by Adam Bisby | Nov 19, 2020 | Drink Less
Let’s be honest, guys, if our true love’s got us the “magic cure” for hangovers as a gift this holiday season, we’d be stoked. All of those cups of cheer can add up, even if most of our drinking with friends will be taking place on video calls this holiday season.
The good news: it can actually be easy to avoid a hangover while still enjoying some festive cheer. Heed these five tips to help prevent a hangover, and you can get your buzz on without paying for it with a pounding headache and pukey feeling the next day.
1. Chase every drink with a glass of water.
Not a sip or two of water after every drink. Not a glass of water for every three drinks. One bottle of beer. One glass of water. One scotch on the rocks. One glass of water, you get the picture. Water helps your body process and eliminate alcohol, so removing it from your system ASAP with plenty of water will result in a milder, or even non-existent, hangover.
2. Drink plenty of water after drinking
Dehydration isn’t considered the main cause of hangovers, but it contributes to symptoms such as thirst, headache, fatigue, and dry mouth. Okay, if this is starting to sound a lot like a hangover, you get the point. Drink water during and after a few highballs.
3. Drink clear liquor on the rocks
Adding ice to drinks dilutes them, cutting the alcohol content (by volume) and reducing the frequency of refills. Many people like to mix booze with sugary things like pop or juice, which makes hangovers worse. So drinking your liquor straight up can actually help you with hangover prevention when you moderate it. It also turns out that dark-coloured liquors such as whiskey, brandy, and red wine may cause worse hangovers than vodka, gin, and other clear liquors. Unfortunately, no matter what the colour your drink is, you’re going to feel like crap the next day if you drink too much of it.
4. Wine and dine on protein, not sugar
A full stomach slows down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. High-protein foods such as eggs, nuts, and lean meats take longer to digest, and so they give your body more time to break down alcohol.
Booze is full of sugar, especially when mixes such as pop and juice are involved (as mentioned above), and this sugar is thought to be part of the reason we get hangovers in the first place. That’s why shortbread cookies and milk chocolate Santas are not ideal foods to eat while drinking.
5. Get your Zs
Alcohol can impair both sleep quality and duration, and staying up late while drinking can disrupt your entire sleep schedule. Although poor sleep doesn’t cause hangover symptoms, it contributes to fatigue and irritability. If possible, try to stop drinking at least 4 hours before bedtime to get a decent sleep and feel good the next day.
There you have it, folks. It’s easy enough to get your buzz on and come out of it feeling great. The key to preventing “Rudolph Nose” is simply moderation.
Do you have any hangover prevention tips that work well for you? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
This article was originally published on December 14, 2016.
by Don't Change Much | Jun 28, 2018 | Eat Healthier
Maple is truly the pride of Canadians; its leaf is our emblem, and its syrup delights our taste buds.
Canada is the world’s main maple syrup producer, accounting for over 70% of the market. Maple products are even offered as diplomatic gifts to foreign dignitaries. It’s not for nothing that we say “as Canadian as maple syrup”!
But apart from maple syrup’s smooth taste and its undeniable contribution to the Canadian economy… did you know that maple also has incredible health benefits?
- Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sugar. That means that it increases your blood glucose level less than refined sugar or corn syrup does. If you replace sugar with maple syrup, your pancreas won’t have to work as hard and will therefore tire less. Ultimately, this may reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Maple syrup and maple water contain polyphenols. These antioxidants help reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and help prevent obesity.
- Quebecol, a molecule that is only found in maple syrup, was named for Quebec – the Canadian province that produces the most maple syrup – and has anti-inflammatory properties. Discovered in 2011, researchers are still investigating this molecule, but in the long term, it could be used to counter joint pain. Why not have a sweet taste of syrup and a big glass of maple water to help with back pain?
Provided that you stocked up in spring during your visit to the sugar shack, now is the time to make yourself some healthy treats using maple syrup. Here is a super easy recipe for banana crepes that you can cover with golden nectar.
Eating healthy is easy with our maple syrup!
by Adam Bisby | Dec 19, 2017 | Eat Healthier
Imagine sinking your teeth into dark chocolate fudge studded with caramelized almonds, dried apricots, cranberries, blueberries and raisins. Or, dipping a spoon into a bowl of whiskey raspberries with chocolate mousse and pistachios. Sounds delicious, right?
It may surprise you to learn that both these culinary creations are actually nutritious. Dessert? Nutritious? As it turns out, any guy can whip up an after-dinner treat that doesn’t involve waistline-expanding sugar, refined flour, and unhealthy fats.
The rise of the “Three Pleasures”
These two desserts are among dozens shared on Twitter and Instagram using the #3ForDessert hashtag, which is being popularized by Harvard nutrition scientist Walter Willett.
Fed up with the unhealthy treats available at restaurants, Willett is promoting the “Three Pleasures” — nuts, fruit and dark chocolate — as the ideal ingredients for simple desserts that deliver great taste without being bad for you.
What makes the “Three Pleasures” so good? Fruit is refreshing, naturally sweet and will add colour to your creations. Nuts are crunchy and full of flavour, while dark chocolate beautifully compliments the sweetness of fruit and requires no explanation – It’s chocolate!
Making your own “Three Pleasures” dessert
For a beginner’s “Three Pleasures” dessert, there are no instructions or ingredient amounts. All you need to do is copy the picture – crazy easy! Start with the 3 ingredients listed below and arrange on a small plate, pile into a martini glass, or present on a big platter that people can share.
Start simple with these ingredients:
Got some skill in the kitchen or want a good challenge? Here is a “Three Pleasures” recipe that kicks it up a notch.
You’ll be amazed how easy and delicious these healthy desserts can be. Once you’ve tried this, you can swap in different ingredients to mix it up. Serve this dessert, or another of your creation, to a significant other or friends, and they’re bound to be impressed.
Join in the fun on Twitter and Instagram by snapping a photo of your sweet creation and sharing it using the #3ForDessert and #DontChangeMuch hashtags.
by Adam Bisby | Dec 18, 2015 | Eat Healthier
Even James Bond takes a break over the holidays. He puts away his license to kill…and pulls out his license to graze. 007 is far from alone in this. Most guys let loose on the buffet table at one time or another over the holiday season, which probably explains why so many of our New Year’s resolutions involve gym memberships and abstaining from fried anything.
Thankfully, there are ways to enjoy festive fare without packing on the pounds. For instance:
- Eat a healthy snack or light meal before going out so that you don’t fill up entirely on cheese log, cookies, chocolate truffles and bacon wrapped everything at the party. Try this EZ Mediterranean Salad Recipe.
- Not all festive food is fatty. Go for veggie sticks, fruit trays, nuts and shrimp rings, for instance, over the aforementioned belly bloaters.
- Bring your own healthy show-stopper dish. Be the man behind a spectacular holiday dish that’s sure to impress your bros and ladies, like Chef Ned Bell’s healthy Sweet & Spicy Shrimp with Coconut, Lime & Tomatoes. And maybe we can rename this recipe “Dip Another Day?” or “Her Majesty’s Secret Shrimp?”
Committing to more exercise and healthier food this New Year is a very good thing but there’s no reason to let your fitness or form slip between now and then. If Bond did that, he just might succumb to Gold Finger, one of Bond’s most popular henchmen. Or, worst of all, the Bond Girls might lose interest. The horror!
by Don't Change Much | Dec 15, 2014 | Get Active
Upon us once again is the seasonal outbreak of Lathargiasis. With every party, yule tide and Christmas carol, Canucks around the country are finding it increasingly difficult to say “yes” to working out. And so the spare tires roll in.
Lathargiasis
Latharg / e / asis
noun
The physical disorder of inactivity, usually seen during the winter hibernation season.
If you are having any of the following symptoms,
- Low energy so low, in fact, that you’re feeling a massive strain to turn the lights off.
- A spare tire fitted securely around your midsection
- A lofty New Years resolution
run – don’t walk to your nearest physical activity.
Our in-house health experts explain:
“Lathargiasis is trickery of the brain. It allows you to believe that New Years is just around the corner and you will head to the gym then. Unfortunately, not only do a third of all resolutions fall flat before the end of January, but by not working out you are slowing the release of endorphins in your brain which get released upon physical activity (meaning Scroogeoid is just around the corner). Forgoing your workouts will also lower your energy levels so that you are in a constant circle of feeling tired making it harder to get into your routine again.”
Avoid Lathargiasis by:
Keeping up to at least three days of physical activity per week. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go to the gym either. Shovel the snow in the driveway, go sledding with your kids or play a game of ice hockey with the bros. Enjoy peace of mind, get going and do what you love.
