So you’ve been out drinking all night and it comes to that time where you just NEED a large Big Mac meal with extra salt on your chips and coke for the drink? Well, according to science, you’ve got a serious case of the Drunchies – Drunk Munchies.
Drunchies is the desire to consume salty and fatty foods after a night of drinking, which will be no surprise to you if you enjoy a night out. What is a surprise though, is that science has actually recognised this as a health problem. Uh oh.
There has been a recent study in the United States which analyses students from three different Uni’s and found that their eating habits changed during and after excessive drinking.
The focus of this study was to determine a link between heavy drinking and bad food choices contributing to weight gain.
The “Drunchies Hangover” study which was published in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion found that after skulling a few drinks, students were likely to eat a huge meal of unhealthy foods before going to bed in comparison to when they were sober.
The study also discovered that students were less likely to skip breakfast the morning after drinking. Who can’t resist a Big Breaky after a big night out?
The study found that “Eating a large breakfast that includes different types of breakfast meats the day after drinking is sometimes considered a ‘hangover cure’.”
Triple J’s Hack spoke to Terry Mulhern, senior lecturer in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Melbourne, who said that the phrase “eating is cheating” is bonkers, and you should definitely line your stomach with something before getting on it.
“You’ve got to eat before you drink. That’s key,” he told Hack
Terry said despite wanting to eat nearly every bad thing in sight while drunk, it’s not really going to do much other than make you feel slightly less crappy before bed.
“Once absorbed, it doesn’t matter what you’re eating, it’s not going to effect the metabolic outcome.”
The study also found that students don’t drink enough water. Well, that’s no surprise really. But researchers are saying that this is part of our downfall, and leads us to the golden arches at the end of the night.
Overall, planning your night is key to making sure you’re making the best choices for your body. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and eating before your bender begins and try and limit your access to unhealthy foods in order to avoid the “drunchies.”
