Doctor explains best food to eat before drinking to avoid a hangover

A health expert has revealed the one food you should try and eat to avoid getting a nasty hangover during the festive period.

For most of us over Christmas, it's fully expected to eat and drink a lot more than usual because, after all, someone needs to finish off those pigs and blankets.

But with the festive drinks flowing freely, there's always that one family member who goes a little overboard and wakes up with a banging headache. Sorry if you happen to be that family member.

Anyway, while it is always advised to drink responsibly, a doctor has shared a handy tip that could help soften the hangover blow this Christmas.

According to a pulmonary and critical care doctor, known as @neenziiemd on TikTok, eating this one type of food can potentially reduce your risk of a hangover - and no, it's not olive oil.

Could this be the answer? (Getty Stock Images)

"If you are going for a night out on the town and you are going to drink alcohol, eating cheese before drinking alcohol can decrease your risk of having a hangover," she explained in a video from last year.

"This is because cheese has a lot of protein, fat, and complex carbs that can coat the stomach, which decreases the absorption of alcohol."

The content creator also notes that 'cheese can help the body metabolise alcohol better and prevent liver damage'.

"[It] also replenishes nutrients because it is full of Vitamin B and calcium, which are depleted from the body when drinking alcohol," she said, adding that calcium is responsible for improving nerve function, while Vitamin B is great for energy.

"No alcohol is better than any alcohol," the TikToker noted.

"However, if you are going to drink, try to remember to try some cheese before alcohol."

How much alcohol is too much?

The NHS recommends people not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week (Getty Stock Images)

There's a chance you might feel a little pressured to drink a bit more than normal during the Christmas period.

And so, it's always worth knowing what's considered to be too much, and why you don't need to think of yourself as an alcoholic.

The NHS advises against regularly drinking more than 14 units a week.

One unit of alcohol is 8g or 10ml of pure alcohol, which is about half a pint of lower to normal-strength lager/beer/cider (ABV 3.6 percent), a single small shot measure (25ml) of spirits (25ml, ABV 40 percent), or a small glass (125ml, ABV 12 percent) of wine containing about 1.5 units of alcohol.

And if you think you might have a problem, according to the NHS, 'alcohol misuse is when you drink in a way that's harmful, or when you're dependent on alcohol'.

Dr Dave Nichols, an NHS GP, told The Sun that alcoholism is when a person has an uncontrollable desire to drink.

"The most common long-term physical impacts of borderline alcoholism are abnormal liver function, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mental health problems, but these are often hidden diseases and patients are unaware of them until they progress," he said.

Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.