What’s nutrition got to do with addiction recovery? You might be surprised to learn that creating a sober life encompasses more than stopping substance abuse. Recovery includes adopting behaviors that support your overall health.
Nutrition is a key component, as a balanced diet helps restore and protect your body. Besides reestablishing healthy eating patterns and reducing inflammation, a balanced diet can prevent mood swings. Good nutrition helps your brain’s gears work the way they’re meant to while also giving your energy levels a boost.
Of course, nutrient-dense foods aren’t a cure for the anxiety and depression that can sometimes occur alongside substance abuse. However, eating foods with certain nutrients, like amino acids, can support mood regulation. With these benefits in mind, let’s examine the role of nutrition in addiction recovery more closely.
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Restores Natural Appetite
When someone develops a substance abuse disorder, their appetite can decrease. The substance may reduce or mask the body’s natural cues to eat. Take coffee as an example. Although coffee isn’t classified in the same categories as drugs and alcohol, coffee is known as an appetite suppressant. When consumed, especially in excess, coffee makes you less likely to feel hungry.
In the same way, drug or alcohol use can make the idea of eating less appealing. Substance abuse may also make you forget to eat. Skipping meals is done without intention because your brain’s executive functions are negatively impacted. Some substances, such as alcoholic drinks, can also contain a lot of calories. Your body thinks it’s had enough when it really hasn’t.
In substance abuse rehab centers, teaching proper nutrition through balanced meal planning is typical. For individuals enrolled in a residential program, nutrient-dense fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are part of the provided meals. There’s a good mix of antioxidants, omega-3s, and amino acids to support the body’s overall healing process. Eating essential nutrients replenishes the body after the malnutrition that substance abuse can lead to, while restoring natural appetite.
Restoring your natural appetite also leads to a reduction in cravings. You’re retraining your mind and body to eat to the point of satiety. Overeating and undereating are less likely to happen. And you’re not replacing the cravings for substances with the cravings for unhealthy foods.
Prevents Mood Swings
What happens when you only eat a piece of cake for lunch? You might get an initial sugar high, but hours later, your body slows down drastically. You feel tired, can’t concentrate, and may even feel a little on edge. Simple carbs like refined sugar are known to have a crash effect on your mood, energy, and blood sugar levels. High amounts of sugar in your diet can increase your risk for depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
Eating a well-balanced diet with a focus on complex carbs instead prevents the crash and burn effect of refined sugars. Complex carbs, such as vegetables, take longer for your body to digest. Your blood sugar doesn’t spike and then rapidly drop. Those steadier blood sugar levels mean less inflammation and fewer mood swings.
When you’re recovering from substance abuse, you may also be battling depression and anxiety. Balanced nutrition prevents the aggravation of these co-occurring conditions. By regulating your body’s energy levels and moods, your emotions will remain more stable. Certain foods like whole grains, nuts, and fish also contain nutrients known to improve depression symptoms. Other benefits for your brain include supporting healthy thinking patterns and memory.
Provides Your Body With Essential Nutrients
Substance abuse can lead to nutritional deficiencies, such as low B12 and magnesium levels. Over time, nutritional deficiencies can cause severe symptoms. For instance, low magnesium can lead to muscle spasms and seizures. Depleted levels of essential nutrients can interfere with your body’s ability to function and recover from chronic stress, including substance abuse.
When you eat a balanced diet, your body gets most (if not all) of the nutrients it needs. You may still need to take supplements, depending on your dietary preferences. Nevertheless, proper nutrition ensures your body can heal from the physical stress substance abuse causes. Nutrient-dense foods restore the levels of essential vitamins and minerals, ensuring your body can function properly.
Undesirable symptoms, such as muscle spasms, gradually decrease. You won’t be feeling the painful side effects of nutritional deficiencies. Without these effects, you can focus on your addiction recovery. Proper nutrition heals from the inside out, helping to repair some of the damage substance abuse may have caused.
Nutrition’s Role in Addiction Recovery
Balanced nutrition has more of a positive effect on your body than maintaining a healthy weight. While nutrient-dense foods can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, good nutrition also supports recovery from addiction. Incorporating a balanced diet into your recovery plan replenishes essential nutrients you may have lost. Good nutrition regulates your mood, prevents cravings for unhealthy foods, and restores your natural appetite.
Your body can’t recover from the physical and emotional stress substance abuse causes if you’re not feeding it well. A balanced diet provides the nutrients your body and mind require for everyday functions, such as thinking clearly. Without proper nutrition, you’re risking your recovery plan’s effectiveness. Fueling your body properly enhances what your recovery program is already trying to do—healing the damage from long-term abuse.