AS dreadful effects of drug abuse, drug addicts and patients undergo rehabilitation with most awful physical state after losing weight and appetite. Drug abuse steals from the human body essential vitamins and minerals. Thus, “A healthy, balanced diet improves organ function and digestion; it boosts the immune system and it increases energy and mental alertness”, Castle Craig said. “This helps patients focus on their recovery, increases positivity, and reduces cravings”.
Clearly, diet and health are entangled. Herewith, nutrition and eating the right provision is finally claiming grounds as an extra tint in addiction treatment. However, Jeanene Swanson said on her article appeared on addiction.com, “Nutrition is not yet a norm in most treatment programs, one reason being their short duration”. David Wiss added on the same article that, “The idea that nutrition is critical for addiction recovery has quite caught on to the majority of treatment providers and to people themselves.” Wiss is a registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Los Angeles-based nutrition in recovery.
When drug addicts seek out for assistance, loads of these people are already malnourished, relatively since they haven’t been eating healthy and partly as addiction wreak havoc on the body’s knack and ability to take in or absorb nutrients. Swanson added, “The type of malnutrition can depend upon the substance being abused. Opiate addicts, for example, often show deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D and B6, and iron, while cocaine addicts generally have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, Wiss says.”
Subsequently, adding and beefing up what lacks and in need the most — vitamins and mineral supplements can be largely helpful as well as what nutritionist Wiss says as ‘real food’ as habitually the top choice for long-term recovery. “I see the main problem being related to reward-seeking behavior, he says, and that shows up in recovering addicts’ preference for processed foods with added sugar, salt and fat as well as for refined carbohydrates”, Swanson added.
Ravi Chandiramani, a naturopathic doctor at the Sundance Center in Arizona, stressed, “This has only been shown to not only lead to some debilitating disease states down the road but perhaps even more important in this population, refined sugar can have adverse effects on the reward pathways in the brain.” With this, Swanson shared this recovery diet:
- Less sugar. Staying away from sweetened foods will help stabilize blood sugar levels, which will help with mood swings, anxiety and depression.
- Fewer refined carbohydrates. Choose whole grains instead.
- More protein. The amino acids in proteins serve as building blocks for neurotransmitters, which are often lacking in drug addicts.
- More fiber. Fruits and vegetables help begin to heal the gastrointestinal system.
- More healthy fats. Good fats help the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Choose olive oil, flaxseed oil, and omega 3s found in fatty fish, nuts, and flaxseeds.
- Fewer processed foods. Liver repair is critical in early sobriety. So stay away from processed foods with artificial ingredients.
- Less caffeine. Caffeine can exacerbate insomnia and anxiety, which are especially prevalent in early sobriety.
Moreover, “Never full, never hungry” diet is highly encouraged to patients and they are supposed to eat each two to four hours or six small meals per day. Beyond outskirts of knowledge and comprehension of some, another fundamental component of addiction treatment is nutrition counseling that has little by little beginning to raise its flagship and interfere with addiction treatment methods.
“Dr. Chandiramani sees nutritional counseling as an important area of growth for treatment facilities. The Sundance Center not only relies on the core oral supplement program, but also offers intramuscular and intravenous micronutrient therapies”, said Swanson. “Henninger doesn’t start her patients on any kind of nutritional regimen until after the first 30 days of sobriety. For Wiss, the first six weeks should consist of gradually getting more fiber and less sugar into addict’s diet, followed by a ‘real-food’ program of nutrition, which includes keeping a food journal and checking in with hunger throughout the day.”
Most especially, one of the long-term goals that every man should integrally set should include optimal gut health. Thus, drug addicts should wholly integrate in their diets green juices to facilitate with energy and liver support, and plenty of proteins for finest brain function and for keeping blood sugars steadily secure.
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