Good Nutrition in Early-Recovery
Written By: Katie Schipper
The Benefits of Good Nutrition in Your Recovery
Good Nutrition is a Crucial Component of Healthy Living
Anyone who’s been in recovery knows that early-sobriety can feel like a barrage of constant suggestions and commentary on what you’re doing, what you could be doing, and what you should be doing. It’s overwhelming!
To be newly sober, however, is to admit that your way wasn’t working and that maybe someone could make your path a little smoother. Hence the sponsor, the sober supports, the IOP, the therapist, the halfway house, and so on.
Believe it or not, those people aren’t put in your life to tell you what to do. They’re here to help you see there really is a different way to live. On that note, a crucial part of healthy living is good nutrition.
This is often overlooked in early-recovery. But, for someone whose primary focus is recovery from addiction, the value of nutrition can’t be underestimated.
Want to learn how to live a well balanced life?
Nutrition and Recovery
A lot of archaic AA suggestions advise eating sugar and chocolate to stave off alcohol cravings. While candy and treats certainly have their value, that’s about as far as nutrition in recovery went during the writing of the most AA literature. The reality’s much different than those old suggestions.
For someone who’s getting sober, most nutritionists would probably recommend maintaining your current diet for about a year. That is to say, don’t make any major changes to your diet. For example, if you ate meat while you were using, don’t get sober and become a vegetarian!
That said, most newly sober people need to make some adjustments to diet right away. The problem with drugs and alcohol is that when abused, they pair very poorly with healthy eating and good nutrition. We live in a time when the connection between what we put in our bodies and how we feel, behave, and live is being made. There’s a direct and immediate correlation between nutrition and overall well-being.
On a basic level, young women in recovery should make a point of considering the way they eat. The following is, of course, secondary to any instruction given by a therapist or nutritionist at a treatment center.
Addiction is not a choice!
Call 866-205-3108 to speak with an Addiction Advisor.
Suggestions for Good Nutrition
Written By: Katie Schipper
The Benefits of Good Nutrition in Your Recovery
Good Nutrition is a Crucial Component of Healthy Living
Anyone who’s been in recovery knows that early-sobriety can feel like a barrage of constant suggestions and commentary on what you’re doing, what you could be doing, and what you should be doing. It’s overwhelming!
To be newly sober, however, is to admit that your way wasn’t working and that maybe someone could make your path a little smoother. Hence the sponsor, the sober supports, the IOP, the therapist, the halfway house, and so on.
Believe it or not, those people aren’t put in your life to tell you what to do. They’re here to help you see there really is a different way to live. On that note, a crucial part of healthy living is good nutrition.
This is often overlooked in early-recovery. But, for someone whose primary focus is recovery from addiction, the value of nutrition can’t be underestimated.
Want to learn how to live a well balanced life?
Nutrition and Recovery
A lot of archaic AA suggestions advise eating sugar and chocolate to stave off alcohol cravings. While candy and treats certainly have their value, that’s about as far as nutrition in recovery went during the writing of the most AA literature. The reality’s much different than those old suggestions.
For someone who’s getting sober, most nutritionists would probably recommend maintaining your current diet for about a year. That is to say, don’t make any major changes to your diet. For example, if you ate meat while you were using, don’t get sober and become a vegetarian!
That said, most newly sober people need to make some adjustments to diet right away. The problem with drugs and alcohol is that when abused, they pair very poorly with healthy eating and good nutrition. We live in a time when the connection between what we put in our bodies and how we feel, behave, and live is being made. There’s a direct and immediate correlation between nutrition and overall well-being.
On a basic level, young women in recovery should make a point of considering the way they eat. The following is, of course, secondary to any instruction given by a therapist or nutritionist at a treatment center.
Addiction is not a choice!
Call 866-205-3108 to speak with an Addiction Advisor.
Some very basic suggestions for good nutrition are to focus on eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean animal protein. That serves as a foundation around which each individual can tailor their specific needs. Some people require more meat than others, while some people do better with nuts and veggies. Nutrition is a personal journey that requires practice and tailoring.
It’s also important to be aware of issues outside of alcoholism when beginning to change how you eat. It’s not unheard of to develop an eating disorder in recovery. This goes back to the idea that drugs and alcohol are only symptoms of a larger problem.
How exercise is another great tool in early recovery
As a newly sober woman, considering good nutrition is an amazing step in learning how to care not just for yourself, but about yourself. Taking the time, and making the effort, to change other areas of your life is one of the best gifts in recovery. Take the time to research and learn about real food, good nutrition, and lifelong health!
