The Best Foods to Eat Before You Go Out Drinking

By: Lee Breslouer

Credit: Flickr/Matt Gibson

If experience has taught us anything, it’s that drinking on an empty stomach is a decidedly bad idea, as the risk of texting “hey u up” to your ex and/or waking up the next morning in Reno increases exponentially. But conversely, pregaming with a bunch of wholesome real foods will help you drink more, stay up longer, ward off a hangover, and keep generally regrettable behavior at bay.

We spoke to three registered dietitian nutritionists and spokespeople for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to find out exactly what to eat before you go out drinking. Remember this list the next time you consider stuffing your pre-party face hole with a handful of rainbow Doritos and a Hot Pocket.

More: The 11 Best Foods to Cure Your Hangover, According to a Dietitian

Credit: Lee Breslouer/Thrillist

Low-fat yogurt
Not just a sad office lunch when you’re too lazy to pack a meal like a real grown-up, yogurt is actually a great snack option before you go out. Top the creamy stuff with a sprinkle of granola, says Kim Larson, RDN, CD, CSSD, and you’ll get all the important macronutrients in one dish: carbs, protein, and fat. It’ll literally stick to your gut, as the food will digest slowly over 4-6hrs.

Hummus
Eat it with a bunch of raw veggies (Larson recommends raw carrots, pea pods, and cucumber sticks), and you’ll get all three macronutrients in one simple shot.

More: 8 Foods to Eat If You Want to Live Forever

Credit: Flickr/Camilo Rueda López

Salmon
Alcohol depletes your body’s vitamin B-12 levels, but salmon has super high levels of said vitamin (and omega 3’s, because this piece of fish is a gosh darn overachiever). Nutritionist Marina Chaparro, MPH, RDN, CDE, LD says that those B-vitamins “have many physiological functions in the body,” that include the promotion of short-term memory and general neurological function.

Milk
Put on a bathrobe and pour a glass of milk, but leave the coffee liqueur and vodka in the wet bar, because the cow’s gift to humanity is actually good for you to pre-game with on its own. That’s because milk is high in potassium, which “is lost with excess urination,” says Isabel Maples, RDN. It’s also made of 90% water, so it’ll keep you plenty hydrated.

Credit: Drew Swantak/Thrillist

Spaghetti
“Alcohol changes your body’s stores of glycogen, a quick energy source stored in the liver,” Maples says. Carbs help your glycogen levels stay full, as well as your stomach. The nutritionist suggested you pre-game with pasta primavera, but no one’s gonna balk if you make these meatballs instead.

Chicken
“Protein-rich foods take longer to digest, which slows how fast your blood alcohol level goes up,” Maples says. A chicken sandwich is the premier mix of protein and carbs – just make sure to select a “poultry portion that’s about the size of your palm,” since only a small serving is necessary.

Credit: Flickr/Megg

Quinoa
Sure, it’s a little tough to pronounce, but that’s irrelevant when discussing its protein and fiber power. A high fiber meal that includes quinoa "slows the stomach’s emptying time, which helps ensure that alcohol’s effects don’t sneak up and surprise you,“ says Maples.

Avocado
The green, pear-shaped fruit you can mash to make the perfect guacamole is loaded with healthy fats, which are "digested more slowly than carbs,” says Maples.

Credit: Rebecca Feder/Thrillist

Almond butter
Like avocado, almond butter is chock full of good fats, and will help “slow the absorption of alcohol”, says Kristi L. King, MPH, RDN, CNSC, LD.

Cereal
All the lazy people with nothing in their house but cereal and milk are in luck. Not in luck in general because it must suck to live in a house with so few snack choices, but lucky because cereal tends to be fiber-rich, especially ones like Grape Nuts, and that’ll “provide a good buffer for the alcohol, and will slow its absorption.” Larson recommends low-fat milk, because it’s healthy, and not because he thinks you’re fat.

Eggs
The incredible, edible food that definitely came before the chicken is not only one of the best foods to cure your hangover, it’s also one of the best foods to eat before you do things that cause you to get one in the first place. That’s due to its “essential amino acids needed to help breakdown some of the alcohol,” according to King.

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