Consumption of Alcohol and drugs are the worst things one should ever try in their lives. Addiction of drugs and alcohol not only is hazardous to health but also destroys several lives along with yours. Recovering from alcohol or drug abuse is never easy but it is a gradual process which can be beneficial for your life. Nutrition is a great player to help you get out of alcohol and drug syndrome. It helps provide an alternative and rebuild the body health together.
How Can Nutrition Help In Alcohol and Drug Syndrome?
Health and nutrition expert Ms Seema Chowdhury explains the role of nutrition in helping control alcohol and drug syndrome. She says that food actually influences our brain and moderates our brain function. When body is not producing enough neurotransmitter cells then there are more chances that you will feel irritated and anxious. Nutrition can control this anxiousness and satisfy the need of people who otherwise go for harmful products like alcohol and drug supplements. Eating healthy also improves memory and reduces the stress, dissatisfaction or depression.
Also Read: A List Of Least Harmful Alcohols And How Much Can You Drink Revealed by A Dietitian
How Does Alcohol and Drug Abuse Affect You?
When you are under alcohol and drug syndrome then you may do the following things-
- Consume very less food
- Skip meals on regular basis
- Choose less nutritious food or have junk food.
- You have vomiting and diarrhoea.
- Damage your gut which absorbs the nutrients from the food.
What to Eat During Recovery From Alcohol and Drug Syndrome?
During the stage when you are recovering from alcohol and drug syndrome you should take in more food which helps in relaxing the body. Food which is rich in carbohydrates like beans, lentils, potato or carrots etc. should be preferred. Having these food items will give you the correct nutrition which is required for your body.
When you consume alcohol, it is common to have deficiencies in B-complex vitamins such as thiamine, folate or folic acid and B-12. You may also have imbalance of vitamin C and vitamin B in your body. Chronic alcohol consumption also reduces the quantity to zinc in our body which is important to make cells. Therefore in initial stage when you stop consuming alcohol or drugs, the intake of nutrition should be more so that the balance of nutrients is created again. Good and healthy food is must to keep the health in place.
Effects of Not Consuming Nutritious Food
If you do not consume nutritious food, your immune system is more likely to become weak. While having alcohol most of the nutrients and used to detoxify your body, hence only a few remain which are not sufficient to provide adequate energy in the body.
Not having proper nutrition makes the person more vulnerable to diseases. It makes the body more susceptible to infections and digestive problems like diarrhoea, constipation and gas. Skin conditions get worse to drug abuse.
Long term drug and alcohol syndrome also leads to damage of brain, nerve damage, liver diseases, heart and pancreas issues and certain cancers. If the person has been long suffering from drug and alcohol abuse it is recommended to take him to health professionals who specialise in such cases.
Tips for Healthy Eating and Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Syndrome-
- Eat your meals low during the initial stage of detoxification as the body is not used to digesting food.
- Have small and frequent meals at short intervals
- Be careful from weight gain, if you are gaining weight check with a nutritionist early.
- Keep a check on your behaviour, it is likely that change in habitat can make you irritated and you may develop certain disorder due to change in routine.
- Food shouldn’t replace medical drugs as a coping agent.
- Sugar and caffeine can be used as substitutes for patients who are addicted towards drug syndrome for long time. However it can cut down the healthy part of the diet but it is still better than indulging in drugs and alcohol again.
What Should Your Diet Contain?
- There should be 50-55 percent of complex carbohydrates in your diet.
- Take 2-3 cups of dairy products which are rich in calcium.
- Moderate amount of protein intake in important, it should be around 15-20 percent of total intake of calories.
- There should be around 30 percent of fats in your diet. The food should be preferred which has unsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, canola oil and flaxseed found in fish.
Also Read: Is Drug Addiction Taking Over Your Health? Tips To Stay Drug-Free By This Lifestyle Coach
Alcohol and drug consumption and effect your body adversely. It has many side effects and health issues which can be injurious to your health. Proper nutrition can help you come out of alcohol and drug syndrome. Healthy diet and some extra nutrition is needed at initial stage to hep your body recover from syndrome. It is a gradual process, sugar and caffeine can prove to be alternatives in case of worse situations. Take adequate preventive measure to stop the consumption of alcohol and drugs. Visit a health expert who can guide you or anyone who is suffering from such case to come out of it.
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