Whats on Tonights Menu? Tomato and Lentil Soup!

Its almost winter, which is officially soup season! Making soups are a great way to get nutrients in a delicious form and are so easy to make. Tonight I experimented to make a tomato and lentil soup, based on a recipe I found online and then I changed it to spice it up a little.

Message me if you want the original recipe, but heres what I made...

Serves: 6 large serves, 8 normal serves

Ingredients

• 2 brown onions, chopped roughly
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 10 roma tomatoes, chopped roughly
• 2 cans of lentils (800g), drained and washed thoroughly (you could also use non-canned as well!)
• 1 teaspoon dried hot chilli powder
• 1/3 bunch of fresh basil
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 500ml (2 cups) vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 stalks of celery 
• 5 cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped

Preparation method

1. Heat the butter in a large heavy based saucepan. Cook the onion and celery until onion starts to go translucent and celery is slightly aromatic.
2. Add the tomatoes, lentils, garlic, chilli, basil and cumin, stock and a few grinds of salt and pepper. Stir, then bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally and get a whiff of the awesome concoction you are making. Enjoying food can start with the aroma!



Simmer, simmer... sniff! sniff!

3. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then purée the soup with a hand-held blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. For a special touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of natural yoghurt or cream, plus some finely chopped spring onions. Serve with a crusty seeded wholegrain roll if you want some bread with it as well, as pictured.

This has been quoted by my husband to be “Best. tomato. Soup. Ever.” My brother who rates his palate for good food on par with Matt Preston said that the soup was "well balanced, a good flavour hit without being overpowering and leaves you feeling full but not bloated". Not bad for very little effort! I often make a large batch when making soups, then keep it for lunches during the week, or freeze it to use later. Bulk cooking saves time and money, so is a great option for those who are busy!

The real hero of this soup is the cumin, a spice native to India and the Eastern Mediterranean.  It is an aromatic warming spice commonly added to curries, stews and soups.

Medicinally speaking, cumin is used and highly valued is Ayurvedic (Traditional Indian) medicine. It is a known carminative, which means it helps soothe intestinal spasm, relieve bloating & flatulence and improve peristalsis (your intestinal digestion movement). It has also been shown to improve liver detoxification, help pancreatic enzyme stimulation, be a potent antioxidant and help fight colds. Keep in mind, this would be at a much higher dose than a couple of teaspoons in soup, but with regular eating, may help digestion long term.

Another kitchen experiment success! 

Whats on tonights menu? Quinoa Tabouli!

Ok, so its not really tabouli. Tabouli is traditionally made with bulgur, parsley and tomatoes chopped up. This is a bunch of other things chopped up, but its pretty and green and still just as nice to have as a side.

With winter approaching, its important to keep up our leafy greens. They are still out there growing, but because we associate making salads as a summer affair, we tend to skip our raw crunchy fresh veg and replace it with roasted goodies. Don’t get me wrong, roasted vegetables still are a fantastic source of nutrients, however some nutrients can be lost in cooking, so its important to keep up the raw stuff as well!

This salad is chock full of leafy greens, which are a powerhouse of nutritional goodness and are one of the most concentrated sources of nutrients in foods. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium) and vitamins (including vitamin C, E, K and many of the B vitamins). They also contain a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin which are important for protecting cells from eye damage and age-related problems.  The darker the green, the richer the nutrients. Kale (also known as Tuscan cabbage) is a favourite among naturopaths and healthy food followers as it very dark green and therefore very nutritious (and delicious!).  To learn more about kale, goto my friend Natalies brilliant blog, where she shows you how to cook kale in 5 ways... http://nataliethenaturopath.tumblr.com/post/21426066710/kale-five-ways-part-i-kale-smoothie

Now its salad making time!

How to make...

1. Cook up ¾ cup of raw quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH) in a rice cooker (the ratio of water to quinoa is 2:1) or saucepan. It should take about 20 minutes to cook. Drain (if cooked in a saucepan) and allow it to cool.
2. Toast a handful of pine nuts in a frypan on a low heat. Once they start to be aromatic and turn golden, take off the heat, they can burn quite quickly. Set aside to cool. *This is an optional extra, but adds new dimensions when added to foods!
3. Using a knife or food chopper (not sure if thats the official name of it, but it chops food, so therefore I name it this!), chop up finely your greens. This can be whatever greens you want. Tonight I used a mix of spinach, rocket, kale and basil. I used a few handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of rocket, a handful of basil and 10ish kale leaves (stalks removed).You could also add parsley, mint (if you’re after a freshness, but I wouldn’t add much), beetroot greens, coriander, mustard greens, carrot tops, celery leaves, bok choy...  Once finely chopped, put into your salad bowl.
4. Chop up any extra ingredients you want. This not only gives you colour, but provides the extra flavours which will complement your greens. Tonight I added pine nuts (see above), sundried tomatoes, red onion and capsicum. Stuck for other vegies to add? I’ve also used tomatoes, carrot and celery. Use your palate to decide what you want. Add the chopped extras to the bowl with the greens.
5. Just before serving, combine all ingredients, add cracked pepper, olive oil and a dash of sesame oil (if you have it), then toss.

Serves 4.

This can served as a side (as pictured above), or by itself. Tonight I served it will salmon cooked in coconut oil and topped with salt, pepper and shichimi (Japanese pepper mix).

Don’t be afraid of your kitchen, it can smell your fear. Instead, face it head on armed with a bunch of ingredients and show it what you can do!

 –Laura x

All you wanted to know about food labels (and were afraid to ask)

Organic. Biodynamic. Genetically Modified. Gluten free. Lactose free.

You may have seen these, or heard people talk about these and just smiled and nodded. But do you know what these terms are? Well, its time to put your fears to rest and learn exactly what these food labels mean!

Organic

Organic food is becoming more and more popular these days, with many supermarkets having an organic fruit & vegetable section and a number of organic items on the shelves.

Organic food is farmed without using chemicals in their processing. This means there is no use of synthetic pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified seeds & animal breeds or irradiation. Instead of pesticides, farmers use more natural alternatives such as crop rotation and plant-based sprays.

The perks? This is how food is meant to be. The smell of the food is stronger, as is the taste. There are also more nutrients in organic food. And it is 100% what you see is what you get!

The bad? There is a shorter shelf life for organic food (as food is not meant to last for a month unspoiled!) and it can also be more pricey.

Companies and farms which produce organic food must be certified in order to label it ‘organic’. When buying organic, look for one of these certified stickers on the label. If its missing a certification, your food may not be truly organic.

Biodynamic

Biodynamic farmers use organic principles when farming, but also look at the life cycle of plants to calculate the best time to farm them. Its not as crazy as it sounds. You may have been in your garden and found that in the evening the smells of some plants are a lot more fragrant than they are during the day. I know my rosemary plant smells amazing at night time! This means that the plants natural constituents are more active at night, so if I want to get the most goodness out of it, I would pick at night.

Biodynamic produce is quite often used in dairy products, where the grass fed to the cows are cut at the right time to get the most nutrients out of it for the cows to ingest.

Biodynamic has the same perks and cons as organic.

Genetically Modified Foods (GMO)

This is a relatively new way of farming which is filled with controversy. GMO produce mainly consists of soy, corn and wheat in Australia. The seeds of these plants have been modified genetically (hence, the name!) to make the plants more drought resistant, cold resistant, pest resistant or last longer.

The major issue with GMO produce is that they have no idea what the long term effects are when people eat them. The companies producing these GMO seeds say that they are 100% safe, but there are studies which looked at the effects of GMO food in rats with not so positive results. The problem is, as these foods are still relatively young in the produce world, we have no idea what the long term effects will be until 50 years from now. As these seeds are more durable and last longer, they are also cheaper to produce so many companies use them in their foods.

Food which contains genetically modified ingredients needs to be labelled by law, so we are given the choice if we want to eat it. I found this guide last year and found it very useful for parents looking for non-GM choices for their children: http://www.truefood.org.au/documents/TrueFoodGuide_Kids_2011.pdf Download it, print it out, and be an informed shopper for your kids sake.

Gluten free

This isn’t a farming method, but thought it would be worth discussing anyway, as some people may have no idea what gluten is.

Gluten is a product found in many different wholegrains and gives them their binding and elastic properties. Some people have an intolerance to gluten, with a condition known as Coeliac disease. When they eat gluten products, the lining of their small intestines gets damaged and results in difficulties absorbing nutrients into the bloodstream. Some people with Coeliac experience mild symptoms, such as bloating, flatulence and changes in bowel habits, while others can get extremely unwell.

Common grains which contain gluten:

• Wheat
• Semolina
• Barley
• Spelt
• Oats
• Rye
• Triticale (a hybrid of rye and wheat)

If you suspect that you may have an intolerance to gluten products, try avoiding the above grains and see if you experience any differences in your health. Coeliac disease can be diagnosed from your GP.

What grains and cereals are safe and gluten free?

• Rice (preferably brown), rice flakes, rolled rice
• Corn, maize, polenta
• Tapioca, sago
• Buckwheat
• Quinoa
• Amaranth
• Millet
• Arrowroot
• Potato starch or flour
• Non-wheat pastas – rice, corn, soy
• Noodles – rice, mung bean, soba (Japanese buckwheat – check the label, many still contain wheat!)
• Potatoes
• Legumes (cannelloni beans, lentils, haricot beans, kidney beans, chick peas, navy beans, etc.)

Lactose free

Lactose is a sugar found in dairy products and some people have difficulty digesting lactose and breaking it down in their body. People may experience bloating, flatulence or even nausea after having milk. When you think about it though, are we really meant to be drinking the milk made for another animal?

Some people find relief by having A2 milk, as this contains a slightly different protein to ordinary milk. This means the person does not have lactose intolerance, but just an intolerance to a beta-casein strain found in milk.

Those with a lactose intolerance should avoid milk and dairy products altogether, unless they are labelled ‘lactose free’. Alternative lactose-free milks include soy milk, almond milk and rice milk.

Now you can hold your head up high and be informed at the supermarket and in conversations! I hope this blog was beneficial for you! –Laura x

Whats on tonight's menu? Ridiculously Easy Pasta!

I grew up on supermarket pasta sauces. Ads make them look delish, showing a saucepan filled with tomato, garlic, onion and other herbs which have been gently simmering together.  Apparently this saucepan of goodness is the sauce you buy in the jar.  I don’t know what half of the ingredients are on the back of those sauce jars, but I know its not like an Italian mamma used to make!

People buy stuff in a jar because its convenient and easy. I offer you a pasta sauce which is ridiculously easy, 100% real food ingredients and healthy for you too!

All you need...

• Roma tomatoes (2-3 big ones, or 5-6 small ones)
• 1 Red onion
• Fresh basil leaves,torn up (a small handful should do)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

*****

1. Chop up your onion and gently fry.
2. When onions are translucent, add the tomatoes (which are diced up to your desired level of chunkiness), plus some salt & pepper to taste. Allow it to simmer gently (just like the ads!)
3.  Add the basil a few minutes before the pasta is cooked.
4. Once the pasta is drained, put the pasta back in the saucepan, add the sauce plus a few drizzles of olive oil. Toss, then serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Yep, thats it.  And you can improvise with this too – pine nuts, garlic, carrot, fresh mince, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, chilli, beans, rosemary, oregano, parsley – all these can be added to the sauce.  My sauce tonight has added sundried tomatoes, pine nuts and garlic.

Simmering up a storm!

 To keep the healthiness going in this dish, avoid using white pasta. There is little nutritional value in white pasta and it has a high glycemic index (which means it will give you a high energy boost quickly, followed by a quick energy drop). Wholemeal pasta, buckwheat pasta or spelt pasta has a lower glycemic index (lower energy release) and contains fibre. Did I mention that they taste good as well?

Bon appétit!  

-Laura x

Creamy sauces on a non-refrigerated shelf... anyone else think this is just plain wrong??

Detoxification... whats it all about?

From two completely different sources I heard about two articles which were both talking about the hoax of detoxing people and how the products are just a marketing gimmick. I think its time I put some facts straight for everyone on what detoxification is, as it is something talked about by many naturopaths and health practitioners.

The detoxification (extremely) simplified...

Detoxification is the process of removing toxins from the body which are harmful to help our bodies to function properly. This is done via the kidneys and the liver, but mainly the liver.

Picture our bodies detoxification processes like a conveyor belt. Items go onto the conveyor belt, then go along the production line and then at the end come out all packaged up and ready to be metabolised & used in the body, or disposed of via the bladder or intestines.

The liver consists of 2 conveyor belts, both performing different parts to detoxification. Both conveyor belts require different nutrients to work properly. Some nutrients speed up the processing, some slow it down. Unfortunately if the first one is moving too fast, the 2^nd one will have a back up of toxins to process, which can make people sick. I drew a picture to help explain this...

When would I need to detox?

When a body is overly ‘toxic’, certain signs and symptoms may be a result*, including:

•  Nervous System symptoms: depression, fatigue, mood changes, poor concentration, headaches with nausea
• Immune Dysfunction: allergies, asthma, eczema, sinusitis, hayfever, food sensitivities, fibromyalgia, recurrent viral, fungal or bacterial infections.
•  Digestive Problems: Indigestion, reflux, gallstones, intolerance to fatty foods, intolerance to alcohol, bloating, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome
• Blood sugar irregularities: sugar cravings, hypoglycaemia
• Hormonal imbalances: PMS, increased side effects to the OCP or HRT.
• Other symptoms: bad breath, itchy skin, dark circles under the eyes, excessive/offensive sweating, pale skin.

*This is not to say that the reasons for these symptoms are 100% result of a toxic liver, however it may be a contributor! 

You want both your conveyor belts working at optimum speed to ensure everything is getting processed and packaged quickly.

Anything we ingest or breathe in must go through the liver to be cleaned. Unfortunately, if we take in too many bad things (the toxins), our liver and kidneys can be overloaded.

So what are are toxins?

• Food additives, such as preservatives, colours, artificial flavours, flavour enhancers, added hormones, fatty foods
• Medications
• Environmental exposures, such as pesticides, petro-chemicals, heavy metals, gas clouds
• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Stimulants, such as caffeine

If people are suffering from kidney or liver damage, this may also affect the way their body can remove toxins. This is why kidney patients require dialysis.

So what are these articles talking about??

These articles start by telling us about detoxification. Our bodies remove toxins from the body through the kidney and liver. They say that these organs are all the body needs to detox. In the perfect world, absolutely! In the perfect world, we all live off the land and eat healthy, nutritious foods and there is no pollution and there is clean water and everyone is healthy all the time. Guess what? We don’t live in the perfect world. We are exposed to toxins every day and the number of them is growing. Our bodies are not evolved to deal with this number of toxins!

The next point that the article raises is what are these toxins and no one can explain what they are... I think I covered that one! They then discuss the marketing ploys currently around. With this point I agree with them, to an extent. There are many products available which people can buy off the shelf, such as 48 hour Detox, or 7 day Detox and this is meant to make everything good. Do you really believe that years of exposure and intake of toxins can all be repaired over a 48 hour period? Hmmm, no. There is no quick magic bullet fix to all this and some of these supplements may be doing you more harm than good when self prescribed.

Surely the fact that Kim Kardashian is the spokesperson says something to you about this product!

Healing your body should be worked on every level – you should not simply take a pill then expect everything to fix up. Your exposure to toxins should be observed and reduced where possible. There are supplements which can assist in providing the right nutrients to get the conveyor belts working properly, however these should be provided by a health care professional and should not be self prescribed. Any detoxification program should go for at least 1 month and should be accompanied with a healthy fresh diet and plenty of water. There are detox diets available, but be careful – some of them may not be suitable for your current health situation.

I did a gentle detox with my husband last year for a month and it changed my lifestyle a lot. Read my blog here for the detox guidelines, some recipes and our experiences: http://detoxober.blogspot.com.au/

We are going to be exposed to chemicals no matter what. Using common sense and living healthy can reduce your exposure and keep your liver happy!

-Laura x

Feelin Quorny?

Last night I was watching TV and one of those Smart Buy ads popped up, advertising Quorn products. According to the commercials, this product range provides a meat-free, soy-free solution to meatless meals. I have never heard of this brand, so I decided to do some investigation on whether this product is any good and what are the pros and cons, as I think its important to understand a food before eating or recommending it to patients!

So what is the Quorn meat-free and soy-free solution? Quorn uses a product called Mycoprotein – a microscopic fungus, Fusarium venenatum, which the company feeds with oxygenated water, glucose, and other nutrients in giant fermentation tanks. Once harvested from the tanks, the material is heat-treated in order to remove its excess RNA, and then dewatered in a centrifuge. Combined with egg albumen and other ingredients, it is then “texturized” into various meat-like shapes. mmmm, sounds tasty already!

Quorn prides itself on the fact that you will not be able to taste the difference between meat and their products – the texture and taste are almost identical to meat, without the saturated fat.

A little bit more about Mycoprotein. Heres the nutritional breakdown of mycoprotein for a 100g serve:

Nutrient	Amount per 100g*
Energy (kcals)	85
Protein (g)	11
Carbohydrate (g)	3
of which Sugars (g)	0.5
Fat (g)	2.9
of which saturates (g)	0.7
w-3 Linolenic acid (g)	0.4
Fibre (g)	6**
b-glucan (g)	4
Calcium (mg)	42.5
Magnesium (mg)	45
Zinc (mg)	9
Iron (mg)	0.5
Potassium (mg)	100
Vitamin B1 Thiamin (mg)	0.01
Vitamin B2 Riboflavin - (mg)	0.23
Vitamin B3 Niacin (mg)	0.35
Vitamin B5 Pantothenic acid (mg)	0.25
Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine - (mg)	0.125
Biotin (mg)	0.02
Phosphorous (mg)	260
Copper (mg)	0.5
Manganese (mg)	6
Selenium (ug)	20
Chromium (ug)	15
Molybdenum (ug)	< 25
Sodium (mg)	5
Salt (g)	0.0125

As you an see, its low in sodium and is a good source of complete protein, zinc and fibre. The phosphorus seems a little high – the Australian recommended daily intake (rdi) is 1000mg, however it is stated that doses of over 250mg at one time may cause stomach irritation in some individuals. Note that this is also an amount per 100g – some people have more than 100g, some have less, so your nutrient intake may differ.

So mycoprotein doesn’t seem too bad by itself. However, Quorn processes their mycoprotein for their foods and it is NOT the only ingredient in their products. Some products contained high amounts of mycoprotein (up to 90%), but some ready-made Quorn meals only contained 11% mycoprotein. So what makes up the rest? Here are some the ingredients I found that stood out:

• Rehydrated egg whites: This is powdered egg white, but should be noted for anyone who has an egg allergy.
•  Autolyzed yeast extract: Autolyzed yeast extract is a substance that results when yeast is broken down into its constituent components. It contains some free glutamic acid or monosodium glutamate (MSG) and is used as a less expensive substitute for MSG, leading some health and consumer advocates to object to its use in foods. As with MSG, the industry claims that yeast extract is a natural substance with no harmful effects, and opponents claim it causes a variety of health problems.
•  Whey protein concentrate: Protein isolated from cheese by-products. Contains lactose.
• Ferrous sulphate: a form of iron usually used in supplementation, however this form is not easily absorbed and is known to cause constipation. It also has warnings not to be used in cases of inflammatory intestinal disease (ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease) and with some medications.
• Thiamine mononitrate: a synthetic form of vitamin B1, known to cause allergic reactions in some people as it can be more difficult to expel from the body than natural forms of B1.
• Sodium acid pyrophosphate: this is additive E450, which is an acidity stabiliser used to help emulsify products. This accounts for the relatively high amount of phosphorus in Quorn. Long term intake of this can lead to mineral imbalances in the body and effect bone mineral density.
• Sodium bicarbonate: used to lower stomach acid. Can cause bloating, nausea and indigestion.

Not all products contained all these, but these were the common culprits. Check the back label of ingredients to confirm what is in the product.

So is it the real deal? I found many cases online in which consumers experience vomiting, diarrhoea and even anaphylactic fits after having these products. There were companies in the US who were trying to stop the production of Quorn due to its side effects. However, the continent of origin, Europe, only a fraction of their consumers suffered these side effects. Are these side effects due to the mycoprotein, or is it the processing and the other ingredients added to create the meal?

Also Quorn contains fungi, gluten, lactose and egg products – so avoid Quorn if you suffer from any allergies to these.

So would I buy Quorn? No. There are other meat-free, soy-free protein sources which I would use before trying Quorn. Beans, lentils, quinoa, eggs can all be used as excellent sources of protein and taste so good that they don’t need to be moulded into fake meat patties to encourage people to eat them. If people are wanting to reduce their saturated fat content, opt for lean pieces of meat over fatty steaks. The products seem highly processed and just because something doesn’t contain meat, doesn’t mean its healthy!

-Laura x

Theres something about a pre-grill-marked fake chicken called chik'n that doesn't sit well with me...

How to deal with a hangover as healthily as possible!

I think most of us at some time in our lives has gone out, got completely wasted from too much alcohol and woken up the next morning wondering where the night has gone and will the torture of the hangover ever end!

While I don’t condone binge drinking, I know that we are all human and yep, we are going to go out with friends and party. Rather than chide, I thought it would be more beneficial to give you the causes of a hangover and how you can help yourself out more naturally than popping 2 panadol and making maccas run.

So what is a hangover? It is a collection of signs and symptoms linked after a recent bout of heavy drinking. 

Typical hangover symptoms include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Lethargy, tiredness, fatigue,
• Anxiety, regret or embarrassment from the actions of the previous night
• Sensitivity to light and sounds
• Dizziness
• Bloodshot eyes
• Body and muscle aches
• Changed bowel motions, such as diarrhoea
• Dizziness
• Thirst
• Sleepiness
• Moodiness and irritability

If you have the following more severe signs and symptoms, you may have alcohol poisoning - this is a medical emergency (get medical help as soon as possible):

• Breathing loses its regular rhythm
• Breathing slows down to less than eight inhalations per minute
• Confusion or stupor. The patient is in a daze
• Fits (seizures)
• Hypothermia - body temperature drops
• The patient passes out (loses consciousness)
• The skin becomes pale, or takes on a blue tinge
• Vomiting continues and does not abate

The severity of a hangover can be closely linked with how much alcohol was consumed, what type of alcohol was consumed, how much sleep the person has had and how much water was drunk during the previous night. Most hangovers go away after 24 hours.

What causes a hangover?

A hangover is the consequence of having consumed too much alcohol - an accumulation of several factors:

• Urination - alcohol makes people urinate more, which raises the chances of dehydration occurring. Dehydration can give the individual that sensation of thirst, headaches and lightheadedness.
• Immune system response - there may be an inflammatory response by the immune system to alcohol, which may affect appetite, concentration and memory.
• Stomach irritation - alcohol consumption raises the production of stomach acids; it also slows down the rate at which the stomach empties itself - this combination can lead to nausea, vomiting or stomach ache.
• Drop in blood sugar - some people's blood sugar levels can fall steeply when they consume alcohol, resulting in shakiness, moodiness, tiredness, general weakness, and even seizures in some cases.
• Dilation of blood vessels - alcohol consumption can cause the blood vessels to dilate, which can cause headaches.
• Sleep quality - although sleeping when drunk is common, the quality of that sleep may be poor. The individual may wake up tired and still sleepy.
• Congeners - these are substances that are produced during fermentation and are responsible for most of the taste and aroma in distilled drinks (whiskey, gin, etc). They are known to contribute to symptoms of a hangover. Examples of congeners include esters and aldehydes.

How to reduce the risk of getting a hangover...

There is no immediate cure for a hangover. Thats the price you pay for putting too much alcohol through your body!

There are a couple of things you can do to help reduce the severity of your hangover before you go to sleep (if you can remember to do them!)

• Make sure you have a full stomach before you start drinking. An empty stomach causes the body to metabolise alcohol more quickly, which means you are more likely to feel drunk quicker!
• Between every alcoholic drink, opt for a non-alcoholic drink. Soda water with fresh lime or lemon can be very refreshing and the bitterness of the citrus helps your liver function. Avoid going for sugary drinks like coke or raspberry.
•  Avoid mixing drinks – many people find that if they have spirits, then they switch to beer or wine, they are more likely to have a hangover.
• Avoid the preservatives - Some beverages contain preservatives, which can cause negative reactions in the body. Champagne and sparkling wine is known to cause headaches. This is thought to be due to their sulphite contents.
• Avoid lolly water drinks! They contain large amounts of sugar which plays havoc on your blood glucose levels, not to mention artificial colours which can cause allergic reactions in some people. The amount of sugar also increases your thirst, which makes the drinks go down more easily and makes you go back for more quicker. If you are used to your sweet drinks, try cider, or vodka with soda water and fresh lime which gives you the bubbles.
• Know your limits – Your common sense tells you how much to enough to drink. If you have gone out and drunk before, you should know that 1-2 drinks an hour will keep you happy without being blind drunk, while a tequila shot, scotch and coke and a vodka sunrise all within the first half hour is pretty excessive. 
• Drink a tall glass of water before going to sleep. This reduces the risk of dehydration and waking up dizzy and ridiculously thirsty.

 How to help get rid of a hangover...

So you still ended up with a hangover?

•  Drink water through the day. Avoid overly sweet drinks, as these do not help hydrate your body. Coconut water is very hydrating and contains electrolytes which may have been depleted through sweat, over-urinating, vomiting and diarrhoea.
• Don’t have painkillers! Although it is very tempting to pop a couple of panadol to relieve your sore head, paracetemol in large amounts can be toxic on the liver (and more dangerous on a liver which is still detoxing alcohol!), while aspirin is not wise for a delicate stomach. No pain killers should be taken on an empty stomach, as this may cause irritation to your body.
• Avoid the maccas run! You have a hangover, your body craves greasy food. This is because your body is trying to balance blood glucose levels and wants sugars. The brain is also currently starved for fats to function properly. What to eat instead?
• Bland foods, such as dried crackers or bread with avocado or hommus dip are easy to digest
• Watermelon is an amazing hangover reducer! It is 98% water, so its hydrating and contains fructose sugars to help metabolise the alcohol.
• If you must have a greasy food, go for something less processed than maccas. A piece of grilled fish from a Fish & Chip shop not only gives you essential fatty acids, but also provides that “greasy food” craving.
• Rest – if you can get back to sleep, you will probably recover a bit faster. Otherwise, take it easy for the day. Lie down on the couch and watch some mindless TV or movies where you don’t need to think much. Keep a glass of water beside you at all times.
•  Vow never to drink that much again!