which is what we don't want. Your mood's going be impacted so you want to do stuff which is going to make you feel good. So things that actually help with regards to hangover prevention are eating a balanced protein rich meal before drinking as I said, eat a decent meal before drinking so that you have something in your stomach. Ideally sipping soft drinks or water throughout the event is really going to help because as I say alcohol dehydrates you, so you want to replenish those.
• 11:15
  Slow down your drinking pace, so this is an absolute no brainer. If you drink really quickly you will be more hungover than that state, so try and just slow your drinking pace by either swapping out soft drinks for alcoholic drinks, or just engage socially in there, drink a bit. Stick to the same type of alcohol where you can, so you know don't try and mix all your drinks because again that fucks with your body and you end up more hungover the next day. Try and avoid kind of sweetened mixes and creamy Christmas drinks if you want to reduce those symptoms and as I say like one of the easiest things we're going to talk about supplements that help but taking electrolytes before bed and first thing in the morning and before you drink is really going to help you as well. So there are some supplements that can help reduce her hangover and I kind of like take these and it really does help.
• 12:06
  So obviously electrolytes. Let's say you've got a Christmas party at 07:00 this evening, wash two electrolyte tablets before going out, Also have a vitamin B complex, or like vitamin C and zinc, just to kind of give your immune system a bit of a head start. I would strongly recommend getting some NAC which stands for N Acetylcysteine I think it stands for, which will help reduce that acetalde build up if it's taken before drinking. Take those, send me a message if you're unsure and I'll send you a link, but if you take those before drinking, I can tell you categorically that's going to help. Before bed, I would take some magnesium for sleep support because your sleep's going be impacted and then probably more NAC.
• 13:00
  If you are someone who finds yourself feeling sick in the morning, I'd get some ginger or some turmeric for the nausea first thing and then omega-three for inflammation. None of these are going to replace responsible drinking, right? But those can help. If you're unsure out of all of those which to take, I would prioritise taking electrolytes before drinking, after drinking, morning after drinking. I would take magnesium before bed, magnesia, depends how much I was going to give you a consonant but it depends how heavy you are and NAC before drinking and probably when you come home.
• 13:41
  The morning after is really important because we want to ensure that we don't de red our week as we say. So the first thing that you have to have in your mind is what are you going to do that s proactive because you are not allowed to have a day slobbing on the sofa after you're drinking. Get off your arse, you fucking put yourself in this state. So get to the gym, get outside, get walking, be productive, do not sit on your arse today because you're going to feel like shit for the week. So hydrate as soon as possible with your electrolytes, eat a normal breakfast with protein and carbohydrates and maybe some fats as well.
• 14:14
  Avoid this kind of weird thing where it's like a greasy hangover is what I need. No, no, no, no, that's a complete myth it's going to make your symptoms worse. Prioritise movement, as I said, a walk is going to help clear that lactate and it's going to reduce inflammation, which is why I always go to the gym. And I don't go men's at the gym, just want to get moving. Ideally, if you've got access to a sauna or a steam room, another good opportunity to go in there and just sweat the last bit of those toxins out.
• 14:40
  Do not starve yourself the next day because what's going happen, as I said, is your body's going to remember and in two days, three days, a week's time, you're going to end up bingeing whether you like it or not. Try and get daylight in as early as possible, so get to bed early that following day, if you've gone out on a Saturday, Sunday, get to bed early, reset quickly as much as possible and just try and almost like avoid in your mind be like I am not hungover, I'm going straight into a productive day. That s going to help you move on from this feeling like shit, low mood, feeling sloppy, sluggish, disgusting. Really simple December survival framework if you like, is pick your events, not every night needs to be a complete blowout. If you've three Christmas parties, perhaps test yourself, challenge yourself and don't drink one night.
• 15:33
  I know shocking, but if you're someone who says I need alcohol to have a good time then that is a problem. So pick the events that you are going to drink, plan your drinks ahead of time I. E. How many you're to have, what are you going to be drinking, eat well on days around those big nights so you're not cutting all this food out and leaving yourself unempty stomach. Train as normal, so don't burn off alcohol but you want to make sure you're as active as possible certainly the day after and stay mindful of it.
• 16:01
  So I don't want you to be really restrictive, just want you to be really mindful of what you're doing before drinking, during drinking, after drinking. So in terms of, as I say, Christmas, you're not trying to probably be an expert at fat loss during December, you can be, but it's about trying to ensure that we're managing everything that's happening in this kind of festive period. You're trying to, I guess, not undo the last six months, which is the aim here. What is the most biggest frustration for me, as I said in the previous podcast, is at Christmas everyone goes, Oh, it's December, I've deserved it, you deserve shit. Like you're not a dog, you don't need to just let four whole weeks of just overeating and over drinking because in January you're going to have a lot more work to sort out and it's colder, it's wetter, it's darker, it's more depressing because there's less to look forward to and trust me it's harder, which is why every January when you say right, New Year, New Year, two weeks later, you back to it.
• 17:02
  Dry January, most people fail after two weeks because they get bored and they just want some feelings. It s a depressing statement but it s true. Enjoy Christmas, be intentional and avoid this all or nothing thinking. And as I say, January will hit very differently when you're not feeling like you've just completely written off the last four weeks of your life. So I really hope that that has given you some insight about how we can drink and not get hungover in a complete write off.
• 17:33
  As I say, the main aim is to ensure that we are measured, consider what we're doing, we're consistent with what we're doing and that we're not going in blindly and we certainly don't drink on an empty stomach and we have strategies pre drinking, during drinking and after drinking. I have an alcohol guide, if you want that alcohol guide message me paulthelnutritionist and I will send that to you. If you have any questions, message me and I will send you any kind of clarification on this. Other than that, enjoy going out. I think there are some benefits to drinking, like it can be a social lubricant.
• 18:05
  I've had many good conversations with people after a couple of drinks, but if you have a problem and you feel like you can't stop drinking, then you probably shouldn't be drinking. Remember it doesn't help you sleep, it'll make you feel like shit no matter what. It does impact you negatively, but the benefits of drinking usually stop after three drinks, I remember that. Any questions let me know and I'll speak to you next week Joe. That's it for this episode of No Forking Nonsense where the fluff gets binned and the facts get served.
• 18:32
  If you found this helpful, share it with someone who could do some clarity from an expert. That's me, by the way. And make sure you hit follow so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want more straight talking, no nonsense nutrition advice, come and find me on Instagram at Paul the Nutritionist. Until next time, eat smart, feel human again and stop falling for the forking nonsense.
• 18:52
  See you next time.