Tis the season many of us start overindulging in a few too many alcoholic tipples.
Boozing over the Christmas period can feel almost unavoidable — and so can the stomach churning hangovers.
But Dr Zoe Williams, a London-based NHS GP and TV doctor, has devised the perfect sandwich to fix your hangover almost instantly.
Williams told MailOnline the breakfast contains the perfect combination of nutrients that is needed to correct the balance of salts, sugars and proteins you may have lost after drinking too much.
She stressed that after a night of heavy drinking it is vital to eat something even if you are feeling a little queasy.
The nausea after a boozy night is mostly related to low blood sugar levels, which trigger hormones that make us feel sick.
This happens because the liver is less effective at helping to regulate sugars because the body prioritises the process of expelling the alcohol from the body.
Eating something can help rectify this.
But Dr Zoe Williams, has devised the perfect sandwich to fix your hangover woes and instantly make you feel better
Dr Zoe’s sandwich is made with bread that’s half wholemeal, half white — sometimes referred to as ‘half and half’ bread.
She explained that while wholemeal bread is healthier, the added grains in some types are a strong flavour which can trigger feelings of nausea.
Plain-tasting white can be easier to digest.
She said: ‘With a half and half bread you still get protein and the fibre, which offers a combination of both immediate energy and the slow-releasing type.’
Dr Williams added that protein can be a ‘lifesaver’ on a hangover because it contains an essential amino acid called lyseine. This speeds up the breakdown of alcohol in the liver.
For filling, Dr Williams recommended the seemingly unhealthy combination of bacon, egg and avocado.
But there’s a science-backed reason for this.
While eating processed meat like bacon everyday has been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer, enjoying it once in a while is unlikely to do much harm, she said.
Dr Zoe says a bacon, egg and avocado sandwich, while it isn’t the healthiest of breakfasts, can perk you up when you are feeling a little worse for wear
Not only this, but it helps to replenish salts that are lost during a night of drinking.
Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it increases the amount of urine your body produces and expels, causing you to lose both fluid and electrolytes — essential minerals your body needs to function.
One of the main electrolytes the body needs is sodium, while another is potassium — both of which are in abundance in this sandwich.
A 2009 study by experts at the University of Newcastle found bacon can help the neurotransmitters in the brain — chemical messengers that get depleted by alcohol — to start functioning properly again.
‘It can help that kind of foggy brain that you have with the hangover. Some experts say even just the smell of bacon can technically start to help the brain recuperate,’ Dr Williams said.
A 2009 study by the University of Newcastle found bacon can actually help the neurotransmitters in the brain start to function again
Next in the hangover cure sandwich is an egg — which she described as the ‘hero’ of the dish.
She said: ‘It doesn’t matter how you cook it. Eggs are full of nutrients that are specifically good for curing a hangover.’
Eggs are a powerhouse of nutrients, they contain B12, protein, vitamins A and D.
Vitamin B12, which helps keep the brain and nerves healthy, can become depleted if you have been boozing.
That’s because alcohol can damage the lining of the stomach and intestines, reducing the ability for the body to absorb B12.
Eggs also contain an amino acid called cysteine which helps your body to break down acetaldehyde — the toxic byproduct of alcohol, Dr Zoe explains.
The addition of avocado gives you a boost of healthy fats which help sustain your energy throughout the day.
Avocado is also packed with vitamins and minerals, including potassium, which can help balance your electrolytes.
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it increases the amount of urine your body produces, causing you to lose fluids and electrolytes more quickly than other liquids. So, tea or water is needed after a night of boozing
As for an accompanying beverage, Dr Williams advised to opt for a hot cup of tea or a glass of water.
Water is the best drink to rehydrate but a comforting cup of tea will also do the job, Dr Williams explained.
‘Some people assume you should not have caffeinated drinks because it can be dehydrating, but while water is more dehydrating than tea you still benefit from the fluids,’ she said.
To help prevent getting drunk in the first place, Dr Williams suggested making sure you have eaten beforehand, or even better eat while drinking.
Eating food before and while drinking slows the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream, helping you avoid getting drunk.
She also says having lower alcohol beverages — such as low alcohol beer and cider and intermittently having non-alcoholic beverages can reduce the risk of a hangover.
Dr Zoe said: ‘Try and stop drinking at least two hours before going to bed and switch to drinking water.
‘Also make sure you have two pints of water by your bed.’
