Ring In The New Year With Pickles And You'll Feel Better In The Morning
By Phran Novelli
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Years ago we found ourselves at a New Year's Eve party with a friend who grew up in Poland and her many Polish pals. Along with lots of great food, when champagne at midnight gave way to shots of Polish vodka in the wee hours, our hosts insisted that we eat plenty of pickles - on their theory that eating sour or dill pickles helps you avoid a hangover.
Of course the easiest way to avoid a hangover is not to drink too much! But we drank the vodka and ate the pickles and felt fine the next morning. So hey, it worked that time!
This may be a variation on the pickle juice drink refresher many sports teams swear by. The salt and vinegar may help rebalance your system and make you thirsty for water, which rehydrates you, and dill's been known for centuries to calm a queasy tummy.
So, if you grew cucumbers you pickled this summer, why not enjoy a few as you toast to 2015?
Or if not, buy a jar for tonight, and resolve to plant some cucumbers come summer to make your own pickles for next New Year's Eve.