As we all know and can bear witness to, Lagos is a nerve-racking and all-round stressful place to live in. And so there’s nothing wrong in wanting to unwind and relax, especially on the weekend, in fact, it is highly encouraged. For a lot of people, a night out is their way of relaxing, and that almost always involves drinking, either with friends, family or a significant other. Now, any responsible adult knows how to get rid of a hangover and not to drink on an empty stomach. However, do you know what not to eat before consuming alcohol? Well, let me remind you in case you don’t.

Skip the salt

Avoid anything that contains a large amount of salt, like crisps and chips. Experts say that if you load up on salty snacks, you might start to feel bloated and while that is uncomfortable but can be easily rectified, this builds up your body’s reluctance to drink water. It is also common knowledge that it’s absolutely important to stay dehydrated while drinking so, drop that can of Pringles. 

Avoid chocolate or anything with caffeine

While chocolate is a perfect combination with alcohol, anything that contains caffeine should be avoided completely while drinking. This is because caffeine is a stimulant that makes you feel more alert, while alcohol makes you less alert. The danger in combining these two together is that the side effect of the caffeine makes you unaware of the amount of alcohol going into your bloodstream. An unregulated amount of alcohol in this state can cause alcohol poisoning. So, don’t mix your drinks with energy drinks. Do not do it!

Not the time for fit fam- avoid salads and tomatoes

Vegetables are great and being member of fit fam is even better, but this is one time that it should be avoided because vegetables are digested very fast. Eating them before consuming alcohol is almost as bad as going drinking on an empty stomach. If you must eat a salad or vegetables, make sure there’s some protein in there like tuna or eggs, that would slow down the rise of alcohol level in your blood.

Avoid spicy food

Combining spicy food with alcohol will most likely cause acid reflux or heartburn, so don’t mix shots with that spicy Jollof rice they sell close to your house.

This is from our resident drink expert, Christina- she tends to avoid brown liquor and red wine when she’s having seafood or cream-based sauce or food. It’s better to pair these with dry wines like white wine or gin and tonic. I’m adding it because she handles #drinklagos and she knows what she’s talking about.