Be Healthy and Fit at the Forest: The End of Hangovers?

According to MyPyramid.gov, the average female college student needs 7 ounces of grains, 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of milk and/or dairy, and 6 ounces of meat and beans—every day. Easier said than done.
 
Lucky for us, there are other ways to get your daily serving of calcium: Supplements. Nutritional supplements come in all shapes in sizes, from pills and capsules to liquids and powders. Whether you are suffering a cold or needing a little extra energy throughout the day, there is a nutritional supplement for you.
 
Herbal supplements have become “trendy” nowadays. There are pills that claim to promote weight loss, powders that help build muscle outside of the gym, and even liquids that take care of that daily dose of fruits and vegetables. And then there’s PartySmart.
 
PartySmart is an herbal supplement that claims to prevent hangovers. Yes, that’s right. A pill that prevents hangovers. The unique formula includes ingredients such as Vitis vinefera, Cichorium intybus, and Phoenixdactylifera—also known as grapes, wild chicory, and dates. According to the PartySmart Web site, the supplement is designed to protect the liver and provide a better morning after.
 
Here’s how it works: when you drink alcohol, the liver converts it into acetaldehyde. The build-up of this acetaldehyde is what causes hangover symptoms the next morning. PartySmart reverses this process with the help of antioxidants, liver protectives and stimulants that speed up the break down of acetaldehyde and overall liver function.
 
So does it really work? The lady in front of me in line at Whole Foods sure thinks so. She bought six packets of PartySmart to pass out to guests at her Oscar Party last Sunday. Unlike other supplements, you take PartySmart a half-hour before your first drink or sometime during drinking for the best results. Because it is all-natural, it is safer for you than taking aspirin the next morning.
 
There is a big debate over the benefits of using herbal supplements. While it is preferred to get your daily does of vitamins and minerals from whole, fresh foods, sometimes taking an herbal supplement can be a beneficial addition to your dietary regimen. The downside: it will cost you. PartySmart, however, isn’t all that expensive—less than $2 per packet.
 
Just because this magic pill claims to prevent hangovers does not mean that you can rely on it to party hard every weekend. You wouldn’t think that if you took a multivitamin that you could eat pizza and French fries every day, would you? Same principle applies to PartySmart. It is a supplement to your daily diet and activity. It won’t do all the work for you.
 
Use your head. Drink responsibly. Party smart.