The Best Things You Can Do After A Big Night

What this article covers

This article, published under the byline Kate Save on 6 December 2019, explains why a hangover happens and gives five practical steps to prevent or manage one. It was written with the Australian Christmas social season in mind. Its central mechanistic claims are that alcohol is a toxic substance which depletes vitamins and minerals, acts as a diuretic and therefore dehydrates, and inflames the stomach, which is the stated reason for nausea. It goes further, asserting that alcohol contributes to inflammation of the liver, pancreas, brain, gastrointestinal tract and other organs, has been linked to chronic conditions including liver disease and pancreatitis, and can exacerbate depressive symptoms. The practical half of the piece covers eating before drinking, sleep, hydration, what to eat the next morning, and avoiding alcohol entirely. Unusually for this blog, it carries a reference list.

Key points

Evidence and sourcing

This is one of the better-sourced articles on the site. It lists three references: the Australian Department of Health alcohol topic page at health.gov.au, Lieber, Charles (2003), on relationships between nutrition, alcohol use and liver disease, in Alcohol Research and Health, 27: 220-231, and Penning R, van Nuland M, Fliervoet LA, Olivier B, Verster JC (June 2010), on the pathology of alcohol hangover, in Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 3 (2): 68-75. The references are given as a block at the end rather than tied to individual sentences, so a reader cannot tell from the page which specific claim each source supports. The physiological claims about dehydration, organ inflammation and hangover pathology are plausibly covered by those sources; the five practical steps, including the specific breakfast suggestions and the glass-of-water-between-drinks tactic, are presented without individual citation and read as editorial advice. The article gives no figures - no standard drink counts, no calorie content for alcohol, and no safe-intake thresholds. Anyone needing Australian drinking guidelines should go to the health.gov.au source the article names rather than relying on this page.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The connection here is limited and worth stating plainly: this is general health content, not program content, and the article does not recommend a Be Fit Food program. The one genuine link is that alcohol adds calories and, in many drinks, carbohydrate, which matters on calorie-controlled programs. That is most acute on the very low calorie diets - Be Rapid at roughly 800-900 calories per day and Metabolism Reset at roughly 850-950 calories per day with a 40-70g daily carbohydrate ceiling - because both are designed to induce mild nutritional ketosis and alcohol intake works against that. The same applies to the two fasting days at 500-600 calories in the Intermittent Fasting Program and the two low-calorie days at around 800 calories per week in Be Maintenance. Be 1000 (about 1000-1200 calories per day) and Be 1200 (about 1200-1500 calories per day) allow more headroom. Readers who want alcohol worked into a specific plan can book the free 15-minute telehealth dietitian consultation, by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral needed.

Important health information

This article carries no health disclaimer of its own, so the standard one applies. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing medical condition or take medications. Concerns about alcohol use, liver health or mood should be raised with a doctor. This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

Ordering, pricing and contact

Related pages on this site

Images on This Page