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The hangover-cure breakfast

Sore head? Restore your body's fluids by drinking water or diluted fruit juice

You’ve had a post-meeting knees-up, or your office Christmas party was held at a hotel – and now you’ve got a hangover the size of a planet. The trouble is it’s business as usual, and you’re expected to be firing on all cylinders in about an hour’s time. So, what to do?

Follow these simple tips and turn your hotel breakfast into a power breakfast – so you’re back on fighting form, without the need for a gallon of coffee, a full-fat fry-up and a Mars bar chaser.

To give your digestion a break… eat fruit. “After a hard night’s partying, your digestive system is going to be quite compromised, so eat a bowl of fruit first,” recommends nutritionist Alison Duker. “Pineapple, in particular, contains bromelain, a useful digesting enzyme to give you that extra boost.”

Check out Radisson Blu hotels’ Super Breakfast, which includes a selection of fresh fruits, while Jurys Inns offer stewed apple and mixed forest fruits.

To rehydrate… “Drink a glass of water or some diluted fruit juice before breakfast, as it will boost your digestive juices,” says Alison. Ask for a slice of lemon or lime to be added to your water, too – this will also help get you feeling ready to face the world. 

Caffeine-based drinks are dehydrating – not much use if you’re already parched – so try to limit yourself to just one tea or coffee.

Caffeine-based drinks are dehydrating – not much use if you’re already parched – so try to limit yourself to just one tea or coffee, suggests Alison.

As an alternative, Novotel’s Elements menu includes Twinings’ herbal and fruit teas.

To maintain energy levels… eat protein, says Alison. “Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon are great. Eggs and fish are packed with protein that is easily absorbed, helping to maintain your energy levels.”

Many Macdonald hotels offer this as part of their buffet option, while The Lugger Hotel in Portloe, Cornwall, a member of Oxford Hotels & Inns, offers smoked haddock with two poached eggs or grilled kippers with parsley butter and grilled tomatoes.

To boost energy… eat every three hours. “Your body needs food every three hours, so grab an apple, a banana or an orange for later, or even some nuts or seeds from the breakfast buffet,” Alison recommends.

Jurys Inns offer pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaked almonds, chopped walnuts and dried mixed fruit to complement its breakfast cereals. If you’re staying at a Radisson Blu hotel, snack on an energy bar from their Grab and Run breakfast menu.

To stay fuller for longer… go for wholemeal bread. “Because the glucose from starchy carbs found in white bread goes straight into the bloodstream, by 11am you’re hungry again – so wholemeal bread is much better, plus it’s full of fibre and B vitamins,” Alison says.

To give your system a chance to recover... take at least half an hour over breakfast, to give your body the best chance to extract all the nutrients it can from the food, suggests Alison. Maybe you can catch up with your colleagues to find out what really happened the night before the morning after!

Expotel is the UK’s leading hotel, travel and venue booking agency. To find out more, call Expotel on 0844 793 7300.

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