Holidays and Hangovers

Does this picture look alot like you the morning after a holiday party? The thought of alcohol makes you want to die? We continually tell ourselves we will never drink a drop of alcohol again.. but we do it anyway.. again, and again, and AGAIN! You can still have fun and even have your martini or merlot, but you need to be aware of how avoid the ever so dreadful hangover by doing a few things. A few years back I kept an article from Men's Health magazine from 2005 on "Hangover Helpers" which featured a group of individuals who put a few common hangover remedies to the test... and here is what they found out with the help and suggestions of a few doctors.

1. Stay Hydrated: Water vs. Gatorade
One group decided to drink loads of water at the end of the night or just simply drink through out the evening. The other group downed two huge bottles of Gatorade at the end of the night. The next morning.. the Gatorade group felt like a million dollars while the water group felt ok. Dr. Swift of Brown University claims "It is a great substitute for plain old water, and the extra salt helps your body absorb the fluid more quickly".

2. Absorb Slower, Metabolize Faster? Eating a Mega Dinner vs the Juice Chaser (2 glasses of OJ or tomato juice before bed).
This is a no-brainer! One should never drink on a empty stomach, the more food you have in your stomach.. the better your body breaks down the alcohol. But what about The juice chaser?? Dr. Carlton Erickson, Ph.D at the University of Texas says "You would have to drink at least 10 glasses of juice" in order to completely avoid the queasy nausea in the morning. Our test group agreed.

3. Replace Essential Nutrients
Eating saltines or chugging down a 12 oz glass of OJ mixed with a raw egg.
The test group said that by drinking the OJ mixture it induced vomiting more than the alcohol itself. Dr. Swift agreed there was no evidence to back this up, and your risk of getting salmonella just increased as well by using this tactic. The group did not like the idea of eating 10 saltine crackers as it was too labor intensive, but could help dilute the alcohol.

4. Clear Your Head
Hair of the Dog: Sorry.. but it is just putting off the inevitable.. you will eventually feel like crap. But the booze with with breakfast might actually make you feel better.. until 3:00PM or soo?
Drink Light Colored Booze and feel like a million bucks in he AM? This does actually work if you drink in moderation.. MODERATION!
Aspirin before bed? May help a little, but it can irritate your stomach and can also damage the liver.
Exercise (a quick 3 mile run?) will leach the alcohol from my system more quickly? It's mostly a mental thing.. you envision your body sweating out all that alcohol. It is actually the perfect placebo according to Dr. Erickson, as exercise will keep your mind off the hangover.

There are a million remedies out there that we have all tried and swear by.. and here are a few of mine: 5-Hour Energy Drink, Vit B12, Prickly Pear Cactus Juice, Agave Nectar, Dr. Pepper, Toast with Peanut Butter, ect....

So before you hit Grandma's wine cellar before Thanksgiving dinner.. you might want to reconsider your plan of action. Happy Holidays!

Zen and Now

How does one reach a state of Zen? Our day to day lives are filled with stress and chaos and it seems as though we are never really able to unwind at night. I have spent countless hours reading up on how to live a stress free life, eat healthier and master the art of Feng Shui. I honestly feel that your home should be your place to wind down. A motivational speaker by the name of Gail Blanke who is also the founder of Throwoutfiftythings.com explains that "When you walk through the front door of your home, you should feel as though you are stepping into a clearing." I agree with this.. as I have even went as far as getting the right "plug-in" that gives that energizing aroma so when I walk through my door it smells like Pottery Barn when I enter. Living a stress-free life is not about spending money or turning your house into that featured in a Feng Shui guide. Blanke explains "Its about revealing the good stuff and being free of the anything that weighs you down."

The first thing you can do is create a happy zone, whether it's your living room, office or bedroom. Make sure this place does not have lingering bills, papers, and to-do-lists hanging around that you may see that could cause additional stress. Secondly, make your bed everyday. "The state of your bed reflects the state of your head". says Zen Buddhist priest and author Karen Maezen Miller.

Lastly, before you go to bed or leave in the morning develop a healing mind-set. This may be through meditation, prayer or exercise. I have started to research itunes for podcasts that I listen to in the morning, or at night on the drive home. Another approach I have found to be quite soothing at night is "White Noise" playing in the background while I try to drift off. There are several ways to reach a State of Zen without using alot of resources. What is your daily ritual or happy place?

Mile 1

I never thought I would be one of those "blog people" that puts all their information out there for the world to read. To be quite honest I will most likely not be putting alot of deep personal information out there for the world wide web to dissect.. but I wanted to find a place where I could share my knowledge on nutrition, provide interesting facts and occasional nutrient breakdowns of your favorite foods, AND a place to vent about how much I dislike working out. I hope to make this a fun, informational blog that you can all read and provide your own feedback and thoughts on my favorite topics. I do want to warn you that alot of this blogging will be done in the late night hour and my grammer and spelling maybe questionable on some posts.