It’s time to prepare your body for the beast that is the work Christmas party.

No, we’re not talking dieting or fake tanning (all bodies are Christmas party ready, etc etc). We’re talking prepping for the onslaught of booze that you swear you’ll go easy on this year, but probably won’t. 

Can a big lunch stop you making a tit out of yourself in front of your colleagues? Is carb-loading on pasta a sure-fire way to keep things classy? 

We asked the experts for some top tips on pre-party preparation. 

There’s some logic to “carb-loading” but it isn’t the be-all and end-all, says Chloe Hall, a community dietitian at Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.

“Lining your stomach with pasta doesn’t mean you can drink as much as you want without waking up with a nasty hangover the next day,” she tells HuffPost UK. “However it may slow the rate at which alcohol is absorbed and, therefore, you may not end up so drunk so quickly.”

Nutrition consultant Charlotte Stirling-Reed agrees it’s a good idea to eat before you go out to reduce how quickly alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream, but that doesn’t mean carbs are the only answer. “Just eat sensibly and avoid skipping meals,” she says.

[Read More: 11 things you need to tell yourself when you get the hangover fear]

So what should we be eating? Hall recommends having a balanced meal with carbohydrates, protein and vegetables, such as spaghetti Bolognese, a chicken stir fry with rice, or salmon with roast vegetables and new potatoes. 

Of course, the only way to avoid vomming in front of your boss (and being a hungover embarrassment the next day) is limiting your alcohol intake. Stirling-Reed adds: ”Remember to have regular drinks of water in-between alcoholic drinks to keep your body hydrated.”