What is a good meal for a hangover?

November 28, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the Mayo Clinic, the only true cure for a hangover is time, but certain foods can significantly ease your symptoms. Finding what is a good meal for a hangover involves replenishing depleted nutrients and soothing an upset stomach, not just 'soaking up' the alcohol. Strategic eating can help you rehydrate, restore electrolytes, and stabilize your blood sugar more effectively.

Quick Summary

The best meal for a hangover focuses on replenishing fluids and lost electrolytes, calming the stomach with bland, easy-to-digest foods, and restoring essential vitamins. The right combination of carbohydrates, protein, and nutrients aids in recovery and mitigates common symptoms like nausea and fatigue.

Key Points

Prioritize Hydration and Electrolytes: Dehydration is a primary cause of hangover symptoms; replenish fluids with water, coconut water, and broth to restore electrolyte balance.
Focus on Gentle Carbs: Bland carbohydrates like toast or oatmeal provide a steady energy source to counteract low blood sugar without upsetting a fragile stomach.
Choose Lean Protein: Protein sources like eggs and salmon provide amino acids and B-vitamins that aid in liver detoxification and energy restoration.
Include Soothing Foods: Ginger, bananas, and avocados can help calm nausea, replenish potassium, and provide healthy fats that don't irritate the digestive system.
Avoid Greasy and Acidic Foods: Contrary to popular myth, greasy, fried foods can worsen nausea and indigestion; stick to lighter, easier-to-digest options for faster recovery.
Resist the 'Hair of the Dog': Drinking more alcohol will only delay and potentially worsen your hangover symptoms, forcing your body to continue processing toxins.

The Science of a Hangover: Why You Feel So Awful

To understand what is a good meal for a hangover, it's crucial to know what’s happening inside your body after a night of heavy drinking. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, causing increased urination and leading to dehydration. This fluid loss also flushes out vital electrolytes like potassium and sodium, contributing to headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Beyond dehydration, alcohol metabolism produces toxic byproducts, such as acetaldehyde, which trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, causing nausea and general malaise. Furthermore, alcohol can disrupt your body's blood sugar regulation, leaving you feeling shaky and irritable. A good recovery meal directly targets these issues by providing hydration, electrolytes, blood sugar support, and liver-boosting nutrients.

Prioritizing Rehydration and Electrolytes

After a night of drinking, rehydration is the top priority. Water is essential, but replacing lost electrolytes is key for a faster recovery. Coconut water is a great choice, as it's naturally rich in potassium and other electrolytes, providing a gentler alternative to sugary sports drinks. Broth-based soups, like chicken noodle or miso, also work wonders by providing both fluids and a healthy dose of sodium to help your body retain water. Sipping slowly is important to avoid further upsetting a sensitive stomach.

Gentle Carbs to Stabilize Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar can contribute to hangover fatigue and weakness. Gentle, complex carbohydrates are the ideal solution because they provide a slow, steady release of energy without causing a sugar crash.

Toast with Honey: The Royal Society of Chemistry has even suggested this combination as a remedy. The fructose in honey helps metabolize alcohol toxins, while the toast provides easy-to-digest carbs to raise blood sugar.
Oatmeal: A warm bowl of oatmeal is soothing on the stomach and packed with essential nutrients like B-vitamins, calcium, and magnesium, which are often depleted by alcohol.
Crackers: Plain, salted crackers are excellent for settling nausea and providing a quick, easy source of sodium and carbs.

Protein and Liver Support for Recovery

Getting some quality protein is crucial for providing your body with the amino acids it needs to repair and detoxify. Eggs, in particular, are a great choice as they contain cysteine, an amino acid that helps neutralize the toxic acetaldehyde byproduct.

Eggs: Scrambled or poached eggs are easy to digest. Pair them with whole-grain toast and some avocado for a balanced, nutrient-dense breakfast.
Salmon: This fatty fish is rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and B-vitamins, helping to calm inflammation and restore lost nutrients.
Chicken Noodle Soup: As a classic comfort food, it provides protein from the chicken, carbs from the noodles, and hydrating, salty broth.

Anti-Inflammatory and Soothing Foods

Some foods offer additional benefits beyond basic nutrient replacement, helping to soothe specific hangover symptoms.

Ginger: Known for its anti-nausea properties, ginger can be consumed as a tea or added to meals to calm an upset stomach.
Bananas and Avocados: Both are excellent sources of potassium, which is critical for electrolyte balance. Bananas are particularly easy on a sensitive stomach.
Leafy Greens: While a salad might sound unappealing, wilting some spinach into an omelet or adding it to a smoothie delivers a powerful dose of vitamins and minerals to aid recovery.

Good vs. Bad Hangover Meal Choices

When selecting your recovery meal, understanding the difference between helpful and harmful foods is key.


Feature	Good Meal Choices	Bad Meal Choices	Reason for Choice
Carbohydrates	Whole-grain toast, oatmeal, bananas	Sugary pastries, candy	Complex carbs offer sustained energy, while simple sugars cause blood sugar crashes.
Fats	Avocado, salmon, nut butter	Greasy bacon, fried food, butter	Healthy fats provide sustained energy and fight inflammation, while excessive grease irritates the stomach.
Protein	Eggs, lean chicken, nuts	Heavy processed meats, high-fat sausage	Lean protein provides amino acids for detoxification and recovery without stressing the digestive system.
Fluids	Water, coconut water, broth	More alcohol, excessive caffeine, sugary sodas	Rehydrates and replaces lost electrolytes, while bad choices prolong dehydration and irritate the stomach.
Added Spices	Ginger, mild herbs	Spicy sauces, chili peppers	Soothing ginger calms nausea, while spicy foods can worsen stomach irritation.

The Final Word on Hangover Recovery

While no meal can magically erase a night of heavy drinking, a strategic approach to what you eat and drink can significantly shorten your recovery time. Focusing on rehydration with water and electrolyte-rich beverages, stabilizing blood sugar with gentle carbs, and supporting your liver with protein and key vitamins will help you bounce back faster. Remember that the best hangover remedy is prevention: drinking in moderation, staying hydrated, and eating a meal before consuming alcohol.

For more information on the science behind hangovers, you can visit the Harvard Health Publishing website.(https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/7-ways-to-cure-your-hangover)

Conclusion

Ultimately, a good meal for a hangover isn't about one single food item but a combination of nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest options that address the root causes of your symptoms. By choosing foods that hydrate, replenish electrolytes, and support detoxification, you give your body the best chance to recover efficiently and feel better sooner. The next time you overindulge, reach for gentle carbs, lean protein, and plenty of fluids to get back on track.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, a greasy breakfast does not cure a hangover. While a fatty meal consumed before drinking can slow alcohol absorption, a high-fat, greasy meal the next day can actually irritate your already sensitive stomach and worsen symptoms like nausea and indigestion.

To replenish electrolytes, drink plenty of fluids like coconut water, electrolyte-infused sports drinks, or broth-based soups. Foods like bananas, avocados, and leafy greens are also excellent natural sources of potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

It's best to approach coffee with caution. As a diuretic, coffee can further dehydrate you. A small cup might help with fatigue, but excessive caffeine can worsen headaches and stomach upset. A gentler alternative like green tea, combined with plenty of water, is often a better choice.

Toast with honey is effective because the toast provides simple, gentle carbohydrates to raise your low blood sugar, while the fructose in the honey may help your liver metabolize alcohol toxins more quickly. This combination offers a quick energy boost without straining your digestive system.

If you're feeling nauseous, stick to simple, hydrating, and soothing options. Sipping ginger tea, bone broth, or water is a great start. Plain crackers, toast, or a small portion of bananas can also be easy to tolerate.

Yes, bananas are highly beneficial. They are rich in potassium, a key electrolyte depleted by alcohol's diuretic effect, and are easy to digest, making them a gentle way to replenish nutrients and raise blood sugar levels.

No, 'hair of the dog' is a myth. Drinking more alcohol only delays the inevitable hangover symptoms. Once the new alcohol wears off, the symptoms will return, potentially even worse than before. Focus on hydration, food, and rest instead.

Heavy drinking can deplete key vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins (B6, B12, folate), vitamin C, and zinc. Eating nutrient-dense foods like eggs, leafy greens, and citrus fruits helps replenish these depleted stores.