Nutrition in Recovery

I’m so grateful that I’ve always had an interest in nutrition, because having the right diet is so important in recovery.  We are literally malnourished when we first get sober, and many of us experience symptoms such as insomnia, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, depression, irritability, and digestive issues because of this.  Thankfully there are foods that can help with all of those Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) symptoms.  While we were using, we were stripping ourselves of the vitamins and minerals that we needed to maintain a healthy mood, such as serotonin, GABA, and dopamine.  When we give these nutrients back to our body, our mood is going to improve, and further, we will have more energy and a stronger immune system. 

In my earliest days of sobriety, I was incredibly dehydrated.  Unfortunately, I was not able to keep water down.  If you find yourself in this stage, I highly recommend drinking your meals.  Smoothies are great, because you will probably be craving sugar.  Load them up with yogurt and frozen berries.  The yogurt is great for your gut heath, and by pureeing your food, you are effectively pre-digesting it, so it will be easy on your tummy. Soups are also great for hydrating. 

A great trick for keeping cravings at bay is to keep nuts on hand.  They’re great for a quick snack if you need to avoid hunger-related mood swings and they are full of essential fatty acids that can help reduce feelings of depression.  Alcoholics are typically deficient in B vitamins, which are also found in nuts.  To add more B vitamins to your diet, load up on leafy greens.  My personal favorites are spinach and Brussels sprouts.  I make spanakopita (spinach pie) at least once a month.  I also love sunflower seeds, which are known to reduce alcohol cravings because they trigger a dopamine release in the brain. 

As an insomniac, I love cherry season.  Cherries have a number of health benefits, but I most enjoy them for their melatonin content, which helps to promote sleep.  For best results, I recommend eating them about an hour before you go to bed.  You can also sub tart cherry juice, or melatonin supplements, but I prefer to get it as naturally as possible.  Bananas are also good for sleep, because they contain L-tryptophan, which decreases the amount of time it takes for you to fall asleep as well as being a natural mood booster. They also contain potassium and magnesium, which are both natural muscle relaxants. 

Beans are my favorite food, not because of anything specific to recovering alcoholics, but because they are so great for you. They are known as a longevity supplement – beans are a staple in the diet of the oldest-living people in the world.  Most Americans don’t have enough beans on their table.  As a lifelong vegetarian, they have been a staple of my diet.  Many varieties, such as black beans, actually increase the beneficial bacteria in your gut.  Beans also have a ton of fiber, so they keep you full and promote weight loss.  They are also chock full of protein. 

Along with adding plenty of fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and yogurt to your diet, try to avoid sugar that isn’t coming from fruit.  Like I mentioned earlier, smoothies are a great way to cope with sugar cravings.  The problem with sugar in early recovery, is that it’s going to keep those addictive pathways open in your brain and you’re going to get a quick sugar high, followed by a crash that will lead to feelings of depression.  You don’t want to feel depressed in early recovery, because that feeling will make you crave whatever you are detoxing from.  Caffeine is similar, treat it like a drug.  I suggest waiting a few months before reintroducing caffeine to your diet.  It seems to be fairly common for addicts to replace drugs or alcohol with food as a coping mechanism.  Now you’ve been warned.