If you're a healthy guy who hits the gym a lot, but also likes drinking with friends on the weekends (and sometimes overdoes it), we hear you. And it is possible to have a “healthier” night out, and limit the damage.
According to Jim White, a nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Liquor’s healthiest if served ‘alone,’”—i.e., without sugary sodas or juices. And the best liquors? “The clearer types go easier on the body and are less caloric,” he says. So: vodka and gin.
There are other, more obvious things that can help, too: Eating well, to avoid nutrient depletion; drinking plenty of water; and drinking alcohol only on a full stomach, after eating fats and carbs, like fish that’s high in fatty acid (such as salmon) with a side of whole-wheat pasta, or Greek yogurt with fruit.