What to Eat With a Wine Hangover: Your Ultimate Food Guide

November 26, 2025 •

3 min read

Alcohol acts as a diuretic, causing the body to lose fluids and essential electrolytes, exacerbating the unpleasant symptoms of a hangover. Understanding what to eat with a wine hangover is key to replenishing depleted nutrients, stabilizing blood sugar, and soothing an irritated stomach for a faster and smoother recovery.

Quick Summary

Replenish lost electrolytes and combat dehydration with hydrating fluids and nutrient-dense foods. Opt for bland carbohydrates to stabilize blood sugar and soothe nausea. Incorporate protein and amino acids to support liver function while avoiding greasy, sugary, and spicy foods that can worsen symptoms.

Key Points

Hydrate Aggressively: Focus on replenishing lost fluids and electrolytes with water, coconut water, or broth to combat dehydration, which is a primary cause of hangover headaches and fatigue.
Embrace Bland Carbs: Eat simple, digestible carbohydrates like toast, bananas, or oatmeal to stabilize low blood sugar levels and provide a gentle energy boost without irritating a sensitive stomach.
Boost Liver Function: Incorporate foods with amino acids, like eggs, to help your liver break down alcohol's toxic byproducts more efficiently.
Soothe Nausea with Ginger: Use ginger in tea or smoothies to help calm an upset stomach and ease feelings of nausea, a common hangover symptom.
Avoid Inflammatory Foods: Steer clear of greasy, fried, sugary, and spicy foods that can put extra stress on your digestive system and worsen inflammation.
Don't Rely on Coffee: While tempting, caffeine is a diuretic that can worsen dehydration. Stick to water or herbal teas for effective rehydration.

Rehydrate and Replenish with Electrolytes

One of the primary culprits behind a hangover is dehydration, caused by alcohol's diuretic effect. Replacing lost fluids and electrolytes is the first and most critical step towards recovery. Forget the 'hair of the dog'; what you need is hydration, not more alcohol.

Water: Plain water is your best friend. Sip it consistently throughout the day to rehydrate your body. Drinking a large glass before bed can also help prevent severe dehydration symptoms like headaches the next morning.
Coconut Water: A natural source of electrolytes, coconut water contains potassium and sodium, which are crucial for rebalancing your system after a night of heavy drinking.
Bone Broth: If nausea is an issue, a warm mug of bone broth can be soothing and effective. It provides fluids, sodium, and other minerals that are depleted by alcohol consumption.
Sports Drinks: While often high in sugar, electrolyte-enhanced beverages like Gatorade can quickly replenish minerals lost through frequent urination.

Soothe Your Stomach with Bland, Nutritious Foods

Alcohol can irritate the stomach lining, leading to nausea and an upset digestive system. Bland, easy-to-digest carbohydrates are an excellent choice for stabilizing low blood sugar and providing energy without causing further distress.

The BRAT Diet: A long-standing recommendation for upset stomachs, the BRAT diet includes Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. Bananas are particularly beneficial as they provide potassium, which is often depleted by alcohol.
Oatmeal: A warm bowl of oats is a great source of complex carbohydrates that provide a slow-release energy boost, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Oats also contain magnesium and B-vitamins, which are used up during alcohol metabolism.
Eggs: Scrambled or poached eggs are a perfect hangover food. They are rich in the amino acid cysteine, which helps the liver break down acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. Eggs also contain B-vitamins for energy production.

Support Your Liver's Recovery Process

Your liver works overtime to metabolize alcohol, and certain foods can provide the nutrients it needs to perform this function efficiently. Supporting your liver is key to a faster recovery.

Lean Protein: Foods like chicken and fish are good sources of protein and B-vitamins, which aid in the metabolic process. Alcohol can affect your body's absorption of amino acids, so replenishing them is important.
Berries: High in antioxidants, berries can help protect your cells from alcohol-induced damage and inflammation. Add them to a smoothie with bananas and coconut water for a powerful, nutrient-packed recovery drink.
Avocado: Rich in potassium and healthy fats, avocados help replenish electrolytes and provide anti-inflammatory benefits that aid in liver recovery.

Foods to Avoid During a Wine Hangover

Just as important as knowing what to eat is knowing what to avoid. Certain foods can worsen your symptoms by irritating your sensitive stomach and increasing inflammation.

Greasy Foods: While a heavy, greasy meal might seem comforting, it's often a bad idea. Greasy, fried foods can cause inflammation and are difficult for your sensitive digestive system to process, making you feel worse.
Sugary Foods and Drinks: Large amounts of refined sugar can cause rapid blood sugar spikes and crashes, further disrupting your body's balance. Stick to natural sugars from fruit instead.
Spicy and Acidic Foods: Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, and adding spicy or acidic foods will only increase discomfort and potentially trigger indigestion or heartburn.
Coffee: The caffeine in coffee is another diuretic, which will worsen your dehydration. It's also acidic and can upset a sensitive stomach. A gentle ginger tea is a better choice for nausea.

Comparison Table: Best vs. Worst Hangover Foods


Category	Best Foods	Worst Foods
Hydration & Electrolytes	Water, Coconut Water, Bone Broth, Sports Drinks	Coffee, Alcohol, Sugary Sodas
Carbohydrates	Toast, Oatmeal, Bananas, Rice, Crackers	Sugary Cereals, Pastries, Donuts
Protein & Nutrients	Eggs, Lean Chicken/Fish, Avocado, Berries	Greasy Sausages, Fried Bacon, Red Meat
Stomach Soothers	Ginger Tea, Bland Crackers	Spicy Sauces, Acidic Tomatoes
Purpose	Replenish, Soothe, Support	Inflame, Dehydrate, Irritate

Conclusion: A Gentle Approach to Recovery

There is no magic pill to instantly cure a wine hangover, but smart food choices can significantly ease your symptoms and accelerate your recovery. Focusing on hydration and replenishing lost nutrients is the most effective strategy. Start with bland, gentle foods, rehydrate with water and electrolytes, and support your liver with protein and antioxidants. By avoiding inflammatory and irritating foods, you allow your body the space it needs to rest and heal naturally. Cleveland Clinic on Hangovers

Frequently Asked Questions

No, a greasy breakfast is not recommended. While it may seem like a good idea, fried and greasy foods can cause inflammation and put extra stress on your already irritated digestive system, potentially worsening your symptoms.

Ginger is known for its ability to reduce nausea and aid digestion. It contains compounds that can calm an upset stomach, which is often caused by alcohol's irritation of the stomach lining. Fresh ginger tea or adding grated ginger to a smoothie are good options.

Bananas are an excellent hangover food because they are rich in potassium, an important electrolyte that is often depleted due to alcohol's diuretic effects. They also contain gentle carbohydrates that help stabilize blood sugar and are easy on the stomach.

Yes, coffee can worsen a hangover. As a diuretic, it can increase dehydration. Additionally, it is acidic and can further irritate a sensitive, upset stomach. It's best to stick to water or herbal tea.

'Hair of the dog' refers to drinking more alcohol to cure a hangover. This is a myth and is not recommended. It only prolongs your recovery by adding more toxins to your system, rather than helping your body clear the alcohol.

You should not force yourself to eat heavy or complex meals if you feel very nauseous. However, starting with small, bland, and easily digestible foods like toast or crackers can help to settle your stomach and restore blood sugar levels gradually.

Eggs contain cysteine, an amino acid that helps your liver process acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. Eating eggs provides your body with the tools it needs to break down and eliminate the toxins from the wine more effectively.

Both are effective, but coconut water is a natural option that provides electrolytes without the added sugar and artificial ingredients found in many sports drinks. For moderate dehydration, coconut water is an excellent choice.