Alcohol Recovery Diet: Best Foods To Eat and Why

When consumed after an evening of drinking, processed foods can exacerbate these negative effects. Nutrient problems are common in people who struggle with drinking. Most people who drink too much get at least half of their calories from alcohol. In many cases, the person may be so focused on drinking that they make poor food choices or do not eat enough. This cycle can be reinforced by how the brain, especially the midbrain, responds to drinking.

Caring for Your Health During Recovery

Some of the most common recipes that include cayenne pepper are vegetable soup, spicy marinades, chili sauce, and Indian curry. Similar to vitamin B, zinc is another nutrient that can’t be adequately absorbed when a person consumes alcohol. Zinc deficiency not only increases the risk of disease but can include other symptoms like loss of appetite, mental lethargy, and rough skin. 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). Other options include eggs, milk, beans, lentils, and whole grains.

Lifestyle and home remedies

In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about using nutrition to your benefit as you heal from addiction. “Detoxification and Substance Abuse Treat[…]improvement protocol.” 2015. All of these symptoms can worsen if you are not getting enough water. Water is important for hydration, alcohol recovery diet and you can easily lose too much water through vomiting and diarrhea. Too little could eventually cause serious learning and memory problems, a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome. Eat beans, peas, lentils, pork, brown rice, and fortified foods like breakfast cereal.

How Substance Abuse Disrupts Nutrition

It can also be helpful to take certain vitamin and mineral supplements. Highly processed foods may not be able to offer the same nutrients as those that are less processed. Eating light meals or focusing on eating snacks throughout the day instead of big meals may help support physical recovery while dealing with the loss of appetite or nausea. Detox is a stressful process that can lead to alcohol withdrawal insomnia, depression and anxiety.

• First, you’ll need a full nutritional workup from your family doctor.
• Instead, they are used « off-label, » meaning that physicians use their discretion to prescribe them for an unapproved indication.

• There are six nutrient groups derived from food that are considered essential, and they can be divided into micronutrients and macronutrients.
• The consumption of alcohol tricks the body into thinking it’s been fed by providing the calories that would otherwise come from more nutrient-rich food.
• The omega-3 fats3 found in walnuts, chia and flax seeds can help stabilize mood and improve brain function.
• It’s an essential part of a healthy diet for alcoholics who are in recovery.

The person should be encouraged to think that they may be hungry when cravings become strong. If you’ve ever found yourself licking the salt off your fingers after you finish a bag of potato chips, you know how satisfying salt can be. But food high in sodium can lead to a variety of health problems, including weight gain, high cholesterol, and blood pressure. And that’s not to mention their tendency to make us feel depressed or sluggish after eating them. Because withdrawal can already induce depressed and sluggish feelings, it’s best to eat healthier foods that leave us feeling energized and nourished.

Necessary nutrients and examples of dietary sources were provided by a published review of nutrients that are involved in cognitive function. If you or a loved one is rebounding from substance dependence, please pay special attention to nutrition and proper nourishment. After all, food isn’t only what we’re made of – it’s also what we’re remade of. Bodily side effects may include constipation, nausea, and vomiting.