Eating Healthy Affects Your Head and Heart
Feeding your body vitamins, minerals, and proper nutrients is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Without consuming and digesting the right foods, your body feels the consequences. Food has the power to affect your overall health, influencing your mood, energy levels, immune system, digestive tract, and brain function.
However, nourishing your body may not be a top priority if you struggle with substance use. Often, substances can make people forget to eat or cause them to eat poorly, resulting in malnourishment. Once an individual is in recovery, focusing on their dietary health becomes a vital component of their physical and mental healing.
Here are some ways proper nutrition helps you rebuild your health in recovery:
Improved Digestive Health
Substances can harm your stomach health. Often they can cause bloating, gas, ulcers, nausea, or vomiting. They can also lead to diarrhea, stomach pain, or constipation. The disruption of your digestive tract can impact other areas of your physical health and overall make you feel lousy.
To improve your digestive health, consider filling your diet with more nutrients such as fiber and magnesium. Specifically, fiber helps prevent constipation and keeps your digestion running smoothly. Many fruits and vegetables are naturally full of fiber, as well as beans and whole grains.
Chronic use of certain substances can significantly alter your mood, behaviors, and personality. In combination with eating poorly, you may also experience feelings of anxiety, depression, and irritability. Eating well-balanced meals can drastically improve your mood and reduce any negative feelings.
The most important meal of the day is breakfast. After an ample night’s rest, your body needs to refuel with essential ingredients to start your day off right. This will automatically impact your alertness and energy levels.
Additionally, each meal should be well balanced with proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates play a direct role in your serotonin levels, a chemical that acts as a mood stabilizer. Proteins are linked to dopamine and norepinephrine, which are other chemicals that impact your mood and concentration. Fruits and vegetables are high in minerals and nutrients that contribute to your overall level of happiness.
Improved Immune System
Substances don’t necessarily directly harm your immune system, but because of the toll they can take on your body, they are known to weaken your immune function. Many substances cause dehydration, fatigue, malnutrition, and a lack of sleep — all contributing to your immune system.
Eating foods high in vitamins and minerals helps your immune system work properly and protect your body against infection. Proper nutrition regulates your immune system and keeps your body physically strong.
Helping You Climb Your Mountain at Mount Sinai Wellness Center
If you or a loved one are seeking help with a substance abuse problem, the dedicated and compassionate team at Mount Sinai Wellness Center is here to help. We know that treating addiction is not as simple as breaking a habit. This process requires a holistic treatment plan that addresses the mental, emotional, and physical factors that drive addiction.
Your path to healing starts at Mount Sinai Wellness Center. Contact us online or call us at (800) 353-4673 today.