Achieving nutritional balance is essential in repairing the harm addiction does to the body. For people experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, eating can prove difficult. But nourishment is important once a physician deems an individual stable enough to eat. Well-balanced, calorie-appropriate meals can help detox patients improve nutrient deficiencies, manage low blood sugar and improve and maintain their body weight.
As we’ll discuss below, it’s best to avoid these types of food in order to keep your body as healthy as possible as it navigates withdrawal symptoms and recovers from alcohol. 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.
Supporting Loved Ones Through the Recovery Process
This may include things like an IV drip for hydration or vitamins to keep levels of both stable throughout withdrawal, leading to a smoother transition to treatment. Before learning how to detox from alcohol, most people think only of removing the toxic substance from the body. However, an essential part of any drug or alcohol detox process is feeding your body to replace lost nutrients. A healthy body makes it easier to avoid a relapse and will make a world of difference during your recovery. Quality protein is another crucial component in an alcohol detox meal plan. Good sources of protein, such as lean meats, fish, eggs, and legumes, aid in muscle repair during alcohol withdrawal.
The goal of alcohol detox is to rid the substance from the body. But it is also important to maintain a healthy diet during detox. Alcohol is notorious for is mary jane a drug dehydrating the body, and many drug users do not feel the need to drink water while using. In addition to lots of water, try electrolyte-packed beverages such as Gatorade and coconut water as well, especially if you’ve been vomiting. If you’re able to make an investment, consider getting a juicer and plenty of fruits and vegetables to start getting vitamins back in your system while you hydrate. When you drink alcohol, it releases a burst of dopamine, serotonin, and other “feel good” chemicals in your brain.
What Foods to Eat During a Drug or Alcohol Detox
It’s also helpful to minimize caffeine intake, as caffeine is a diuretic and can exacerbate dehydration in early recovery. Although staying hydrated in recovery is important, you should ask your doctor how much water is safe for you to drink. Certain health problems like heart disease can impact how much water you can safely drink. To find another treatment program, browse the top-rated addiction treatment facilities in each state by visiting our homepage, or by viewing the SAMHSA Treatment Services Locator. Eating light meals or focusing on eating snacks throughout the day instead of big meals may help support physical recovery while dealing with the loss of appetite or nausea.
- When drinking water, it is important not to drink too much to avoid water intoxication.
- When you quit drinking, your body often looks for a replacement.
- And just like vitamin B and zinc, alcohol affects how the body absorbs iron from food, causing an imbalance when you first stop drinking.
- That is why it’s important to maintain a healthy diet in early recovery, full of fruits and vegetables.
- People withdrawing or detoxing from substances including alcohol may often crave sweets.
Discover support strategies and communication tips to overcome together. In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about using nutrition to your benefit as you heal from addiction. You may have a strong urge can baclofen be abused to eat sweets because they set off dopamine, the same chemical messenger triggered by some drugs.
This will help support your recovery and ease your transition to a newly sober life. Protein deficiency is common in those who struggle with drinking. However, protein is important as it is a major nutrient and is the building block of your muscles. Proteins like meats, poultry, fish, beans, peas, eggs, nuts and seeds are rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc and magnesium, all of which are common alcohol-related deficiencies. Making sure to eat protein during your detox and recovery can help to replete your stores of these important nutrients.
Junk Food
Complex carbs, such as lentils, whole-grain bread, and fruits and vegetables offer several benefits for people who are in this early stage of alcohol addiction recovery. Getting in enough nutrients through the adequate intake of food and fluids can offer several benefits both during and after the alcohol detoxification process. Adequate hydration is also crucial during alcohol detox, as it can help prevent or alleviate symptoms of dehydration, headaches, and fatigue commonly experienced during withdrawal 1. Staying hydrated is also crucial during alcohol detox, as it can help prevent or alleviate symptoms of dehydration, headaches, and fatigue commonly experienced during withdrawal 1.
A lack of vitamin addiction recovery art B9 can trigger anemia and make you weak, tired, and moody. Folic acid is in foods like enriched bread, flour, cornmeal, pasta, rice, and breakfast cereals. Veggies, fruits, fruit juices, nuts, beans, and peas naturally have folate. Eating junk food can cause a host of health problems, including weight gain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.
It’s important to eat what you can, but don’t force it and make yourself sick. When you call our team, you will speak to a Recovery Advocate who will answer any questions and perform a pre-assessment to determine your eligibility for treatment. If eligible, we will create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs. If The Recovery Village is not the right fit for you or your loved one, we will help refer you to a facility that is. A deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can be especially harmful, leading to irreversible brain damage if not addressed.