Halloween is coming and if you’re in South Carolina, for god’s sake, grease your shingles

I love Halloween. I can safely say that it is one of, if not the only holiday I celebrate with wild abandon. That said, there is no quicker way to end the party than to overdose on piles of mini candy bars and candy corn washed down with “seasonal drinks” often filled with "buttered" rum or “punch” and then fall asleep on a couch still dressed as a less than stealth ninja.

And then there is that hangover…worse than a typical hangover because you threw that extra dime store orange plastic pumpkin full of sugar down your throat. And yes, because it is Halloween, you rationalize that it is totally worth it, but that doesn’t make your head hurt any less the next morning. Well, why don’t you try gearing up for the nights of partying with the same strategy that scored you that costume that your friends can’t figure is a werewolf, the rat from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or even you under a pile of makeup and hair. Make a plan and stick to it to the best of your ability.

Begin about a week ahead of festivities making sure you are properly hydrated. Take a genuine interest in becoming a water bottle junkie and avoid drinking alcohol in excess if at all. Water molecules are required in the metabolism of alcohol, so it is easy to become dehydrated quickly leading to dizziness and balance issues followed by that seriously fun headache then next morning. This is especially likely to happen if you were not well-hydrated prior to those tasty drinks, which you really may want to limit to one per hour to give your body a better chance to cope. Increased urination will magnify a loss of electrolytes, so drink mineral water in between rounds.

Going out on an empty stomach can only make the impending hangover worse. Your digestive system needs something to do to slow down that alcohol metabolism. Having a solid meal (Think meat and potatoes!) in your stomach will lessen gastric irritation and allow you to last longer through the night and be less likely to gobble all sorts of candy or munchies through the night. Warm drinks, sugary drinks and champagne metabolize the fastest and should be avoided. Vodka and gin have the least concentration of congeners, by-products of termination and distillation, and should be chosen before drinks with wine, rum, tequila, or scotch. Unfortunately for the body, the higher the concentration of congeners, the more intense the hangover.

So you may or may not have prepared your body for the haunted forest that is a hangover, here’s how to deal with it. Before you go to bed, drinking an electrolyte replacement drink is a good idea to replace electrolytes and attempt to correct the body’s fluid balance. Having this next to your bed is also advisable in case you wake up thirsty. Avoid taking ibuprofen or other painkillers as they will irritate your stomach. If you can eat, have a hearty breakfast with some bouillon if possible. Anecdotally, I recommend a chicken or beef ramen cup to sooth the stomach and regain electrolytes. Avoid coffee as it will make the stomach more acidic and prolong digestive discomfort due to tannic acid. If you must have a warm breakfast beverage, opt for green tea. If your stomach is feeling normal, the big breakfast is just right. Eggs, bacon, and toast will help to absorb excess acid in the stomach and fuel you for your hangover bounce back.

And don’t forget you should finish where you started: Hydrate!

Happy Halloween!!

~beth

Once It Hits Your Lips, It's So Good!

Let’s face it, beer is part of life as most of us know it. In high school you sneak it, in college you funnel it, as an adult you should appreciate it in pint form with friends. Beer is great. There’s only one little thing that is wrong with beer…it sticks with you.

Only a few people on this vast green earth can drink their weight in glorious beer and not gain an inch on their waist. When you are done wishing them ill or willing them your share of calories for last Saturday night, take a minute and learn some facts about beer so you can stave off that beer intertube that is sadly only attractive with the use of beer goggles.

If you’re bored enough to be reading the nutrition information on the case or bottle, you are not utilizing that beer to the fullest. Luckily, there are many online resources for you to determine what’s in your beer, AKA “What Happened to My Formerly Slim and Athletic Figure.”

Let’s take for example a NYC after work friend, Amstel Light, the post-grad girlfriend of beers. Per 12 ounces of lovely Amstel Light (3.9% alcohol by volume) there are 99 calories. It takes 3500 calories to be stored in order to make a pound of fat. Therefore, that means you would be able to drink 35 of those little beers if you were willing to put on a pound…

Pretty simple, right? Nope, alcohol in its simple joy wreaks havoc on your metabolism in a very complex way. Those hoppy hops are slowing down your metabolism, not being burnt nearly as quickly as you’re drinking them. Your system has no other option than to store them as adipose tissue…basically, nasty fat. You liver is busy converting the majority of the alcohol to acetate which gets dumped into the bloodstream to be used for fuel instead of fat cells. And like all good things that you can’t live without, beer is high in calories, so the more you drink, the more calories you take in, the more fat is stored.

Who knew getting on the piss could be so complicated?!? Here are some tips to try to get you buzzed but keep that beer belly at bay:

• Eat a solid meal before drinking. This will fill your stomach and slow the absorption of alcohol. Alcohol not only depresses blood sugar but also willpower, making it an appetite accelerator. The munchies combined with alcohol are the tag team enables of the beer gut.
• Don’t confuse "light" with "diet." If you're a person who tosses back far more because the bottle says "light" on it, beware! Choose a beer you can savor the taste of and enjoy it rather than racing to the point where you have drank enough light beer to not be put off by the taste.
• Plan your drinking. If you know that you are going to have 3 beers at the bar during the game this Saturday, avoid calorie laden foods for snacks that week to offset what you plan to have there. This is also a good way to plan for your workouts. Planning does take
  practice and is a good way to find some willpower.

*This post is dedicated to the Rugby World Cup beginning 7 September 2007. ~beth