It baffles me when people don’t eat before a night out (which invariably involves alcohol).  Ok I lie, some part of me can slightly understand because I used to the same thing once upon a time.  Over the years, I’ve gotten wiser about it and always ensure I always eat something substantial…and buy clothes that fit me regardless of my preceding meal!! 😀

While I could list all the ‘perfect’ meals to prevent a hangover, I won’t because:

A) the choices are endless

B) this post would take forever to write/read and neither of us would reach the point behind all this small talk

C) heck the amount you end up drinking may be a lost cause 😉

Instead I’ll tell you about my most recent tried and tested meal: Ris-OAT-o.

Before you

a) scrunch up your nose at the thought of savoury oatmeal

and

b) try to contend with me that oatmeal was meant to be cooked with fruits instead of vegetables and peanut butter stirred in, not cheese

let me tell you my reasoning why this makes a winner of a dinner:

• Oats: Since alcohol depletes sugar levels, the slow-releasing carbs in oatmeal help redress is.  Oats also neutralise acidity levels in the body.  Oats, how I love thee! 😉 .
• Eggs & Cheese: High-protein foods like these are best at slowing down the effects of alcohol, and thus help prevent a hangover…and because everything tastes betta with cheddah 😀
• Veggies: All that fibre will result in you feeling a lot lighter if you catch my drift ;)!  Toilet jokes aside, when can veggies ever be a bad thing!
• Chia seeds: I really have no reason for you so here’s an interesting fact for you: Studies show that moderate wine drinking acts like a booster for omega-3s. People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, one drink a day for women and two for men, had higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells independently of their fish intake.  

The 4 Together:

• come together in all of 10 minutes, which leaves you more time to spend on your hair
• will slow down the rate at which your body absorbs alcohol: we’re not 14 anymore- throwing up at the end of the night is no longer cool 😮
• reduce the likelihood of you stopping for post-shenigans grease pizza

and the most important reason of all:

• taste.freakin.awesome

Now that I’ve won my argument, here’s the recipe (finally, I know 🙂)

Fried Egg Topped Ris-OAT-o

Ingredients

• 30g quick-cooking oats
• 200 ml water
• 1 generous spoonful of chia seeds
• Grated cheddar
• Chopped onions
• Chopped vegetables (I used broccoli, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and red pepper)
• 1-2 eggs
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• Hot sauce (optional)

Method

1. Coat a heated skilled with spray oil/olive oil
2. Add the onions and once softened, toss  in the broccoli and sauté for a minute.
3. Add in the remaining vegetables, oats, chias and water.  Keep stirring for about 4-5 minutes.
4. Once it has cooked to your desired consistency. stir in the cheddar until it has melted throughout.
5. Dish out the oatmeal.
6. In a separate pan, fry the egg but ensure the yolk remains runny.
7. Place the egg on top of the oatmeal, take a picture, and mix it all together so that the yolk gets evenly distributed.

And if you do still decide to drink without eating, this makes a fantastic breakfast/brunch to get rid of the hangover which you will most likely wake up to 🙂