You may know that detox, therapy, and group support, all help you move towards sobriety. What you may not know is how important diet can be in maintaining a sober, happy life. Addiction to any substance rewires the brain, setting off a chain of physiological effects that bind you – your emotional and physical health – to that substance. Research also shows many of the foods that support good brain function and healthy emotions are nutritionally sound and can minimize cravings, along with the mood disorders that tend to underlie or reinforce addictions. In a good treatment program, you may learn about that chemistry and if not, you’ll certainly acquire dietary tricks and tools that can fortify your recovery.
Weight and Recovery
It is actually unhealthy to attempt to lose weight during the early days of recovery; in fact, it can be more important to gain weight. This is because malnutrition tends to go hand in hand with addiction and alcoholism; addicts and alcoholics neglect personal care. Furthermore, many substances suppress appetite. Putting on weight—healthy weight, of course—is an important boost to the body’s ability to heal itself. Early recovery should involve less worry about weight and more concern about fortifying vitality and immune system with wholesome, nutritious foods.
Nutrients and Drug Abuse
Recovery-tailored diets are part of the latest in drug and alcohol treatment, alongside education and therapy, to give the recovering addict or alcoholic a tool kit for healthier living. Among all of the ways that alcohol and drugs interfere with your life, your health is a major concern. A recommended diet in early recovery consists of 45% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 25% protein, along with fluids and foods high in vitamins—particularly a specific group of vitamins. The diet gives your body exactly the things it needs to heal faster and more thoroughly than other food programs would.
Complex carbohydrates, like those found in whole grains, broccoli, spinach, beans and starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are a cornerstone of the diet, making up half of what you consume. This is in part because fighting addiction takes up a considerable amount of brain power, and the brain’s preferred fuel is carbohydrates. Addicts who don’t have sufficient carbohydrates in their diet have longer, more frequent cravings for the substances they are addicted to. In addition, there is a need to avoid too many sugary foods like candy or pastries. The bodies of alcoholics, in particular, are used to the blood sugar spike that comes with consuming alcohol. They have come to live on a treadmill of spike and crash. This same spike and crash cycle, research now shows, is responsible for the inflammation response that leads to diabetes, heart disease, and other serious health risks.
Vitamins and minerals play a particularly important role in recovery. Certain vitamins, including B vitamins, are very important for a healthy brain. Alcohol depletes several of the B vitamins in the body—particularly B1, the vitamin also known as Thiamine. Thiamine deficiency can lead to a type of brain disease called Wernickie-Korsakoff syndrome—what is thought of as “wet brain.” But all of the B vitamins help with the recovery process; B3 (niacin) helps with detox, B5 and B6 (pantothenic acid) support adrenal function and aid in the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and melatonin, and B12 is vital to a healthy nervous system. So B vitamins (found naturally in many orange fruits/vegetables) can exert quite a positive influence on the recovery process. Good treatment centers know that with the right diet and plenty of fluids, alcoholics and addicts can improve their chances of a healthy life in recovery, and these facilities help clients establish solid addiction-reducing habits of nourishment that will stand them in good stead for long-term recovery.
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