Dr Emma Derbyshire’s ‘five reasons why’ berries are the ideal ‘it’s come home’ hangover food.
Half a century of hurt ends and a day of head hurting begins as the evenings celebrations catches up with the nation after the Lionesses’ heroics bought football home in magnificent fashion.
As 87,192 partied in a record-breaking Wembley crowd – millions more celebrated in sheer delight up and down the country. And as the nation continues to celebrate this week there will be plenty of roaring hangovers for Brits to battle through.
Whilst clearly there isn’t a cure for hangovers, certain foods and drinks may help to ease some of the side-effects which can include dehydration, nausea, headaches, and fatigue.
The mighty berry is an ideal hangover food says Dr Emma Derbyshire, Public Health Nutritionist and adviser to British Berry Growers. Here are her five reasons why:
1. Berries have a high-water content.1 For example, raw raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries are around 84-91% water. Alcohol is a known diuretic meaning that it contributes to water losses (increased urination). Water from foods, including berries can help to replenish some of these lost fluids.
2. Brimming with vitamin C. A cup of strawberries provides around 85mg vitamin C – more than double the daily recommendation for vitamin C (set at 40 mg/day for UK adults). Vitamin C is known to help reduce tiredness and fatigue and aid the functions of the immune system.
3. Blueberry antioxidants. Blueberries are renowned for their antioxidant profile (substances that prevent oxidation and types of cell damage).2 Alcohol can reduce levels of antioxidants and switch the body into a state of oxidative stress. So, eating foods containing antioxidants such as berries may help to restore this balance.
4. Good for the gut. Berries are abundant in polyphenols which have been found to help alleviate inflammation in the gut.3 So, if you are feeling a bit bloated after an evening of indulgences, berries could be an excellent food to turn to.
5. Naturally sweet and juicy. Berries are naturally sweet and juicy helping to give you a natural pick-me-up. They can be blended into a smoothie with some natural yoghurt, tablespoon of oats and squeeze of honey to help give you some next day get up and go.
Dr Emma Derbyshire:
“Berries are a great food to turn to after a night out. Naturally sweet and juicy, easy to integrate into your ‘morning after’ breakfast or smoothie and brimming with polyphenols and vitamin C”.
Sources: 1FoodDataCentral. 2 Silva S et al. (2020) Health promoting properties of blueberries: a review. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 60(2): 181-200. 3. Lavefve L et al. (2020) Berry polyphenols metabolism and impact on human gut microbiota and health. Food Funct 11(1):45-65.
