Eating Right Can Help Depression
Many addicts suffer from depression and other emotional disorders. For some addicts these emotions are part of the reason why they began using drugs or drinking alcohol in the first place. Eating the right foods can help to improve or even eliminate depression and other negative emotions.
Eating right can help to improve self esteem and create a positive self image. Having these positive emotions and self image can make all of the difference in recovery and can prevent a relapse. During recovery it is important that a person feels good about themselves and the choices that they are making.
Diet, Depression, and Addiction
Researchers are now starting to link together diet, depression, and addiction as all having a direct affect on one another. This means that if a person has a poor diet, this can lead to depression. Depression can make a person turn to legal or illegal drugs or to alcohol to help ease the emotional state that they are experiencing. This usage of drugs or alcohol then can lead to an addiction. During the addiction a poor diet will increase any depression and will cause the addict to want to continue using.
Tips for Eating the Right Foods to Prevent a Relapse
In order to improve the overall health of a recovering addict and at the same time work on a lasting recovering, one must learn how to eat right; this is how to prevent a relapse. To begin the road to eating the right nutrition to prevent a relapse one should have regular mealtimes that should take place each and every day.
A recovering addict should normally eat meals that are low in fat and include a high amount of protein, complex carbohydrates, and dietary fiber. Due to deficiencies in vitamins caused by irregular eating habits during the period of drug or alcohol intake, supplementation with vitamins and minerals during recovery may be helpful. Specific vitamin supplementation may include: B-complex, zinc, and vitamins A and C. Recovering addicts are typically low on, or nearly depleted of, many basic vitamins. It is important to restore the body with these vitamins to prevent a relapse and have a successful recovery.
So What to Eat?
Every newly recovering addict struggles with craving to use alcohol and drugs. Research has shown that a diet with the right types of high protein and high carbohydrate-rich foods can make a big difference and help to prevent a relapse.
Carbohydrates
Good Carbohydrates can help to improve the recovering addict’s mood and their personal outlook on life. Below are some great tips to increase carbohydrates.
- Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
- Use breads with wholegrain, stone-ground flour, sour dough
- Reduce the amount of white potatoes you eat
- Use Basmati or Brown rice
- Enjoy pasta, noodles, quinoa
Proteins
Addicts in recovery often have difficulty concentrating, in part because of the dopamine deficiencies they developed during their addiction. This deficiency may have something to do with the low intake of protein.
Meats
Many people think that chicken, beef, pork, and other meats are the best source of protein, but the protein that is found in these meats is not the best and very little of it is absorbed into the body.
Tyrosine
Proteins rich in tyrosine can help the brain produce dopamine and can improve both the depth and the length of a patient’s concentration capacity. Tyrosine can be found in foods such as avocados, some fish, yogurt, sprouts, tofu, and garlic.
Tryptophan
A healthy level of Tryptophan is also essential during recovery and can help to prevent a relapse. Tryptophan is integral to the production of serotonin, which has a calming effect and is important for proper sleep. It is found in foods such as bananas, milk and sunflower seeds, as well as turkey meat.
What Else to Do?
In order to have a successful and long lasting recovery one must eat right, but there are additional things that a person can do to increase their chances of recovery and avoid a relapse. These things include: physical activity, getting adequate rest, reducing caffeine intake, and avoiding nicotine.
