Which Is Worse: Drunk Eating At Night Or Having A Massive Brunch?
It's 2 am, you've taken your final tequila shot, the bars have either already closed or are about to, and you have one thing on your mind: pizza.
So you head to the 24-hour pizza spot that actually has really disgusting pizza, but it looks so good in that moment.
Once slice of pepperoni quickly turns into four (or maybe a whole pie) and soon enough you're in your bed, drunk and disgustingly full, vaguely wondering if you'll regret this decision tomorrow.
Ah, the joys of the drunchies. And to answer your vague drunk question: Yeah, you probably will regret that decision.
Then there's the brunch you will inevitably have after a night of drinking.
Because unless you had a really wild night, the morning after a night of drinking leaves you craving bacon, eggs and maybe even a mimosa.
The problem with both of these alcohol-influenced decisions is they're full of calories. Sometimes a day's worth or more.
So if it comes down to a late-night drunk feast or a super caloric morning brunch, which is the better decision? We had the experts weigh in, and here's what we learned.
About that drunk eating...
Hate to break it to you, but those late night trips to Pizza Hut, McDonald's, etc. aren't very good for you.
In addition to tacking a ton of calories onto your already calorie-heavy night, they might be disrupting your sleep more than alcohol already does.
Nutritionist Michelle Blum tells Elite Daily,
If I give my body a lot of energy and calories at the end of the day, and go to sleep, my body is going to think, 'Well we don't really need this energy right now,' and it will become stored as fat. Eating late night will also prevent you from getting deep REM sleep, which you will need to detox.
On top of that, the guilt of it all! There's nothing worse than waking up and realizing just how much you ate the night before.
Nutritionist Lisa Hayim tells Elite Daily if you have a night of drinking ahead of you, you absolutely shouldn't skip dinner. But if you do come home completely starving, try to make a healthy choice.
She explains,
Allow yourself to eat, but attempt some moderation and good choices. Perhaps instead of pizza try a few pretzels and hummus, or even shelled edamame. I know it sounds weird now, but it's oddly satisfying in the moment, and can help avoid that next day guilt.
Just some food for thought (pun intended) the next time the drunchies strike.
Brunch it out.
Good news, brunch fans: If you're going to choose one high-calorie option, brunch is definitely the way to go.
Blum tells Elite Daily,
If I eat brunch, I eat smack dab in the middle of my day when my body needs the most energy, so the food will be utilized and burned instead of stored.
As for what you should eat? Go ahead, order that omelet!
She continues,
Eggs are one of the best things to eat after a night out because of their amino acid compound. They contain cysteine, which breakdowns the toxins giving you a headache, and taurine which helps with liver function. If you add some tomato juice to that, the antioxidant lycopene will help clean up the mess from the night before. Alcohol also lowers inhibitions, so you are much more likely to do more caloric damage during a late night binge than at a hungover brunch.
As an added bonus, unless you really overdo it on the mimosas, you'll actually remember eating that delicious brunch.
