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Science-backed foods that cure a hangover
23rd May, 2026 01:08 PM
Friday night was fun. Saturday morning, less so.
Before you reach for painkillers and pray, consider what your body is actually asking for, and why the right food makes a real difference.
When you drink alcohol, your liver converts it into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde. That build-up is the main driver of the headache, nausea, and full-body misery you feel the next morning.
What you eat during recovery directly affects how quickly your body clears it.
Start here: The evening and overnight basics
If you are still up on Friday night, eat a banana before you sleep.
Alcohol depletes potassium and magnesium, and a banana starts replacing both before morning arrives.
Bone broth (made from boiling beef or chicken bones, easy to find at butcheries across the city) is the other underrated fix.
A warm cup before bed delivers sodium, potassium, and glycine, an amino acid that supports liver function overnight.
Coconut water (madafu) works beautifully here too.
It is one of the most effective natural electrolyte drinks available locally, with potassium levels that rival most commercial sports drinks at a fraction of the price.
Saturday morning: Build the recovery plate
Eggs are the centrepiece, and the science backs them up.
A 2023 study published in Antioxidants by researchers at Korea University found that cysteine (an amino acid that eggs are particularly rich in) “improved alcohol-induced behaviour more effectively than the individual compounds” when it works alongside glutathione to break down acetaldehyde in the body.
Your liver uses cysteine to produce glutathione, its primary detox antioxidant, so two scrambled or boiled eggs on a Saturday morning are doing serious work.
Add avocado to the plate. Its healthy fats slow digestion and help stabilise blood sugar, which alcohol disrupts heavily, and its potassium content keeps working where the banana left off the night before.
A glass of coconut water alongside it and you have covered electrolytes, amino acids, and liver support in a single meal.
Eat slowly and drink water between bites. Give your liver the tools it needs to finish the job.
