Stimulants are one form of substance that may lower your appetite. • Foods like fruits and vegetables can take additional preparation, have a short shelf life, and may cost more. • Set small, realistic goals, such as trying a new vegetable each day or replacing an unhealthy drink choice with a healthy drink choice. Laboratory tests for protein, iron, and electrolytes may be needed to determine if there is liver disease in addition to the alcohol problem.

For maximum benefit, nutritional counseling should be offered throughout all stages of the treatment process – starting with detox. Even though you may not have an appetite while detoxing, staying hydrated and consuming a balanced diet will help improve your symptoms and ensure your safety during detox. Proper nutrition can also help balance your mood and give you the extra boost you need to get through drug and alcohol withdrawal. Hanley Center is a well-known care provider offering a range of treatment programs targeting the recovery from substance use, mental health issues, and beyond. Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration. We offer renowned clinical care and have the compassion and professional expertise to guide you toward lasting recovery.

How Nutrition Affects Substance Abuse & Mental Health Recovery

Addicts typically tend to see food more as a burden or pastime instead of a source of essential nutrients. Because of this, food choices are based largely on flavor, what’s most convenient, or what’s cheapest, not what’s most nutritionally sound. That often means the decision is fast food, sweets, and junk food. A woman’s poor diet when pregnant, especially if she drinks alcohol, can harm the baby’s growth and development in the womb. Infants who were exposed to alcohol while in the womb often have physical and mental problems. They provide substances to build and maintain healthy organs and fight off infection.

The significance of improved brain function through nutrition cannot be overstressed. Proper brain function enables a patient to learn and retain the coping skills needed to stay focused on sobriety goals. Without it, a patient may struggle with the therapeutic elements of a treatment program and feel more challenged in their recovery efforts. Nutrition influences the body at a gut level, regulating metabolism, reducing inflammation, reducing cell death, and promoting brain growth (Mörkl, et al., 2020). Adequate nutrition can help reverse some of the damage caused by chronic exposure to stress hormones (Du, et al., 2016). Offering adequate nutrition tools in the recovery process has been shown to support behavior change during the recovery process (Cowan & Devine, 2012; Jeynes & Gibson, 2017).

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Other parts of your recovery process, you need to be honest with your nutritional counselor. Tell them where you are struggling so they can help you find the right strategies for improvement.

No matter what the substance or the person’s history of abusing it, the withdrawal phase is where most people fail when trying to fight addiction alone. This also involves taking into account any issues the client has around food, including eating disorders. Depending on individual needs, the plan may leave room for snack times, or it may be a better option to restrict intake to three times per day if the client has issues with things like binge eating. People who abuse alcohol typically do not pay attention to nutrition. Even those who were formerly healthy tend to let their good eating habits go as they become more consumed with the need to find and drink alcohol. This creates a two-fold nutritional problem because even if someone does manage to eat healthfully and get all their nutrients, alcoholprevents them from being fully absorbed.

Learn More About Recovery Food at Midwest Detox Center

There is a sense of responsibility that comes with preparing your own food. For some people, cooking helps them develop a greater sense of obligation to look after themselves and care for others. Even when cooking experiments don’t go quite as planned, learning from the experience and practicing flexibility can improve self-esteem and build your confidence. All of this fosters an atmosphere of positive alcohol recovery diet mental health, keeping the threat of relapse at bay. Without it, you can have strong cravings, mood swings, and hostile behavior. We get amino acids from protein in foods like meat, dairy products, and nuts, along with some grains and beans. We provide multiple forms of treatment at our center because addictions and drug misuse can vary from person to person and require different specialized programs.

This list of food types includes whole grains, cheese, bananas, and lean beef. Tyrosine can help counter intense substance cravings early in your treatment program. Vitamins and minerals are two main types of micro-nutrients with specific roles to keep your body functioning correctly.