Hi ladies – Happy Holidays!!
Hey, can we talk Cocktail-ing for a hot minute? Cocktail-ing. It’s a verb. It’s also something we kinda like to do more of around the holidays – but doing it right is sort of an art, yes? “Right” as in, enjoy your night by all means but, uhh:
- Don’t make an ass of yourself.
- Don’t get yourself fired….usually occurs after #1.
- DO eat a light meal of Protein, Carbs & Good Fats to avoid the above.
All joking aside, we want to have fun and feel good the next day – not hungover and yucky. That’s the worst! The times that I’ve awakened with the worst migraine everrrrr…..are the times I didn’t eat something before going out. It uhhh, took me a few times to learn the lesson lol – but now I make damn sure to eat something before a night out.
Certain Foods Will Slow Down Alcohol Absorption
Food serves as a buffer of sorts. It slows down alcohols rate of absorption into our body, and serves not only to prevent against getting too tipsy too quickly – but you’ll also feel better the next morning. In college, we used to call eating before or during drinking – a buzzkill. Lol.
Here’s Why Eating Before Drinking is Important
My sister will kill me for this…
So, the story goes like this. My sister and I were about 20 & 21 years old, touring around New Orleans with my parents and grandpa for the afternoon. Around 4 or so, my sister and I were getting hungry & started bugging my parents to stop for something to eat.
They kept telling us to “wait,” …. A decision that led to this infamous family story.
We all stopped into a Pub to listen to Cajun music (my dad’s cajun) and get a drink first. Heads up to parents – “a drink and music” is code for Game ON, to 20-year olds. Just sayin’. My parents were having so much fun listening to music, that they clearly didn’t notice my sister and I drinking like fish with my grandpa. Grandpa was quite fun, btw.
A couple hours later, we all left the Pub – at which point my parents realized we were out of control – lol. Mom’s running in back of us trying to get us to eat a cookie – at which point we yelled “TOO LATE, HAHAHAHA!”
My sister and I uhhhh, drink like ladies now, but Dad still watches over us…. 😉
Anyway, somehow they corralled us into a restaurant to eat. We’re both drunk as skunks – trying to focus on the food in front of us, when I noticed my sister’s eyes rolling to the back of her head. Next thing I knew – she had thrown up all over her food and was about to face plant into her plate when my dad pulled her head back just in time.
I calmly threw a napkin over the mess, and said “no one saw,” then continued eating. I was hungry, yo. Mortified, my dad starts walking us back to the hotel through Bourbon Street which by now was basically a huge Frat party. My poor dad’s trying to prop both of us up, and navigate through the mayhem
He was NOT a happy camper. Needless to say – we paid for it the next morning, hungover like all hell with a 3-hour drive ahead of us. Brutal.
SOO….. That’s why we eat first people!
12 Foods to Eat Before Cocktails
Remember the Trifecta:
The Trifecta are Protein, Good Fats and Carbs. This is the ideal meal combo to have before drinking. The Trifecta meal combo will fill you up and absorb into your system more slowly – giving the tummy a little buffer.
Here are 12 Foods to Eat Before Cocktails:
1. Salmon. Delicious, good for you AND high in protein and good fats, both of which work to slow the absorption of alcohol into our bod! Try my salmon, farro & veggie combo.
2. Bananas. Besides being easy to grab in a pinch, bananas are high potassium, an electrolyte our body tends to lose when we drink. Eating a food rich in potassium (like bananas) prior to drinking helps boost the amount in your body. Slather peanut butter onto a piece of whole grain toast, then slice bananas on top.
3. Chicken. Same idea as salmon. Chicken is high in protein, digests slowly and ergo helps slow the rate of alcohol absorption. Try sliced chicken on whole grain toast, Dijon, with sliced tomato and avocado (protein, carb, fat).
4. Avocado. Aside from containing potassium, avocados are also high in good-fats to keep us full and slow alcohol absorption. For an easy protein, carb, fat combo, try a mini-bowl of diced chicken, black beans & brown rice, ½ a small avocado.
5. Quinoa. Quinoa is a nutrient rich whole-grain powerhouse high in protein, fiber & potassium! All of which work to slow alcohols absorption rate, and protect against some of the cell damage caused by alcohol. Have it with salmon or chicken, or eat as you would oatmeal – with almond milk, berries or bananas and nuts.
6. Greek Yogurt. High in protein, Greek Yogurt also has fats, carbs and is delicious and creamy! So there’s that. Try a bowl of plain Greek Yogurt with diced Melon (#6) and chopped almonds. Again, protein, carb, fat.
7. Oats. Aside from being warm & delicious, oats are an amazing source of both fiber and protein, which helps ease the effects of all those martini’s. Plus, they’re a super easy go-to. Try a bowl of oatmeal with sliced banana & walnuts.
Oats, Banana, Greek Yogurt & Pecans – this is an awesome meal to have before a night-out! Try it.
8. Melons. Honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon – are all great pre-cocktail choices because they’re full of both electrolytes & water, which of course help to hydrate our body and prevent some of the dehydrating effects that alcohol has on us.
9. Water. Probably one of the most important things you can do before cocktailing. Alcohol is a diuretic, duh. That’s why we’re constantly running to the restroom and why we sometimes wake up with our tongue glued to the roof of our mouth, head pounding. Hydrating / drinking as much water as possible – will really help.
10. Chia Seed Pudding. One of my faves. Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, protein and anti-oxidants. Fiber slows the absorption of alcohol into our bloodstream, while anti-oxidants help to prevent cell damage. Chia pudding is so easy to make – try Chocolate Chia Pudding, top with berries & nuts.
11. Berries. Full of anti-oxidants to help prevent cell damage, berries are also full of water to help to keep us hydrated – thus minimizing the effects of alcohol on our bodies. Combine with greek yogurt & nuts for your Trifecta meal!
12. Eggs. Another high-protein choice to help slow the absorption of alcohol. I love a piece of whole grain toast with sliced tomato, avocado, and a fried egg on top. SO good and of course you get the Trifecta.
