Diet and Nutrition for Recovering Alcoholics

It’s always a hard decision when you decide to break a bad habit. When overcoming the struggle of alcohol, in particular, it can be extremely hard because of how dependent a person becomes on the alcohol. Generally, people think recovering only involves learning to stop drinking. But because the condition also has so many damaging physical effects, there is a period needed to relearn how to do basic things like eating. Getting the body healthy after a battle with alcoholism is not easy. Here are six helpful tips to help a recovering alcoholic get back on track with proper diet and nutrition.

Eat Balanced Meals

One of the main byproducts that the body pulls from alcohol is sugar. As such, when it’s time to remove the alcohol from your daily routine, your body will want a replacement for that sugary fix. Many people going through a detox program find that they have intense cravings for sweets. You’ll want to counter this with having a balanced daily diet that includes healthy amounts of vegetables and fruits. It might be hard to introduce the foods so start with small, proportional amounts to ensure you get the proper amounts of proteins and sugars.  If you choose to go to a detox center, make sure there is a nutrition option to better help you on your recovery.

Take Vitamins

During the time of alcohol abuse, your body was depleted of vital minerals and other nutrients needed to function properly. It’s very likely that your body is suffering from various mineral deficiencies. The foods commonly used to help with your detox will have B vitamins, which are responsible for giving you the energy to complete tasks throughout the day. B vitamin foods are eggs, milk, whole grains and nuts. But simply eating these food groups might not be enough. Along with B vitamins, have daily doses of vitamins D, A and E to help get your body back on track.

Aim for a Healthier Weight

Alcohol addiction will change how someone thinks and also leave visible signs on a person’s body. The eyes may be constantly red and bloodshot or dilated. Another key sign of a substance abuse problem is a significant and sudden drop or increase in weight. Part of recovery is finding the best weight goal for your body. This can be accomplished by either working with a nutritionist or closely monitoring your food intake.

Stay Hydrated

At the beginning stages of getting clean, when you stop giving your body alcohol, you will enter withdrawal. Symptoms include anxiety, depression, exhaustion and nausea, with or without vomiting. Vomiting is especially dangerous because it drains your body of necessary fluids. Being dehydrated can make the process seem even harder. To avoid this, make sure that you have a large supply of water nearby. Even if you don’t want to drink the water, you’ll need to in order to recover and flush the toxins out of your system.

Try a Liquid Diet

When your body is recovering, from illness or addiction, it is sometimes too difficult to eat and keep down solid foods. Heavy meals, while they may meet all your nutritional needs, may upset your stomach and be intolerable. This is especially true for the first 2-3 days of your detox program. You can combat this issue by choosing soups and other liquids, like protein shakes. When making the soups, be sure to include light protein sources like fish, beans or chicken. If you have trouble with soups, you can also try fruit or vegetable juices and teas.

Use Natural Remedies

When rebuilding your body’s natural strengths, it’s a good idea to try some natural remedies. The foods you eat can have a serious effect on positively impacting your efforts. Grapes, apples and celery will not only provide you with the natural sugars your body craves during alcohol addiction, but they can also help fight it altogether. Apples have been known to also assist in removing harmful toxins that build up in your body. Ginseng is another great option because it can not only pull the toxins from your body but slow the absorption of alcohol into your system. This means that it can be flushed out before having too damaging of an effect on your body.

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Sasha Brown is an avid health nut with a zeal for the natural things in life. To live and promote a healthier lifestyle, she has injected pure naturalism into her diet by eating purely organic foods. She loves to garden and is a mother to one child. Sasha is also the co-founder of Affordable Blogging. For tips on healthy living and alternative lifestyle, please visit her website.

Diet and Nutrition for Recovering Alcoholics