Nutrition When You First Enter Into Recovery

Nutrition and Recovery

Addiction has so many negative impacts on your life that they are often hard to count. One impact that is often overlooked is poor nutrition. Addiction can cause many different medical conditions to occur, but the underlying cause of most of these conditions is malnutrition and the body’s inability to absorb nutrients.

Your stomach lining is often corrupted when you have an addiction. This is especially true when you are using chemical-based substances and prescription medications. The lining of your stomach often cannot absorb the nutrients it needs to help you become or stay healthy.

The great news is that you can change your body to become more healthy once it enters into recovery. Part of what you will learn in a residential addiction treatment center is how to eat well and take care of yourself nutritionally to become more physically healthy.

Foods To Eat When You Enter Recovery

Your substance abuse counselor will work with you about many different aspects of personal health. One of these things will be how to eat healthy, especially in the beginning stages of recovery. Some of the tips you will receive about nutrition in drug rehab will include adding the following foods to your diet. Knowing which foods to eat during recovery will make the process much easier and your chance at success much higher.

Calcium-Rich Foods

Calcium-rich foods like kale, dairy products, and sesame seeds have been shown to reduce cravings for alcohol and some harder drugs like heroin. The calcium interacts with your brain and sends out pleasure hormones when you consume the food. This is a natural way to help reduce cravings while also gaining the benefits of better health and wellness.

Good Fats

Good fats from foods like avocados, fish, and fresh nuts are superfoods for those entering recovery. Natural fats feed your brain and help it heal and restore function. These foods also help heal your organs and reduce high cholesterol from years of eating poorly. Most of these foods also contain high amounts of selenium, a natural antioxidant that has been shown to help the liver heal and restore liver function. Good fats are also very filling and help you keep from overeating.

Fermented Foods

Some fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha tea, and yogurt products are great for your body when you first enter recovery. Fermented foods are filled with probiotics and help restore your gut health. Gut health is essential for absorbing nutrients and overall good health. Eating yogurt will also give you the benefit of eating a calcium-rich food.

Complex Carbohydrates

Carbs often get a bad rap, but good complex carbs can be one of the best foods you consume when you enter recovery. Brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal can give you lasting energy while also providing you with ways to stabilize blood sugar fluctuations. Good carbs are great for regulating moods, brain health, and feeling full. Of course, if you have been diagnosed with diabetes, make sure to consult with a doctor before filling up on carbs.

Fruit

All fruit contains large amounts of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients will help you rebuild your immunity systems and help you feel better all over. What is so wonderful about fruit is that much of it is high in fiber, so you get many additional health benefits from eating fruit.

Good Health In Recovery Helps Your Success Rate

When you are in a luxury rehab, you will learn many things about addiction’s mental aspects. You will address many different issues and learn how to manage these problems to aid in your recovery. Your substance abuse counselor will also go through many health-related issues to feel better once you overcome your addiction.

Good nutrition should be one of the largest areas of focus once you have left drug rehabilitation. Along with attending support groups or continuing with support systems in aiding your recovery, feeling good health-wise will go a long way in keeping you in recovery.

When you feel physically better, it is much easier to keep a positive attitude about all areas of your life. Something as simple as making sure you eat three good meals a day of healthy, nutrient-rich food can make staying in recovery so much easier. In the end, the benefits you receive from eating healthy will reflect positively in all areas of your life.