Over the past decade or so, New Year's Day has been the trickiest day of the year.

I have had two choices of how to spend it — with my Mum, helping her out with her annual village party, or with my father-in-law, celebrating his birthday. Both require being well-dressed, fresh-faced and perky by 10 a.m. — oh, and with the ability to drink a glass of champagne without wincing.

This is, of course, easier said than done. I only became wise to the ways of good nutrition half way through this period, meaning that the first five years were spent handing round canapés and topping up champagne with a pounding headache and a mild sweat on.

The latter years have been comparatively easy, but even when you know what's good for you and what's not, it's still easy to be fuzzy-headed the next day.

Fuzzy-headed would be an understatement for my poor husband. Of course he should know better, but I do feel sorry for him when I peel back the covers on January 1 and find him in the foetal position.

It's bad enough having a hangover, but knowing that you not only have to move, but also help your family assemble a multitude of canapés pronto, is enough to make a grown man cry.

This means that these days I'm all about hangover management. In an ideal world, no one would ever have more than one or two drinks at a time — but in a country that's famous for its Dark'n'Stormies, I'm not sure how realistic that is – especially on New Year's Eve.

So what I want to do is make sure you understand the impact that drinking too much can have on your body, but I'm also going to show you how to help buffer yourself from hangover hell too — a reasonable compromise?

First things first then: do you actually know what your liver does? Most people know that it "detoxifies" but not much else. The liver takes nutrients from your digestive tract and uses them to build protein and to boost blood sugar. It makes sure that the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol your body makes is used for your benefit (e.g. nurturing nerve and brain cells) rather than becoming harmful.

The liver rearranges amino acids so that you have the specific protein you need, takes iron to the bone marrow to make new red blood cells and synthetises hormones. In addition, it breaks toxins down to safer substances, eliminates them or even stores them if there are too many in the body. And that just scratches the surface.

As a consequence, every part of your body relies to an extent on your liver. This means that if your liver is toxic, or under functioning, your health will be adversely affected too.

Even though the liver can safely store some toxins, if it has to store too many then, it can be damaged and your health will suffer as a result. What happens to your health? Well you may put on weight, have imbalanced hormones, a poor digestive system, suppressed immunity, bad skin, headaches, cellulite and nausea. Serious liver damage of course leads to jaundice and cirrhosis.

Alcohol and its byproduct acetaldehyde, are both toxic to the liver and must be broken down using nutrients (especially zinc) that could otherwise be used to benefit your body. Alcohol also increases the amount of fat in your liver — which in itself gives the liver more work to do, but also makes it less able to do it's job. However, the liver is capable of detoxifying some alcohol so it is fine to drink in moderation.

Recent research suggests that the liver is capable of processing two glasses of wine a day. Now unfortunately this doesn't mean that if you don't drink for six days, your body can handle 14 drinks on the seventh day. Imagine a coastline with a floodwall that can cope with waves two feet high. What happens if 14-foot waves crash in against the wall? Flooding, damage, devastation¿ you get my point!

So to avoid starting 2008 with a canon firing inside your head and your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth, try following the guidance below.

1. It matters what you drink: Red wine is a much better option than white wine, beer or spirits. It is rich in compounds called proanthocyanidins or OPCs. These are powerful antioxidants that are known to work with vitamin C to protect your heart, brain, eyes, joints and they boost your immune system. However, take it easy, because if you drink more than two glasses, the quantity of alcohol becomes counterproductive.

2. Avoid sugary or artificially sweetened mixers: If you do drink spirits, avoid sugary mixers such as cola, tonic, ginger beer and sprite. Refined sugar is a burden for the liver and so makes you less able to detoxify alcohol efficiently. Artificial sweeteners also need to be detoxified, so the best option is to mix spirits with soda water or fruit juice with LOTS of ice.

3. Add ice to your drinks: A social faux pas if you are enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir at the wine bar, but adding ice dilutes the alcohol and slows down the rate at which you drink. If you do choose something other than red wine, no one will bat an eyelid if you have a white wine and soda with lots of ice, or ask for your gin and tonic to come in a tall glass packed with ice.

4. Don't drink on an empty stomach: The alcohol will pass through your system much more quickly and you can get drunk on much less than you think. Make sure you have a meal or at least a healthy snack before you go out.

5. Avoid fatty/rich meals such as steaks, pasta in a creamy sauce and pizza. These are hard to digest and the excess saturated fat can congest your liver, making it harder for it to detoxify the alcohol. These meals are also harder for your stomach to digest so can leave you feeling nauseous in the morning.

6. Try peppermint tea before you go to bed: This is especially effective if you have had a heavy meal too. Peppermint helps settle digestion and ease nausea. If you don't think you will be sufficiently coordinated to make it when you get in, make it beforehand and store it in the fridge. Peppermint tea tastes great cold — put an extra cup by your bed to sip on if you wake.

7. Rehydrate: Make sure you drink at least one pint of water when you come in, before you go to sleep. One of the major reasons hangovers can be so bad, is simply due to dehydration. Rehydration sachets can work wonders the morning after — just make sure you dilute them with the right quantity of water to ensure electrolyte balance. Of course, if you have any medical issues or are taking any medication, please check with your doctor or pharmacist first.

8. Have a substantial but low fat breakfast the next morning: "Kill or cure" cooked breakfasts do precisely that. Either you are so hungover that your liver can't cope with the fat and you feel worse, or the food helps to settle your stomach and replace your lost energy. Even if it does make you feel better, fatty cooked breakfasts can cause further liver damage so they are best avoided. Instead try something substantial, but lower in fat such as beans on whole-wheat toast, grilled bacon and poached eggs or muesli with low-fat yogurt and berries.

9. Try the Life Extension brand "Anti-Alcohol Antioxidants" (from Rock On.): This formula contains powerful antioxidants such as vitamins C, E and the mineral Selenium, that help to prevent cell damage. It also contains nutrients that specifically support the detoxification of alcohol, such as glutathione. It also contains some milk thistle (see below.) However, if you have a sensitive stomach, be careful.

At the full dose, this formula contains 3000mg of vitamin C in an ascorbic acid form. This form can aggravate a sensitive digestive tract (e.g. if you have IBS), in which case you'd be better off taking a multivitamin, a B-complex and 1000mg of Ester-C (a gentler form of vitamin c), always with food. As always though, if you have any medical concerns, or are taking any medication, please check with your doctor before taking any supplements.

10. Try taking a Milk Thistle supplement: If you want a simpler supplement, you may like to try milk thistle. Milk Thistle is one of the best herbs that I have come across so far. Recent research suggests that it can help to detoxify and replenish liver cells. While it is helpful on the day and the day after, it's often a great idea to take a course once or twice a year — especially if you do end up drinking frequently either socially or through business. Again, if you are taking any medication or have a health concern, please consult your doctor before taking. Milk Thistle should also not be used by anyone who has a liver disease or diagnosed liver damage. Milk Thistle is available from both Down to Earth and Rock On.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291-4725 or clinicalnutrition[AT]gmail.com