National Headache Foundation Offers Recipes, Tips to Avoid Hangover Headaches
Chicago, IL - January 17, 2006 - With the Super Bowl less than three weeks away, the National Headache Foundation offers information on how to avoid hangover headaches, along with three headache-free recipes that are bound to be a winner with your guests.
Since there are 45 million headache sufferers in the US, the National Headache Foundation is pleased to help you enjoy everyone's favorite Sunday.
HANGOVER TIPS
If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Try to sip your drink slowly. Mixed drinks containing fruit or vegetable juices will probably have less effect than straight alcohol. Avoid red wine, which contains naturally occurring chemicals called congeners. Forty-two percent of survey respondents listed red wine as the type of alcoholic beverage that most frequently causes hangovers. Congeners impart the specific characteristic tastes to different types of wine and other alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, they also may play a role in causing headaches. Congeners are more common in red than white wine. Also, it is advisable to reduce the actual number of alcoholic beverages you consume. Spend time catching up with an old friend at the snack table with a soda or glass of water.
Eat some honey. Honey supplies fructose, a sugar that helps the body metabolize alcohol, is rich in vitamin B6 and can reduce hangover symptoms. Two tablespoons of honey on a cracker or piece of toast, before or after drinking, may prevent a hangover. Tomato juice, another good source of fructose, also allows the body to burn alcohol faster. The sugar in fruit and fruit juices may also reduce some symptoms of hangover, so consumption of these products can be beneficial.
Drink fluids containing minerals and salts. Liquids rich in minerals and salts offer relief from the dehydration caused by alcohol consumption. A cup of broth or bouillon, for example, will replace fluid and will not cause nausea. In general, replacement of fluids with beverages, such as sports drinks or water, is helpful. Tips to Avoid Hangover Headaches from the National Headache Foundation
Drink a cup of coffee. Caffeine may provide some relief in alleviating the headache symptoms and decreasing the duration of pain. The caffeine acts as a vasoconstrictor and eases the dilated blood vessels. Consider drinking a cup of coffee as soon as you wake up the next morning.
Take ibuprofen. While aspirin is okay, ibuprofen is typically less irritating to the stomach and can also ease the pain of hangover headache.
Alternate non-alcoholic beverages with alcoholic beverages. Drinking one non-alcoholic beverage between each alcoholic beverage reduces overall alcohol consumption and helps replenish fluids. An easy way to achieve this is asking for a glass of water in addition to your alcoholic beverage of choice when ordering a drink at the bar.
Eat greasy food before consuming alcohol. While it is wise to be health-conscious and avoid too much of these foods in general, this is a situation where eating fatty foods may be helpful. If consumed prior to drinking alcohol, these foods help line the intestines, which causes alcohol absorption to take longer. In other words, a burger or burrito before your beer or Bloody Mary might be beneficial.
RECIPES (Courtesy of “The Migraine Gourmet” by Jerry Rainville)
Bruschetta-Serves eight
The contrast between the warm, crunchy bread and the cool tomatoes makes bruschetta a refreshing starter.
8 slices of crusty Italian bread, or any other country-style bread
2 cloves garlic, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin works best)
4 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Grill or broil the bread until golden brown. Rub the surface with the garlic. Brush with olive oil. Combine the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Top the bread with the tomato mixture and serve.
Apple Crisp-Serves eight
This is a favorite in the autumn when the apples are fresh from the orchard. You can use almost any variety of apples; in fact, use 2 or 3 different varieties to get a more interesting taste. If you don’t have graham crackers on hand, you can substitute all-purpose flour instead.
5 cups apples, thinly sliced, cored and peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup graham crackers, crumbled
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup soft butter or margarine
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat the inside of a small roasting pan with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange apples in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix remaining ingredients until crumbly. Cover apples with the crumb mixture, and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Serving suggestion: Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
Zesty Oven-Fried Chicken-Serves six
Most health-conscious people miss eating deep-fried chicken. This recipe yields chicken with a crunchy exterior, a spicy taste, and less than 10 grams of fat per serving.
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ cup bread crumbs (!)
Note: Use plain or homemade crumbs, not flavored, because these may contain MSG. 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon white pepper
12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray shallow cooking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, broth, mustard, and garlic. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, basil, paprika, and white pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken in the egg mixture, followed by the breadcrumb mixture, making sure that each piece is well coated. Place coated chicken pieces in baking pan. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Chicken is done when juices run clear.
The National Headache Foundation, founded in 1970 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving headache sufferers, their families and the healthcare providers who treat them; promoting research into headache causes and treatments; and educating the public to the fact that headaches are a legitimate biological disease and that sufferers should receive understanding and continuity of care.
For more information on headache causes and treatments, visit www.headaches.org or call 1-888-NHF-5552 (M-F. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST).
Interviews with NHF Executive Director Suzanne E. Simons and/or a physician member are available upon request. For an electronic copy of this release, e-mail broberts@silbarpr.com
Contact:
Suzanne E. Simons
Executive Director
National Headache Foundation
(312) 274-2651
Brent Roberts or Brooke Highline
Merton G. Silbar Public Relations
(847) 729-7333
broberts@silbarpr.com
