Fish, nuts and vegetable oils can also support health by adding important fatty acids into the diet. Recovering alcoholics often experience a deficiency in serotonin, leading to intense cravings for sugar, coffee, drugs, or carbs. Replacing the serotonin boost obtained from alcohol with sugary or fatty foods can lead to the development of another addiction.
What Are Cognitive Disorders?
An inpatient medical detox often involves the use of medications that greatly reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms, or that prevent the onset of alcohol cravings. Some detox centers even offer nutritional therapy so you or your loved one can consume superfoods to complement alcohol detox treatment. Nutritional therapy teaches you best diet for recovering alcoholic how to maintain a healthy, nutritious diet that promotes optimal mental and physical health, and that reduces your risk for relapse. Recovering from alcohol dependency can be facilitated by consuming a balanced diet that includes essential foods to nourish the body and provide energy while undergoing alcohol detoxification.
The Critical Role of Nutrition in Alcohol Recovery
There are many reasons to select foods that are nutrient-dense to support your overall health and recovery journey. When you detox from drugs, your body and mind go through some drastic changes. A drug rehab center will help ease the transition with medication-assisted treatment where necessary, but you will still be subject to some physical and emotional effects. When you are trying to break from drug addiction, you may have a tendency to consume too much sugar. Sugar has an effect on the brain’s dopamine levels, triggering the reward center of the brain. Addictive drugs like opioids or stimulants also trigger the brain’s reward center, so the body may crave sugar for a fast dopamine release during early recovery.
What to Eat: The Foundations of a Healthy Detox Diet
This is important because hydration helps get drug metabolites out of the body during early recovery and can ease the severity of detox symptoms. One of the long-term side effects of malnutrition for people with AUD is heart problems. And since bananas are rich in potassium, they can be beneficial for your cardiovascular health. Add bananas to your alcohol liver cleansing diet since they can also increase your dopamine levels and curb cravings.
It can also make you crave unhealthy foods, which can lead to weight gain and other problems. Alcohol has no nutritional value, and instead dehydrates you and can lead to malnourishment. This double effect shows why it is important to be aware of and deal with these issues for your physical and mental health. However, protein is important as it is a major nutrient and is the building block of your muscles. Proteins like meats, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts and seeds are rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc and magnesium, all of which are common alcohol-related deficiencies.
- The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine suggest 11.5 to 15.5 cups of water per day for adults.
- Protein is essential for the brain and heart and serves as the building blocks for all the body’s muscles.
- For these reasons, it’s important to have a variety of healthy and filling snacks on hand to achieve good blood sugar content.
Foods Rich in Iron
Nutrition can also help us prevent or delay the start of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, which are characterized by the loss of neurons and connections. Moreover, nutrition can boost the effects of other things that promote neuroplasticity, such as physical exercise, cognitive training, and meditation. These are the main parts of the cell membranes and help keep the neurons flexible and healthy.
- Shellfish, legumes, seeds, nuts, dairy, and eggs are other excellent sources of zinc.
- With a focus on eating well in recovery and the right sober diet, it’s possible to improve recovery efforts by working to undo the damage drugs and alcohol can do to the body.
How Alcoholism Contributes to Poor Nutrition
These drinks are lower in calories — and lower alcohol — because soda water is added to give it a fizz while using a smaller portion of alcohol. A great source of amino acids and a necessary component to keep the body strong, protein is a must-have. Lean meats and poultry are great sources for those who choose to eat meat, but for those who don’t or would prefer to limit intake, nuts, seeds and tofu can be excellent substitutes. Although alcohol is more accessible than other drugs, it can certainly be just as damaging to the body (if not more so).
- At The Recovery Village Columbus, we care about helping you feel your best during recovery, ultimately succeeding in your recovery journey.
- The responses to comments on fitrecovery.com are designed to support, not replace, medical or psychiatric treatment.
- Withdrawal from alcohol is different for everyone, and it can last anywhere from a few days to an entire week.
- Before learning how to detox from alcohol, most people think only of removing the toxic substance from the body.
Long-Term Effects of Alcohol on Your Health
Salmon is one of the foods with the highest concentrations of vitamin B and also one of the tastiest. Leafy greens like spinach, collard greens, turnip greens, or romaine lettuce are also great choices (please note that cooking any leafy green diminishes the vitamin B content). Alcohol consumption often leads to a vitamin B deficiency because your body cannot properly absorb vitamin B when there is alcohol in your system.
Worse, even if you begin an exercise regimen, this phenomenon can limit your muscle growth, making exercising more complex and less effective. Adequate hydration can prevent or alleviate symptoms of dehydration, headaches, and fatigue commonly experienced during withdrawal. Water, herbal teas, and fresh fruit juices (without added sugar) are excellent choices for maintaining hydration. It’s common to begin craving sweets and other unhealthy foods when you give up alcohol. For those addicted to alcohol, a large portion of caloric intake comes from alcohol, not fruits, vegetables and protein, leading to weight gain and obesity. In some cases, scurvy can develop in those who truly ignore fruit and vegetable requirements, leading to serious health concerns outside of standard risks, like liver disease.
Incorporating avocados into your diet during alcohol detox can provide essential nutrients and support overall health [2]. Including whole grains in your diet during alcohol detox can help stabilize blood sugar levels and provide a sustained release of energy. Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and oats are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They can help prevent spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, which can contribute to mood swings and cravings. A healthy diet during alcohol detox should focus on providing the necessary nutrients to support the body’s healing and recovery process.