Eating well is a very important part of making healthy choices in addiction recovery. Drugs and alcohol are toxins which will have altered the chemical balance in your brain and body. Overload of toxins, as happens in substance abuse can deplete the body of essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals and upset the body balance.
How can Healthy Eating Help Recovery?
Substance and alcohol abuse can cause:
• Malnutrition
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Decreased immune system
• Weight issues
• Chemical change
Healthy hints for a more balanced way of life:
• Stay hydrated: drinking water helps the body flush out toxins and helps us heal.
• Have a good breakfast: include a mix of protein, fiber and healthy fats for good energy at the start of the day.
• Ditch caffeine: caffeine can make anxiety worse and help prevent decent sleep. Avoid if possible or reduce intake to early in the day only.
• Choose natural foods: fruit, vegetables, whole grains etc. the closer to their original state the healthier foods are.
• Read labels: be aware of the contents of packaged food, make conscious eating decisions.
• Avoid sugary refined foods and carbs: these foods can provide a rush similar to those experienced in substance abuse so be wary of your intake, you may be transferring one addiction for another. Stick to more natural sugars, like those found in fruit and go for carbs like brown rice and quinoa. Protein is good for energy and nuts are good in this respect is low-fat dairy.
• Consume antioxidant-rich foods to boost your immune system: these include fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are helpful to skin and hair which often suffer when the body has been abused with drugs or alcohol.
• Use protein for healing: your brain and liver can benefit from eating fish, poultry, and beans. Neurotransmitters in the brain are made from amino acids which are proteins and the liver can become more efficient if you consume quality proteins.
• Eat plenty of fiber:restore balance to your damaged digestive system by eating plenty of fruit and veg and replace refined white flour products with whole grains. Slowly introduce these into your diet to allow your body to adjust.
• Go for healthy fats: these include olive oil, flaxseed oil, and omega 3s. These assist in cell repair and absorption of nutrients.
• Snack healthily: eating regular healthy snacks which contain some protein will keep blood sugar levels stable and help your mood.
Make a Healthy Choice- Come to Casa Recovery for Rehab and Recovery
Eating healthy in rehab is something we can help you with here at Casa Recovery in San Juan Capistrano, CA. As part of drug and alcohol addiction treatment here, we offer information on diet and nutrition and you will be supplied with healthy tasty food as a part of your recovery. Ensuring you are getting a balanced diet will help you maintain a healthy outlook. For more information on our recovery programs contact us today for a free consultation.