Developing healthy eating habits is important for everyone, but especially important for people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Even a short-term addiction can take a toll on the body as it is forced to work overtime to eliminate toxic substances and protect itself from the damage they cause. Achieving a balanced diet is essential to repairing the damage addiction has done to the body.
Alcohol and food
Even those who were previously healthy tend to abandon good eating habits as they become increasingly consumed by the need to seek out and drink alcohol. This creates a dual nutritional problem because even if a person manages to eat healthily and absorb all of their nutrients, alcohol prevents them from being fully absorbed. Gratitude Lodge is the best place where people can get their diet for getting out of addiction.
Alcohol abuse also causes severe damage to two important digestive organs: the pancreas and the liver. The pancreas produces the enzymes needed to digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It also produces hormones needed to balance blood sugar. The liver breaks down toxins, including alcohol, and when it stops working properly from heavy drinking, alcohol circulates in the blood longer, causing more damage to the digestive system.
Lack of these nutrients can cause anemia, which makes sufferers feel cold, lethargic, and often dizzy. You may also have frequent headaches and feel short of breath. Thiamine deficiency is especially dangerous because it increases the likelihood of developing neurological disorders such as Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Gratitude Lodge is the best place where people can find their way to get a new life.
Opioids and diet
When someone begins to abuse opioids regularly, they often develop an eating disorder. Several eating patterns result from appetite suppression due to the overproduction of dopamine and competing eating priorities and continued drug use.
Another problem is opioid-induced constipation, which can get worse over time. As the condition worsens, appetite increases and eating can become painful.
Stimulants and nutrients
Stimulants also suppress appetite, but this is done by making people feel more energetic and “invincible,” as if they didn’t need to eat anything at all. People who abuse stimulants often succumb to a drug craze where they don’t eat or drink enough to fuel the body. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and severely reduced food intake inevitably lead to malnutrition in individuals who frequently use stimulants.
After stopping stimulants, there is often a sharp increase in appetite – which can lead to overeating – which can overwhelm a weakened digestive system. A nutrition-focused treatment program for recovering addicts creates an ample meal plan that allows healthy foods to be reintroduced into the body.
Marijuana and Diet
Marijuana is known to significantly increase appetite. While this can be beneficial for people with chronic illnesses such as cancer, it can be harmful to those who are not sick because it encourages them to eat more frequently, in larger amounts, and pay less attention to diet. Someone who abuses marijuana tends to choose foods that are usually associated with hunger, such as foods that contain lots of saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
In the long term, such a diet raises cholesterol levels, which can potentially lead to heart disease and heart failure. It can also contribute to diabetes.
How nutrition affects the body
Understanding the relationship between nutrition and addiction healing means understanding the role nutrition plays in the body. There are six groups of nutrients found in food that are considered essential and can be divided into micronutrients and macronutrients.
Macronutrients are nutrients your body needs large amounts of each day to function. Micronutrients are just as important, but you don’t need to consume a lot of them to be healthy. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients while macronutrients are protein, fat, carbohydrates and water.
Proteins
Although most closely related to building muscle, protein is found in every cell of the body, from bones to skin and hair.
Protein consists of different amino acids. Your body can synthesize some amino acids on its own, but there are some that you can only get from food. The body needs various sources of protein to function optimally.
Fats and fatty acids
Fat has gotten a bad rap over the last few decades because it can be linked to weight gain and poor health. However, it is important to distinguish between unhealthy saturated or trans fats and healthy types of fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Also Read: What Is The Best Weight Loss Diet?