Addiction recovery is a difficult process that aims to reshape the mind and the body to resist substances. Nutrition therapy helps as part of any addiction recovery plan. When you are focused only on the mental aspect of recovery rather than the physical after detox is finished, you miss an important part of what is needed. Your recovery should include nutrition therapy as part of the ongoing process to rebuild your body and your mind.
What is Nutrition Therapy?
Nutrition therapy is a program where a nutritionist builds you an eating plan that provides the nutrition that you need to improve your physical health. As basic as it sounds, eating “right” contributes to your health and allows you to “fight the good fight” as they say. You want your body to have strong immunity to fight infection and sickness.
Substance abuse often has detrimental effects on your physical health. Once you stop taking those substances, your body can begin to heal. However, it needs the right nutrients, calories, and other inputs to rebuild properly.
How Nutrition Therapy Helps With Recovery?
Nutrition therapy helps by giving your body what it needs to repair the damage done by a lot of substance abuse. Your body is constantly trying to heal even while addicted to substances. Giving it the right nutrition helps it make repairs faster so that you can feel better. You will regain some of the physical ability and strength that you may have lost.
For example, eating a diet high in protein, brain-healthy fats, and high-fiber carbohydrates, and taking supplements that include vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, they say, can actually rewire the brain to reduce cravings for alcoholics. This type of diet helps the body’s tissues recover faster from the damage done by drinking.
Nutrition therapy is designed to speed up the healing process. With the improvement in your health, you will be able to focus even more on the mental aspects of recovery.
Do I Need Nutrition Therapy?
You should work with your recovery team to decide if this type of therapy is needed as part of your recovery journey. It is included in most substance recovery programs because it is so effective in producing physical and mental improvements. At the Serenity Treatment Center of Louisiana, we do include nutrition therapy as part of our services. Though your body will still try to heal regardless of having nutrition therapy, we find that our patients find the healing journey easier when they are eating and drinking properly.
Learning to Take Care of Yourself
Another component of nutrition therapy is learning to take care of yourself. People who are addicted to substances often don’t make good choices when it comes to their health and nutrition. Through this type of therapy, you learn to care about yourself, that you are of value, and are worth the care and kindness that eating well invites. The goal is to teach people how to take care of themselves, including how to eat better to support their new, healthy lifestyle.
Contact Serenity Treatment Center of Louisiana
Recovery is so important and for the best treatment results, choose a program that includes nutrition therapy.
At the Serenity Treatment Center of Louisiana, our goal is to help you start a full and lasting recovery. We include nutrition therapy in our substance abuse treatment plan to make sure that you’re set up for a successful future by the time you leave our treatment program. Contact the Serenity Treatment Center of Louisiana by calling us at (225) 361-0899 or filling out our online form to take the first step toward a stronger, healthier body and mind.
