Foods to Help Your Body Heal in Addiction Recovery

In many ways, a healthy diet can produce the same level of excitement and energy you felt when you were drunk or high. Vegetables also have a high water content and are packed with nutrients and fiber. Fiber helps keep blood sugar levels steady, which reduces irritability2, anxiety and cravings. Orange and green leafy vegetables are very rich in calcium, potassium and vitamins A, B and C. These problems need to be identified and treated during the recovery process by a team of health care professionals during your stay at a rehabilitation facility. They also provide their patients with education on nutrition and relapse prevention to help them navigate the world outside.

With successful medical detox and comprehensive care, a rehabilitation program can lead you or a loved one toward a life of lasting sobriety. Unsaturated fats help the body absorb vitamins, reduce inflammation and balance hormones. The omega-3 fats found in fish, walnuts, chia and flax seeds can help stabilize mood and improve brain function. Fish like salmon and tuna have a special type of omega-3 fat called DHA, which plays a major role in brain function. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, so if a person is struggling with nausea during a detox, a small handful of nuts provides a good dose of nutrients.

Coping with Cravings

Most of us know that eating a meal before bed is a recipe for a bad night’s sleep. But a few crackers, a rice cake or a small bowl of oatmeal thirty minutes before you snooze can combat insomnia and nightmares by helping tryptophan become melatonin. I’m a big fan of pureeing foods when you’re https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/best-alcohol-abuse-recovery-diet/ newly sober, and relying on hydrating foods like soups and stews. Some long-term users may be overweight and need to cut back on fat, sugar, and total calories. These symptoms may lead to a lack of enough nutrients and an imbalance of electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, and chloride).

• Addressing nutritional needs, therefore, can help both create healthy eating habits as well as foster holistic, long-term recovery.
• It also needs to keep in mind that setting regular meal times and sticking to them can play an equally important role in recovery—regardless of what the person is eating during those meals.
• Vegetables also have a high water content and are packed with nutrients and fiber.
• To restore lung function and speed recovery, eat foods rich in omega-3s, magnesium, and antioxidants.

These are my top five recommendations to make recovery easier— no matter where you are on your sober journey. During our first year of recovery, 0ur nutritional needs are higher than usual. As well as improving our moods, replenishing these depleted nutrients gives the body energy, helps to repair and rebuild organ tissue, and strengthens the immune system.

An Example of a Recovery Diet

Abusing stimulant drugs can reduce appetite, which can lead to weight loss and malnutrition. Consistently abusing stimulants can often cause people to stay awake for days at a time, resulting in severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Research has found that exercise makes it easier to fall asleep and improves the quality of sleep. A lack of sleep can increase anxiety, depression, and mood swings. Inability to stabilize mood is a strong cause of relapses, which is why people in recovery should prioritize sleep.

This phenomenon is called addiction transfer, as sweet foods can stimulate similar brain processes as drugs. Without proper nutrition, the detox process can take longer and be harder than with proper nutrition. For example, drug addiction can cause a person to confuse hunger for a drug craving.

Food Containing Vitamin B

Let’s speed up your recovery and ease your transition to a newly sober life. Overcoming withdrawal symptoms isn’t easy, but implementing a balanced diet can significantly help lessen the detox period. However, it is important to note that diet alone cannot address the complications of alcohol dependence and addiction. To overcome AUD, patients require a combined treatment at inpatient care, outpatient treatment, and aftercare therapy. Experts believe that it is important to avoid sugar, caffeine, and junk food in the diet for several reasons. First, it is important to avoid changing a substance addiction to a sugar addiction, which can interfere with the detox process and contribute to a relapse.

Not only is yoga good for the body, but it also helps with mindfulness and decreasing stress. Yoga is very popular, so there are tons of online workouts for you to try. Just like with nutrition, you want to create a sustainable habit of exercise, so it’s important to find activities you enjoy. You might like some of the most common activities, like jogging, hiking, or lifting weights.

What to Eat In Recovery

For more information about how much of an impact food has on addiction rehabilitation therapy here at GMBHC and get started on this journey today by contacting us now. If you’re on a mission to beat alcohol forever, be sure to resolve your all of your Missing Links in the Hierarchy of Alcohol Recovery. Type any fruit or vegetable into Google followed by “superfood,” and you’ll find an article extolling its benefits.

• The most common deficiencies are of the B vitamins (B1, B6, and folic acid).
• This is why mass-produced breads and cereals are “enriched” with a few basic vitamins, which don’t even begin to make up for the opportunity costs of eating these foods.
• Fruits have a high water content and can help keep a person hydrated during the withdrawal period.
• Instead, focus on eating soups and other liquids to give your body some level of sustenance.