When breaking free from the clutches of addiction, nutrition and wellness are vital pillars you must pay attention to. Both play an important role in addiction recovery as they help you restore your physical and mental health.
By being more conscious of what you consume and engaging in wellness activities, you equip yourself with essential tools for recovery. Want to know more about how these two can influence your recovery journey? Well, this read is for you.
The Connection Between Nutrition and Recovery
When you chronically use addictive substances, your physical health and nutritional status deteriorate. With decreased intake (and absorption) of proper nutrients, your body’s functioning can be impaired. Additionally, it can alter hormonal balance and change the way your body perceives hunger and satiety.
According to this study, 92.4% of people with SUDS who don’t have underlying medical conditions weighed less than the average weight of the general population. Moreover, 55.7% of them had experienced a weight loss of more than 5%.
But on the flip side, achieving balanced nutrition and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits can be a game-changer in your recovery journey. As you replenish lost nutrients, you can improve cognitive function, attain mental clarity, and stabilize your mood.
The Role of Nutrition in Healing
Are you recovering from substance use? You can improve your healing process by ensuring proper nutrition.
You may want to start loading up on magnesium and vitamins A, B12, and C. Alcohol and drug addiction often lead to a deficiency in these four.
Magnesium can help reduce cravings while vitamin B12 fosters a healthy nervous system. On the other hand, vitamin A boosts the immune system, and vitamin C has antioxidant properties that help cells heal. When you lack these vitamins and nutrients, you can experience fatigue and nausea, among other symptoms that can trigger relapse.
As for supplements that can help repair bodily systems, experts recommend omega-3 fatty acids, which promote brain health and reduce depressive symptoms. Citicoline repairs damaged neural pathways, while theanine (usually present in tea) helps your body relax and lowers stress levels. Zinc is another important mineral that lowers drug cravings.
Mindful Eating for Emotional Resilience
Self-care in recovery is vital. And one way you can help yourself recover faster is by practicing mindful eating.
With a more intentional approach to eating, you can be more aware of your eating habits. In this process, you’re also making a conscious effort to focus on how you eat what you eat.
As stressed out by Harvard’s School of Health, combining mindfulness training with nutrition knowledge can promote better dietary decisions, thereby lowering your likelihood of chronic diseases. In the long run, it also bolsters a positive body image. It subsequently boosts your self-esteem, which is something you need to be more motivated in your recovery journey.
The leading institution also lists down ways to practice this kind of eating habit:
- Create a shopping list, prioritizing nutritious items while avoiding processed foods.
- Sit down to eat when you have an appetite, but not when overly hungry.
- Start with a small portion. Consider using a smaller plate.
- Reflect on the effort behind your meal, expressing gratitude for the food and its makers.
- Engage all your senses. Take note of your meal’s color, texture, aroma, and even how it sounds.
- Take small bites to savor the flavors fully.
- Chew your food thoroughly, aiming for 20 to 40 chews per mouthful.
- Eat slowly and dedicate at least five minutes to mindful eating before engaging in conversations with someone you’re eating with.
Exercise and Physical Well-being
If you’re attempting to recover from substance addiction, engaging in physical activities offers benefits that go beyond just physical fitness. It can significantly support your journey to sobriety and overall well-being.
Exercising helps release dopamine and endorphins, which are your body’s natural mood lifters. Exercising with other people is another story. Group fitness activities offer opportunities for social interactions. By developing healthy relationships with others, you can feel less lonely and gain more confidence.
When recovering, some of the exercises you can do include:
- Aerobic exercises (e.g., running, swimming, cycling)
- Mind-body exercises (e.g., deep breathing, relaxation, mindfulness)
- Strength training
- Group sports
In any aspect of your nutrition and wellness, also keep in mind that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Hence, you must tailor your exercise routines according to your physical condition, specific health concerns, and personal interests.
Nutritional Therapy and Professional Support
Nutritional therapy is an evidence-based approach that experts employ to assess your nutritional status and design interventions. The goal is for you to meet your specific nutritional needs as you recover from addiction.
When you get personalized nutrition-focused assistance, you can manage your withdrawal symptoms better by stabilizing certain health metrics (e.g., blood sugar levels). Additionally, you can promote the restoration of bodily and cognitive functions — all while getting emotional support from your nutritional therapist.
Stress Reduction and Self-Care
While triggers are there to pull you back into the pits of addiction, there are ways you can manage them better. Apart from being more mindful of what you eat, you can practice self-care and perform various stress reduction techniques to help combat cravings. Here are some of them:
- List down realistic goals and break them into smaller ones
- Establish healthy routines tailored to your needs and preferences
- Eat a balanced diet
- Get enough sleep
- Be more optimistic and have a grateful mindset
- Join support groups
- Pick up healthy hobbies and pursue things you love with the right people
- Spend time in nature
- Take deep breaths, especially when you’re in stressful situations
- Seek help from loved ones and professionals
Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Habits
One key to long-term sobriety is having sustainable healthy habits. This is true for both your eating patterns and wellness practices. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly in just a short period won’t lead you to long-run recovery success. To promote lasting changes, you must integrate proper nutrition and wellness exercises into your daily life.
This is why, as mentioned, it’s a must to consider your preferences. If you are into running, consider this as your go-to aerobic exercise. If you are fond of gardening, which can be a great mindfulness activity, you might want to invest in making your own gardening space at home. Additionally, you can find groups that share the same interests.
Rather than aiming for drastic changes, opt for gradual ones that you can sustain during and well beyond your recovery journey.
Final Words
Nutrition and wellness are vital pillars of addiction recovery. While substance abuse takes a toll on your physical and mental health, balanced eating and mindfulness can help restore your well-being.
Apart from doing things like exercising and stress reduction techniques, seeking help from a nutritional therapist is also beneficial. For lasting recovery success, sustainable lifestyle changes are essential.
If you’re battling substance use, you must embrace holistic healing for a bright, addiction-free tomorrow. And with experts from Freedom Recovery by your side, it’s possible to reclaim that kind of future. To learn more about their treatment offerings, get in touch now.
