5 Types of Food for Recovery That’ll Help If You’re Newly Sober

When you stop drinking, your brain will rebalance your neurotransmitters. This rebalancing is largely responsible for the emotional swings experienced during detoxification and is unfortunately where most people relapse. The unpredictable and sudden depression, fear, and guilt is often too much. If you’ve had loved ones threaten to disown you if you didn’t check into a treatment program, attend AA, or start going to therapy, you can probably relate to what I’m saying. It’s a special type of hell when your life comes down to the ability to stick with recovery. A healthy diet can make it easier for you to get and stay sober. Learn the details of the Alcohol Detox Diet to help you quit drinking.

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The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition. Numerous feel-good hormones, including testosterone, seize upon fats as their primary building blocks. Not consuming enough essential nutrients like carbs, protein and vitamins. Along withsupplementation, designing your ideal diet is a major pillar of physical recovery from alcohol addiction. It eases inflammation and protects the thin layer that surrounds your brain cells, called the cell membrane. Canola, olive, safflower, sesame, and sunflower oils are good sources of healthy fats.

Recovery Diet: 5 Amazing Foods for Alcohol Withdrawal

The following foods are known to be important parts of an alcohol detox diet. Even if those studies turn out to be false, I’ll still take cheat days. I’ve gotten away with them easily, despite weighing alcohol recovery diet over 250 pounds before I quit drinking. My goal is to live life fully, not to feel deprived and have a 6-pack at all times. Chocolate cake tastes a lot better when you only eat it once per week.

Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health, Research Shows – The New York Times

Even a Little Alcohol Can Harm Your Health, Research Shows.

Posted: Fri, 13 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

You may be tempted to indulge in junk food while you’re recovering from addiction. But this can actually hinder your recovery process and make it more difficult for you to stay clean. Our community offers unique perspectives on lifelong recovery and substance use prevention, empowering others through stories of strength and courage. During detox, your body craves nutrients, but not all food can help you heal. There are certain types of food that are best avoided, especially the ones that are filled with “empty calories.” These types of food provide little or no nutritional value. During heavy alcohol abuse, we tend to neglect our bodies of a good and healthy diet. Additionally, whole grain foods also contain a lot of fiber to keep your digestive system healthy.

Nutrition to Help Your Body Heal in Addiction Recovery

People may crave unhealthy foods high in sugar while detoxing from alcohol. But eating sugary products in place of healthier foods during this time can result in vitamin deficiencies, creating additional stress on the body. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in walnuts and salmon, can help reduce anxiety in people struggling with substance abuse.

These imbalances will continue to keep your system craving alcohol. Take our short alcohol quiz to learn where you fall on the drinking spectrum and if you might benefit from quitting or cutting back on alcohol. Ria Health offers several FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder. When combined with counseling, this approach is proven highly effective. Fruits and vegetables are important because they contain high amounts of fiber, as well as folate and Vitamin A, which areoften deficientif you drink heavily. Detoxing from alcohol can seem daunting, but it is the first and arguably most important step in becoming sober.

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As you’ve likely heard, heavy alcohol consumption can be damaging to your brain. And since your brain needs certain fatty acids to function optimally, eating enough good fats is key in a healthy diet for alcoholics. Many whole-grain foods contain complex carbohydrates that are vital to those who are working on their recovery from alcohol. Since complex carbs take more time to break down after consumption, individuals are able to feel fuller with prolonged energy levels. A healthy intake of fiber helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and promotes quick digestion — both of which contribute to the reduction in alcohol cravings. Dairy products also play an important role in replenishing the body with essential nutrients.

What is a recovery drink?

“The recovery drink is generally considered anything that you take post-workout to speed up the body's ability to recover,” says Sean Casey, a physical preparation coach and registered dietitian with UW Health's Sports Performance Program. “That way, you're more prepared going into your next training session.”