Other options include eggs, milk, beans, lentils, and whole grains. Alcohol consumption often leads to a vitamin B deficiency because your body cannot properly absorb vitamin B when there is alcohol in your system. Even moderate amounts of alcohol can severely reduce the rate of vitamin B absorption, so it’s beneficial to boost vitamin B levels after you stop drinking. Whole grains are fiber-rich foods that slowly release sugar into a person’s system, which helps to prevent mood swings and keep you feeling fuller for longer. Similarly, nutritional yeast contains many B vitamins that your body is likely missing as a result of alcohol use. Incorporating nutritional yeast into your diet is easy, as it makes a great savory topping or a thickener in soups, smoothies, and sauces.
Can your body heal if you stop drinking?
Withdrawal symptoms can include fatigue, irritability, and cravings. A well-balanced diet can help manage these symptoms and support the recovery process [1]. Nutrition for alcohol recovery is essential to healing both physically and mentally.
Addiction vs. Dependence Decoded
That’s why it’s vital for your safety that you consult a medical professional before you stop drinking. A well-balanced diet is important to build up your vitamin and nutrient stores and keep you healthy during the recovery process. A healthy, balanced diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein like fish and poultry, whole grains, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy. Fish, nuts and vegetable oils can also support health by adding important fatty acids into the diet. A struggle with alcohol use impacts many aspects of a person’s life, including diet and nutrition. Drinking too much can lead to severe nutrient depletion, creating symptoms that can make alcohol detox and recovery more difficult and permanently affect your health.
Addiction Treatment at Orlando Recovery Center Drug and Alcohol Rehab
That’s why it’s common for people who use alcohol to be malnourished. In addition to improving your mental well-being, it may lower your risk for some mental illness and contribute to better sleep. Cognitive, emotional, and sleep disturbances can occur at even moderate levels of drinking. As one drinks more over time, these disturbances get worse and become more difficult to reverse. In this article, we’ll talk about the health risks that come with drinking and the benefits of quitting alcohol. Even if you know that there are benefits to quitting alcohol, it does not mean that it’s easy to stop drinking—especially if you’ve been misusing alcohol for a long time.
But eating sugary products in place of healthier foods during this time can result in vitamin deficiencies, creating additional stress on the body. After stopping stimulants, it’s common to experience a strong spike in appetite — which may lead to overeating — that can overwhelm the weakened digestive system. Increasing your glutamine intake during early recovery can help you suppress your cravings while also keeping your nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea under control.
Addiction as a Mind-Altering Brain Disease
While conquering sugar dependence tends to be the most difficult task for ex-drinkers, increasing fat intake is difficult for a different reason. I used to eat a lot of whole wheat bread (the worst offender), pasta, and cereal. Ever since I started eating meals consisting of whole foods, I’ve felt much better and become leaner.
- When is it common in society, it can be hard to tell the difference between someone who likes to have a few drinks now and then and someone with a real problem.
- Eating a healthy diet and supplementing with vitamins as needed can help correct some of the damage from drinking.
- A healthy, balanced diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein like fish and poultry, whole grains, nuts, beans and low-fat dairy.
- And if you established unhealthy eating habits while drinking alcohol, they may suddenly be very obvious.
- In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about using nutrition to your benefit as you heal from addiction.
Chocolate cake tastes a lot better when you only eat it once per week. The first piece of good news here is that the human body has a remarkable ability to heal from prolonged alcohol consumption. Unless you’ve been diagnosed with severe brain damage (likely due to vitamin B1 deficiency) or alcoholic cirrhosis, the odds of healing your brain-body system are in your favor. Discover common social anxiety disorder symptoms and effective treatment options to regain control. Explore how CBD plays a role in addiction recovery, from easing anxiety to managing withdrawal symptoms.
- Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of fiber that helps with digestion which can make it easier on your stomach when going through withdrawal symptoms such as nausea or vomiting.
- Dairy products can be high in fat, but skim milk, yogurt, butter and some cheeses can be a good way to supplement your diet.
- Too little could eventually cause serious learning and memory problems, a condition called Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome.
- Examples of whole grains include quinoa, brown rice and non-instant oatmeal.
Practice good hygiene to prevent infections, avoid crowded places, manage stress, and attend all follow-up appointments. Following your healthcare provider’s dietary and medication guidelines is crucial. We’ll cover physical restrictions, mental strain, dietary adjustments, and other lifestyle changes medical professionals recommend. You can optimize your recovery alcohol recovery diet and minimize complications by understanding what to expect and what to avoid. While diet and lifestyle changes can aid in the prevention and management of an enlarged prostate, they are only one piece of a larger puzzle. A Mediterranean-style diet is rich in minimally processed plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, and lentils).