People eat healthy foods to reach various health goals, which include overcoming physical addiction. Nutritional therapy is a crucial component in the journey to recovery. These are the primary reasons why anyone in recovery can consider their diet a powerful healing tool.
1. Recovery Can Cause Loss of Appetite
When people begin their recovery journeys, they often rely on junk foods or comfort foods. It may be easier to grab pre-made snacks and meals while adjusting to life without addictive substances. However, the foods offer little nutritional support.
They can also contain highly processed ingredients and a high amount of sugar that cause blood sugar spikes and crashes. When the body experiences high blood sugar in a state of hyperglycemia, it struggles to regulate hunger cues as well. It’s easier to go without meals for extended periods, leading to a loss of appetite that works against the importance of nutrition in addiction recovery.
2. Necessary Nutrient Intake May Increase
Some addictive substances prevent people from absorbing nutrients from their foods and beverages. Alcohol specifically prevents some nutrients from absorbing into the digestive system by increasing inflammation. As the weeks, months or years pass, the body misses out on vital nutrients and minerals it needs to function.
Healthy recipes made with organic ingredients could increase the nutritional value of each meal in recovery. Instead of buying something like pre-made frozen meals with vegetables, whole foods made fresh at each mealtime will deliver more nutrients by providing them straight from the source.
3. Whole Foods Aid Mental Health Recovery
Although helpful techniques like breathing exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system in times of increased anxiety and depression, whole foods can help too. They’re a crucial part of nutritional therapy because their vitamins and minerals health the body after periods of malnutrition.
As someone eats the healthy foods their body needs to thrive, their cells can function at peak performance. The improved functionality allows the brain to regulate itself, decreasing depression and anxiety symptoms as that person continues their recovery.
4. Vitamins Can Heal Nerve Damage
Addictions can cause nerve damage in various ways. No matter which substance someone depends on during their addiction, their recovery diet can begin to heal that damage. They only need to plan their meals and snacks around foods higher in vitamins.
A recent study looked into nerve damage caused by meth addiction. When the subjects took vitamin B12, the vitamin reversed the nerve damage instigated by the drug. Vitamins are easily found in whole foods and organic ingredients, which can easily support someone in recovery with an adjusted diet.
5. Sugar-Free Foods Prevent Cravings
Sugars are in more everyday food products than desserts and sodas. Added sugars are also common in foods like spaghetti sauce, milk and crackers. Both sweeteners raise your blood sugar, leading to spikes and crashes that cause food cravings.
It’s much more tempting to reach for junk food when an intense food craving strikes. The fierce need caused by cravings can also increase your anxiety, which might make relapsing more likely for some people.
Nutritional therapy may involve sugar-free food and natural sweeteners with a low glycemic impact. It’s more gentle on someone’s body as they overcome physical addiction, giving them more control over their overall well-being.
6. Fatty Acids Soothe Cellular Inflammation
Many healthy foods are high in fatty acids, like tuna, eggs and fortified yogurt. Processed, saturated fats may lead to unhealthy side effects like high cholesterol, but natural fatty acids are good for your health.
Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that soothe cellular inflammation. The inflammation caused by physical addictions may be challenging to reduce, but a nutritional therapy diet with occasional meals high in omega-3s could combat it effectively.
7. Healthy Fats Regenerate Neuroplasticity
Food sources with healthy fats also benefit the brain. As the fatty acids heal inflamed cells, they stimulate incretin hormone production that may otherwise have stopped after a physical addiction ends.
Specific substances like opioids, alcohol and steroids prevent sex hormone regulation and production. When fatty acids reach the brain, they start hormone production by regenerating missing neuroplasticity altered by addiction.
The importance of nutrition in addiction recovery gets overlooked sometimes, but it can positively impact it. Regaining control over essential functions like hormone production is another vital component of getting the human body self-sufficient enough to thrive in recovery.
8. Carbs Provide Dopamine
Addictive substances often create a dopamine reaction in the brain. When someone stops using those substances, the reliance on dopamine rushes makes staying in recovery much more challenging. Healthy carb sources may help with that.
Research shows increasing healthy carbohydrate intake creates higher dopamine production levels than low-carb diets. The key is finding nutritious sources that don’t include high amounts of sugar or processed ingredients. Sweet potatoes, fruits and whole grains could satisfy dopamine cravings that are more intense when someone begins overcoming physical addiction.
Read More About Nutritional Therapy
More people should know about the importance of nutrition in addiction recovery. It’s a revolutionary way to tailor a recovery journey to what each person’s body needs. Accessing nutritional assistance and professional guidance will make adjusting any diet easier, so recovery becomes long-term sobriety.