Tis the season for staff parties and catching up with friends over a few drinks – but how can you best avoid a sore head the next morning?

Pharmacist Sheena Mitchell is not a fan of popular hangover cures such as fizzy drinks and chicken fillet rolls.

On The Pat Kenny Show today, she said there are much healthier alternatives out there to get you back in tip-top shape.

“It may or may not be appealing, but things like the protein in avocados, eggs, and nuts are very helpful," said Ms Mitchell.

“Generally, a healthy and well-balanced meal is much better than carbs and pasta.

“Protein and fats take a longer time to run through your digestive system so they’ll absorb more of your alcohol toxins, whereas carbohydrates are very quickly processed.”

Hydration is key

Ms Mitchell said it’s important to prepare before having a few drinks and hydration is the first step.

“Definitely hydrate, the use of rehydration tablets or sachets is really good for this,” she said.

“If you have your wits about you, taking one before you go to bed at night will really help.

“Alcohol speeds up the movement of everything through the body so you’ve less time to absorb water when you drink it.”

Morning after

She also gave some tips to help deal with the morning after. 

“There is a tendency to reach for the fizzy drinks and to fry the junk food because you feel like you need comfort," said Ms Mitchell.

“If you’re doing a fry, I’d grill it. The eggs in that will definitely help, there’s cysteine in eggs which will help remove the toxins.

“A fry isn’t the worst thing in the world, but definitely stay away from fizzy drinks. Fizzy drinks have lots of refined sugar which will lead to further irritation.

“The best thing to do is eat as healthy as you can, have a rehydration sachet, and get outside for a walk. Moving can really help your gut health.”

On the subject of DIY hangover cures, Ms Mitchell had one recommendation.

“If you can make a smoothie and pop in some turmeric and ginger, the next morning that will be a great help to you," she said.

Tummy problems

Those with stomach issues need to keep a closer eye on things over the holidays, according to Ms Mitchell.

“There’s a lot of people who struggle at this time of year,” she said.

“People with IBS or any type of autoimmune bowel trouble, are going to easily fall into the risk of a flareup.

“In terms of alcohol, it’s not an easy relationship for some, they need to be cognisant and have a plan in advance.”

Some of the medicines Ms Mitchell said people should stock up on in the home over the Christmas period include Panadol, Imodium, Gaviscon, and Ibuprofen.

Main image: A man wakes up after a night out drinking. Tomas Anderson / Alamy Stock Photo.