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Don't give in to the grease! Have a healthy hangover with these top tips

Today is the perfect day to wipe the slate clean and begin your new healthy eating regime after a very long weekend of eating and drinking too much! So don’t let that nasty hangover knock you off track on day one – read on for Closer’s guide to having a healthier hangover.

We’ve all been there; it’s the morning after the night before and the only thing preventing you from collapsing in a heap of exhaustion is the idea of delicious, greasy, carb-rich treats.

Whether you are a bacon sandwich kind of girl or a pizza fiend – a hangover can put our bodies under even more pressure as they’re trying to recover!

After a night of drinking you will wake up with low blood sugar levels, dehydration and increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone.) This toxic combination leads your body to crave stodgy food, which will quickly restore the sugar level in your blood to normal and provide a quick fix for the hunger and fatigue.

But despite craving a short-term fix, your body needs a lot of TLC, and the more nutritious the food you put into it the better you will feel as the day progresses – slower releasing food won’t bombard the body and you won’t have that junk-food guilt we’re all so familiar with.

Here are Closer’s top tips for having a healthy hangover:

Avoid coffee in the morning – caffeinated products dehydrate the body further so start the day with a glass of water and a fresh juice to restore blood sugar levels. Not only is juice good for immediate relief of the thirst you wake up with after a heavy night, the fructose will also help speed up the removal of alcohol from your blood.

Drink at least two litres of water during the day - this is key to eliminating your hangover symptoms as the body is suffering from severe dehydration.

Eat a nutritious (and filling) breakfast of porridge, bacon, poached eggs, or beans on toast. It is important to eat a large, nutrient-filled breakfast to replenish the salt and vitamins the body needs to function effectively. Eggs combat a hangover as they contain large amounts of cysteine, which breaks down the hangover-causing toxin acetaldehyde. Therefore, eggs can potentially help mop up the left-over toxins.

Snack on bananas - they restore the potassium lost through alcohol's diuretic effect.

Drink ginger tea - It is a great natural remedy for nausea.

Have a nutritious lunch such as a jacket potato filled with baked beans and salad, or wholewheat pasta with a rich vegetable sauce. Both are slow burning and will reduce your urge to snack during the afternoon.

Let us know your hangover cures in the comments below or over on our Facebook page.

Do you want to kick start your body into shape in time for your summer holidays? Then why not head over to www.closerdiets.com now where you can drop a dress size in just 10 weeks!