Food and Alcohol: A Guide to Better Pairings

As humorist poet Arthur Guiterman once said, “Don't tell your friends about your indigestion. 'How are you' is a greeting, not a question.” But sometimes that’s easier said than done! After a late-night slice of pizza or a scoop of ice cream refuses to settle, stomach troubles might be all you can think about. Indigestion can ruin your evening, and often it’s related to how food and alcohol interact in your stomach.

Despite what you might hear, many foods don’t mix well with wine or any alcohol. Even classic pairings like wine and chocolate or beer and pretzels can upset your stomach and leave you feeling queasy the next day. What you eat before and after drinking matters too. How does food affect alcohol metabolism? Should you eat after drinking? And what are the worst foods to eat before having alcohol? Let’s find out!

Understanding Alcohol Metabolism

Before diving into specific foods, it helps to know how your body processes alcohol.

• Alcohol is a toxin: Your body treats alcohol as a poison and prioritizes removing it. Other metabolic processes are put on hold until it’s gone.
• The liver takes charge: Your liver converts alcohol into acetaldehyde—a substance more toxic than alcohol itself—and then into harmless acetate, which your kidneys excrete.
• Other processes slow down: With alcohol as the main focus, nutrients may not be absorbed properly, potentially leading to deficiencies, and unused calories are more likely to be stored as fat.

Alcohol also affects your hydration. Those frequent bathroom breaks during a night out? That’s alcohol telling your kidneys to release more water, which leads to dehydration. This dehydration is a major cause of next-day hangovers and headaches.

7 Food and Alcohol Combinations to Avoid

Now that we understand alcohol metabolism, here are seven types of food that can make you feel unwell when paired with drinking.

1. Salty Foods

Pretzels, chips, and salted nuts might seem like perfect bar snacks, but they can backfire. Salt makes you thirsty, so you drink more. However, alcohol dehydrates you, leaving you even thirstier. Bars often offer free salty snacks to keep you drinking. Plus, high salt intake makes your body retain water, worsening alcohol’s dehydrating effects.

2. Chocolate

Though wine and chocolate is a popular pairing, it’s not ideal. Chocolate can cause acid reflux and stomach irritation, and alcohol amplifies this. The sugar in chocolate and alcohol both boost dopamine, increasing cravings and making it harder to stick to your limits.

3. Caffeine

Mixing caffeine and alcohol might seem like a good idea to keep the party going, but it’s not. Caffeine can mask how drunk you feel, leading to overconsumption. It also strains your heart and adds to blood pressure and heart rate changes caused by alcohol. Additionally, caffeine dehydrates you, making hangovers worse.

4. Beans and Lentils

Beans and lentils are healthy, but their high fiber and complex carbs can be hard to digest, causing gas and bloating. Alcohol can make these symptoms more uncomfortable. Since digesting fiber requires plenty of water, dehydration from drinking can worsen stomach issues.

5. Spicy Foods

Spicy dishes like hot wings or chili fries can irritate your digestive tract. Alcohol can intensify this irritation, increasing the risk of gastritis or other stomach discomfort.

6. Pizza With Tomato Sauce

Pizza and beer may be a classic combo, but tomato sauce is acidic and can cause acid reflux, especially when mixed with alcohol. The high fat content in pizza also adds to your liver’s workload, which is already busy processing alcohol. Cheese can slow alcohol absorption but may contribute to reflux and discomfort.

7. Foods With Added Sugar

Sugary treats can hide the taste of alcohol, leading you to drink more than intended. Sugar also speeds up alcohol absorption into your bloodstream, making you feel the effects faster. Plus, the dopamine hit from sugar can increase cravings for both sweets and alcohol, potentially leading to weight gain.

Worst Foods to Eat Before Drinking

What should you avoid eating before a night out? Steer clear of these:

• Simple carbs: White bread, donuts, and cookies are digested quickly, leading to faster alcohol absorption and worse hangovers.
• Carbonated drinks: Bubbles speed up alcohol absorption through your stomach lining.
• Acidic or spicy foods: These can increase stomach discomfort when you drink.

Best Foods to Eat Before Drinking

To prepare your body for alcohol, choose these options:

• Complex carbs: Whole grains provide lasting energy and are high in fiber.
• Protein: Lean meats or fish slow digestion and help prevent quick intoxication.
• Fruits and vegetables: These boost hydration and provide essential nutrients.

What Not to Eat After Drinking

Avoid these foods after drinking to feel better the next day:

• Pizza: It’s hard to digest and can worsen hangover symptoms.
• Highly processed foods: Sweets and salty snacks are low in nutrients and can worsen dehydration.

Tip: Yes, you should eat after drinking! A nutritious breakfast can help. Eggs contain cysteine, which helps break down acetaldehyde. Oatmeal is rich in nutrients and soothes stomach acid. Bananas replenish potassium and electrolytes. Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, miso soup, or kimchi restore gut balance.

Final Thoughts

If your stomach isn’t happy, you’re not happy. As novelist Charles Dudley Warner mused, “How many wars have been caused by fits of indigestion?” Let’s avoid adding to that number by choosing food and alcohol combinations wisely.

Even better, consider reducing or skipping alcohol altogether to wake up energized and clear-headed. If you’re thinking about cutting back, Quitemate is here to make the journey easy, exciting, and fun!