Single Most Important Holiday Tip For Social Drinkers

Are you going out to a fabulous New Year's party this year? Or celebrating a quiet dinner with friends? No matter how you pick your poison, celebrations are often times to abuse the ole libations. If you find yourself in the predicament of one too many... make sure you have this one item in your bag!

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is exactly what is sounds like, charcoal, however it's heated at extreme temperatures until it becomes extra porous. Those pores collect toxins and trap poisons, removing them from the body before they are absorbed.

Activated Charcoal has a rich history dating back to 3750B.C. in Ancient Egypt. In 1500 the first recorded use in medicine was documented for absorbing unpleasant odors in wounds and for troubles within the intestinal tract. Since 1550 BC, activated charcoal has been used as a poison antidote and it is still used today as a powerful detoxifier.

Today, charcoal is rated Category 1, “safe and effective”, by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for acute toxic poisoning. -Buyactivatedcharcoal.com

Hospitals often give activated charcoal immediately after the stomach is pumped from ingesting poisonous substances. Whereas pumping the stomach helps if done within a 30 minute window, activated charcoal is effective up to a few hours after ingesting. It can reduce the absorption rate by an estimated 60%.

This has been a very handy supplement to have in our house. I have it in case the kids swallow a poisonous substance by accident, or my husband takes one on purpose. We periodically brush our teeth with it when we want to look like ghoulish terrors, or simply wish to remove the toxic buildup from our teeth and leave them scrubbed white and bright.

The important warning to take into consideration is that activated charcoal will prevent you from absorbing anything along with the toxins. If you took your birth control, your medication, vitamins, or herbs within a few hours of the activated charcoal, you may not absorb them properly.

This is why I claim activated charcoal is the single most important tip for "social drinkers." It's OK, 1% of the time to protect yourself from a mishap. If you drink too much on this one occasion, take 2 of these and call me in the morning.

However, activated charcoal is a little like "the morning after pill." Though probably a very good reason for those few mistakes, this is not a way to live day to day. So be responsible, but remember that activated charcoal has got your back.

Bring it with you when you eat at a not so healthy company party, and take 2 after you've drunk yourself silly. WebMD recommends 50-100g for an adult, and 10-25g for a child. In my experience, you can also continue to take a child's dose every 2 hours for 24 hours until your body is flushed clean.

Spoiler alert, taking activated charcoal will not remove your hangover. A hangover is most often from serious dehydration. To battle that one, be sure to drink a large glass of non-sparkling mineral water with every alcoholic beverage and eat a large meal.

I hope you have a wonderful time bringing in the new year. This has been an incredible year for me and Food Foundation. I continue to study, research, and practice the importance of digestion on your health and wellness.

I can't wait to share my findings and passion with you in 2016. If you have a specific topic you would love for me to cover, please comment in the section below. Believe me there are other people who want to know the same thing and will appreciate you putting it into words.

Happy New Year!