Redemptive Recovery Care recommends the following simple diet principles for individuals in addiction recovery.
Reduced Sugar / Salt:
Reduce white sugar and junk food from the diet. Avoid soft drinks and snacks with a high salt content that may put additional stress on the body. Empty calories offer little in the way of nutrition, and most addicts have nutritional deficiencies that may contribute to substance cravings.
Reduced Fat:
Reduce fat intake and increase intake of protein, multigrains, vegetables and other complex carbohydrates. Research on rats suggests a high-fat diet can reduce physical performance, motivation and working memory by as much as 50 percent.
Reduced Caffeine:
Switch to decaffeinated products. Caffeine frequently causes agitation, which may lead to a desire for alcohol to counteract the edgy feelings.
Scheduled Meal Times:
Eat healthy meals and nutritious snacks on a regular schedule. Reseacrh indicates that drinkers sometimes interpret hunger as a craving for alcohol, because they are not accustomed to eating at regular intervals.
Increased Water:
Drink plenty of water. Alcohol is a diuretic that flushes fluid from the body and brain. When the body is dehydrated, it may crave more alcohol to correct the imbalance.