Nutrition During Alcohol Detox: What To Eat
However, certain food groups also have benefits when it comes to helping with the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification. It eases inflammation and protects the thin layer that surrounds your brain cells, called the cell membrane. Canola, olive, safflower, sesame, and sunflower oils are good sources of healthy fats. That’s what evens out your moods, helps you sleep better, and soothes the urge for alcohol.
While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease. Carbohydrates are vital for recovery, as they provide fiber and energy, which the detoxer may be lacking. Although refined grains like white bread also offer carbohydrates for energy, they are not as healthy an option compared with whole-grain alternatives. A lack of vitamin 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.
Top Five Foods for Recovering Alcoholics
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Proper health and wellness can offset the risks of ongoing substance use, encouraging overall wellness and a healthier perspective on life. If you or someone you love is working alcohol recovery diet through addiction, FHE can help, from detox to alumni programming. With a focus on proper supplementation and nutrition, we can support you on your journey to getting well.
What Does Alcohol Do to the Body?
Whole grains are also rich in fiber, but also provide a slow release of sugar into a person’s system to help prevent mood swings. They also help you feel fuller for longer and provide ongoing energy. You should strive to have at least one serving of whole grains a day. We need vitamins and minerals to make natural feel-good chemicals, GABA, in our bodies.
And Vitamin B5, also called pantothenic acid, converts food into glucose and helps remove alcohol from the body. Drinking fluids rich in electrolytes, such as Gatorade, can replenish the body. When drinking water, it is important not to drink too much to avoid water intoxication. Water intoxication, a potentially fatal condition where the body holds more fluid than the kidneys can remove, occurs when the amount of salt and other electrolytes become too diluted. As previously mentioned, insufficient amounts of zinc can negatively impact your skin and appetite and can also reduce your sex drive.
Best Diet & Types of Foods to Eat for Alcohol Detox
Following successful completion of detox, an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation program may be recommended to allow further work toward recovery and relapse prevention. By Buddy T
Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of a support group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website. “While for some people these structural changes are not reversible, most people are able to show less shrinkage in one to three months with alcohol abstinence,” says Volpicelli.
- That’s why it’s common for people who use alcohol to be malnourished.
- Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and shakes.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in walnuts and salmon, can help reduce anxiety in people struggling with substance abuse.
- There are holistic addiction treatment centers and substance use treatment programs that emphasize nutrition education, too.