Drinking culture
You need to be careful with alcoholic drinks, if only because they dehydrate the body and deprive it of vitamins and minerals. Of the minerals, the critical loss usually concerns potassium, which threatens heart failure. A lack of potassium, phosphates and magnesium guarantees morning depression and weakness. A large amount of vitamin C, which is responsible for binding and removing harmful substances, also leaves, so toxins begin to poison the body and the feeling of weakness will haunt us for many more days after the feast.
Some tips on how to drink properly
- Don’t drink on an empty stomach. The common belief that you need to eat a sandwich with butter or snack on fatty foods in advance is not entirely justified. Indeed, fatty foods coat the walls of the stomach and slightly inhibit the absorption of alcohol, but at the same time, this causes fermentation, the secondary products of which can lead to poisoning. Therefore, before drinking, eat, for example, a portion of salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, snack on vegetables, cheese, and light salads.
- Stay hydrated. Drink alcohol with still water in an amount twice as large as a portion of a strong drink. Replenish lost fluid throughout the feast and the next day (especially in the morning); mineral water, citrus juices, herbal tea, milk and fermented milk drinks, water with lemon are best for this.
- Do not mix different alcoholic drinks. The most unfavorable combinations are champagne and vodka, white and red wine, vermouth and cognac, wine and beer. Immediately decide on one type of alcohol and stick to it throughout the feast. It’s quite difficult to follow this rule on New Year’s Day, when you can’t do without champagne, but drinking only it all evening isn’t to everyone’s taste. If you decide to mix two drinks, remember that the degree of drinking should increase, and certainly not vice versa.
- Don’t drink in one gulp. You should drink slowly. But remember that the absorption of alcohol occurs not only in the stomach, but also in the oral cavity, which is rich in blood vessels, through which alcohol is very quickly distributed throughout the body. Be careful with cocktails and other alcoholic beverages through a straw and do not hold them in your mouth.
- The reaction of a drunk person’s body to changes in environmental factors differs from the normal state. If you go out into the cold while half-drunk, you can become even more drunk (even to the point of losing consciousness).
- Dress well. Before you go to the New Year’s party, dress well, because the feeling of warmth from drinking alcohol is deceptive.
- Anyone who is overweight should not forget about the very high calorie content of almost all alcoholic drinks. Champagne is contraindicated for allergy sufferers, people with diabetes, and peptic ulcers (especially sweet and semi-sweet).
- If you feel like you’ve had a little too much before going to bed, take some kind of adsorbent – activated carbon.
- The next morning, take a shower to wash away the toxins released by your skin. Drink plenty of fluids, but it is not recommended to have a hangover.
Festive table
On December 31, in anticipation of a nightly feast, do not go hungry, otherwise it will be difficult to restrain yourself, looking at the festive abundance, and overeating cannot be avoided. Have a hearty breakfast, eat a bowl of soup for lunch, and snack on vegetable salads or fruits throughout the day.
If you don’t want to deny yourself anything at the festive table, before the celebration or already in its midst, take one teaspoon turmeric which will relieve the feeling of heaviness and improve digestion. Do not indulge in fatty, fried and smoked foods, do not mix completely incompatible foods and be in moderation. Don’t sit at the holiday table all the time; come up with an active, fun and interesting program in advance.
Be healthy and happy in the New Year!