Best Foods For Alcohol Recovery to Help Your Body Heal
A healthy diet plays a huge role in any recovery process, and it’s no different for addiction recovery. Drug and alcohol addiction has a direct and negative effect on a healthy eating regime. This canlead to a de-regulation of human hormones, and nutritional deficiencies affect the natural ability to feeling full which encourages craving to over eat. An immediate effect of drug or alcohol abuse is the loss of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, however, the consumption of nutrient rich whole foods can rectify this and replenish them. Following a specific diet which incorporates a holistic nutritional approach, receiving addiction treatment from a top-notch treatment center such as FLOW can be vital for recovery. In order to analyze how food is essential for mental, physical, and emotional health, utilizing the benefits of the five foods given below can be an efficient way to assist your body heal after recovery.
Looking at the Role Nutrition Has in the Recovery From Alcohol and Drug Addiction
The human body is an intricate and balanced natural machine. Merely ceasing the intake of drugs and alcohol is not enough to elicit a full recovery. The body must be treated in a holistic manner; addictive and damaging substances can impair, and even shut down, the digestive process, which then prevents the brain from being nourished properly. The symptoms of withdrawal can be greatly mitigated by following a healthy nutrition plan, a well-nourished brain will experience far fewer withdrawal symptoms within the early stages of recovery and thus this leads to a higher chance of success in the ultimate goal of long-term recovery.
Drug and alcohol abuse severely affects the natural levels of two essential amino acids within the brain, namely tryptophan and tyrosine. These amino acids produce the compounds serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which are neurotransmitters within the brain. Our mood, mental-clairy, alertness and overall feeling of mental stability and emotional well-being are affected by these neurotransmitters. When levels are disrupted by drug and alcohol abuse, this has a great impact on a person’s mood and behavioral patterns.
The adoption of a healthy diet and good nutrition has a compound and domino effect on a person’s positivity; the better they eat, the better they feel and so they are far more likely to have a successful recovery with a much lower risk of relapse.
The Benefits Of Following A Healthy And Nutritional Recovery Diet Plan
Drug and alcohol abuse causes a great amount of stress to the normal processes of the human body, it can have an adverse effect on such things as the gastrointestinal and nervous systems to name but two. The benefits of following a healthy and nutritional recovery diet plan helps to strengthen the immune system, helps to rebuild damaged tissue and organs, and helps to regain the proper functioning of various systems in the body, such as the two mentioned above.
Sustained drug and alcohol abuse bombards the body with constant stress, damaging the proper day to day functions of both body and mind. Adhering to the proper nutritional guidelines can help heal this damage.
Let’s take a look at what the best foods in an alcohol recovery diet are.
Find out which are the top five foods you should include in your alcohol recovery diet. Here are the top 5 foods.
1. Poultry and Fish
Our bodies metabolize foods in a complex chemical system, certain elements are essential in order to keep this system fully operational. The amino acid, tyrosine, is fundamental for cells to create proteins which in turn is essential for the synthesis of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. These compounds, which have a major impact on mood and cognition, are found in fish and poultry, and so increasing those items within your diet will aid in balancing your emotional state and mental well-being. In short, they will enable you to feel better about feeling better.
2. Tofu
One of the organs within the body which is hugely affected by alcohol and drug abuse is the liver. Your liver is your in-built filter which protects you from harmful and poisonous substances. Tofu is the ideal candidate to assist in the process of healing as it offers a low-fat protein source which allows the liver to operate more effectively with less effort due to tofu’s protein rich, low-fat combination, allowing the liver to repair itself slowly but surely.
3. Bananas and Other Sources Of Potassium
Another essential amino acid in the body’s complex system is tryptophan. It is essential in the formation of serotonin, a necessity for restful sleep. Good quality, restful sleep is fundamental on the road to recovery, especially in the early stages. Bananas are a rich source of this and are a handy, easy snack.
Bananas are also a well known rich source of potassium, along with high levels of vitamins B6 and C. It is often the case that those who abuse drugs and alcohol are deficient in their magnesium and potassium levels. These minerals are known as electrolytes which help regulate your heartbeat and blood pressure, and keep your nerves and muscles healthy.
4. Berries and Vegetables
Antioxidants are hugely important in our diet, they strengthen the immune system and reduce damage on a cellular level caused by free radicals and toxins. This is doubly important in those who have had alcohol and drug abuse issues, due to the increased quantity of these toxins found within these substances. Blue fruits, especially, are high in antioxidants and so blueberries are an essential addition to the diet of someone on the path to recovery. Fruits and vegetables are packed full of the necessary vitamins, minerals and fiber the body needs with which to heal itself. It is easy for someone with such abuse issues to become malnourished due to bad diet and the body’s inability to process foods properly, therefore it is vitally important for someone seeking recovery to include fruits and vegetables in their diet.
5. Whole Grains
The digestive system not only requires a mixture of proteins, vitamins and minerals to keep us healthy but it also needs fiber to keep everything moving as it should. Whole grain foods offer this as well as providing a good source of complex carbohydrates which help balance sugar cravings, leaving us feeling fuller for longer. Whole grains help keep our gut healthy which subsequently enables it to absorb other nutrients more successfully.
Your Diet Plays A Big Role In Your Addiction Recovery Journey
It is impossible to stress highly enough the importance of a healthy, nutritional and balanced diet when talking about alcohol and drug abuse recovery. Eating healthy is not another faddy diet, it does not mean having to stick to a spartan or dull regime. Embracing a full and balanced diet will not only make you feel better physically but your mental state will improve immeasurably. To this end we have designed the nutritional journey at Flow Recovery Retreat to be a journey which puts you in the driving seat; it’s fun, rewarding and most importantly sustainable. Your long term eating habits will be a guiding light on your road to recovery, the ultimate goal of which being your general physical and mental well-being.