The Top 6 Types of Food that Boosts Addiction Recovery
Unlike the notion in the minds of many sober people that when a loved one joins a rehab they will come out completely changed, recovery from addiction of alcohol and drug abuse takes time and is a gradual process. Don’t hold false expectations on your loved one in the first months of leaving a rehab else you will be disappointed.
The fact remains that they will be experiencing mental relapse and other withdrawal effects like nausea, hallucinations, shivering, runny nose, teary eyes, nightmares, and cravings among others. They need you to recover fully from addiction and never show them any kind of disappointment else they may become hopeless.
Why Food?
Addiction destroys one’s immune system and general weakness because:
- They consume less amount of food mostly except if they are addicted to marijuana
- They skip meals and prefer taking the drug or alcohol at those moments
- They prefer less nutritious food
- Addiction increases the amount of energy required by your body
- It leads to loss of nutrients because of vomiting and some usual diarrhea
- It damages your digestive tract/system making it hard for it to absorb the required nutrients.
When your body doesn’t have enough neurotransmitters, you feel anxious. You can easily suffer from anxiety, food cravings, and becomes hard for you to sleep. Basically, food influences the way your brain functions.
Addiction affects brain functionality among other tissues of your body. By visiting any Indianapolis drug rehab you can be advised on which food to feed your loved one to boost their recovering depending on which part of their body was affected.
The Type of Food to Give them
- Food that works on their Liver
If your loved one was in the claws of alcoholism, inhalants, and other injected drugs, they could be having liver problems that need to be addressed. The main work of a liver is to detoxify. That’s why if you have a malfunctioning liver you may end up having headaches, tiredness, allergies, weight gain, and bad breath.
By taking foods that are high in sulfur like onions, garlic, cabbage, beetroot, and lemon among others, the victim can detoxify their liver while the ones with antioxidants like berries, grapefruits, oranges, apples, and plums enable them to heal faster.
- Food for delivering energy
Any Indianapolis drug rehab will tell you that lack of energy can make the victim just want to sleep, gain weight, and become stressed. Whole grain bread, cereals, green leafy vegetables, all nuts, and minerals rich in Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Calcium are great sources of energy.
- Food working on their lungs
Lung problems may develop due to smoking and huffing. Foods like berries, pinto beans, apples, flax seeds, salmon and other foods rich in omega 3 and antioxidants.(1)
- Food working on their brains
They may be having memory loss, inability to think straight, and inability to remember things. Foods like salmon; green tea, flax seeds, citrus fruit, avocados, cocoa, tomatoes, walnuts, and ginger are great in Omega 3, full of mineral salts, and flavonoids.
- Enough water
Water flushes out toxins from their kidneys and other parts of their body. Let them take water throughout the day. (2)
Conclusion
Although addiction can cause irreversible damage to the body's organs, a well-balanced diet can facilitate healing. According to Pinnacle Treatment Center, an Indianapolis drug rehab, you should ensure they don’t take packaged foods and other food with artificial flavorings and high sugar levels. Avoid giving them soft drinks at all costs.
