How Can You Use Nutrition and Diet to Reframe Your Recovery?
It has been said that “eating well is a form of self-respect.” This is especially true in recovery, and why focusing on nutrition and diet can be so critical for healing at the cellular level. It has also been said that we should focus on “eating better, not less,” which is another lesson to focus on as the journey of recovery continues. Yes, when paired with other evidence-based and holistic modalities, nutrition and diet can be a critical component to any effective recovery plan.
How Can You Use Nutrition and Diet to Reframe Your Recovery?
Many people don’t realize that poor nutrition can lead to higher levels of alcohol and substance use. According to the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, “Nutrition is a prerequisite for health; yet, there is no special nutritional assessment or guidance for drug and alcohol dependent individuals, despite the fact that their food consumption is often very limited, risking malnutrition… Poor nutritional status in AUD and DUD severely impacts their physical and psychological health, which may impede their ability to resist substances of abuse and recover their health.”
So, it is important, especially in recovery, to take agency over your nutrition and diet. Doing so will ensure that the proper foundation is laid for the rest of the recovery plan to run smoothly. We must think of diet and nutrition as the fuel that is going to propel us on our journey to healing at the cellular level.
Of course, nutrition and diet must also include physical activity and exercise. According to The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, “Epidemiological studies reveal that individuals who report risky substance use are generally less likely to meet physical activity guidelines (with the exception of certain population segments, such as adolescents and athletes). A growing body of evidence suggests that individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) are interested in exercising and that they may derive benefits from regular exercise, in terms of both general health/fitness and SUD recovery.” Of course, before implementing an effective nutrition and diet plan, you must first get a better understanding of what that ultimately means.
Better Understanding the Importance of Nutrition and Diet
There is no doubt that there is a direct correlation between what we eat and how we feel. However, it is important to understand that nutrition does not just correlate with food. It also includes other components, such as physical exercise and emotional engagement.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, “Biogerontological understanding of ageing has identified food as one of the three foundational pillars of health and survival. The other two pillars, especially in the case of human beings, are physical exercise and socio-mental engagement. A huge body of scientific and evidence-based information has been amassed with respect to the qualitative and quantitative nature of optimal nutrition for human health and survival.” When we focus on these three pillars, we have a much better chance at leading a healthy and happy lifestyle, especially in recovery.
Better Understanding the Importance of Nutrition and Diet in Recovery
It is important to take a multi-angled approach when it comes to recovery. This includes a broader recovery plan that utilizes multiple modalities, as well as a more targeted nutrition plan that focuses on food, exercise, and mental well-being.
It is also important to remember that nutrition is as much about what you don’t eat and what you don’t do as what you do. Also, it’s about how the food is acquired. According to The Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JPN), “Nutritional Therapy is also concerned with the way that foods are prepared and delivered for consumption. In order for foods to be therapeutically beneficial, the appropriate micro- and macronutrients must be delivered in a nutritionally dense format without contaminants. While plants are the main source of micronutrients, nutrient content can be altered with improper handling.”
This is why all of the food that is served here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™ is natural, organic, and local. We ensure that all of the foods our clients receive are at the peak of freshness. Of course, we don’t just focus on the nutrition side of things. We also ensure that the food we serve is delicious. That is why we have hired world-class chefs to tailor-make all of the food on property. It is about being satisfied while also getting all of the essential vitamins and nutrients that you need.
A Focus on the Gut Microbiome
Many people don’t realize just how important the “gut” is when it comes to health and well-being. However, studies have now shown that the gut microbiome greatly influences how we think and act. That is why taking care of the gut (especially in recovery) can be so critical. Many people are now debating whether a poor gut microbiome also contributes to the presence of substance use disorder (SUD).
According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, “Aside from socio-economic factors studied extensively, there is intense interest in examining the role of the gut microbiome in SUD. The gut microbiota is a diverse population of microorganisms that constantly interacts with the central nervous system (CNS) through complicated metabolomic, immune, neurological, and epigenetic pathways, making them a potential source of environmental influence on SUD.” Now, the good news is that focusing on the gut microbiome can help to alleviate the symptoms of addiction and mental illness as well.
According to the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients, “A central question in medicine concerns the nature of the relationship between human health and the gut microbiota, which refers to the community of microorganisms themselves, the relative abundance of individual species populations, and their function. Metagenomics and analysis of twin data have revealed that environmental factors such as diet and household cohabitation greatly outweigh heritable genetic contributions to the composition and function of gut microbiota.” This means that changing the way one eats to a diet that specifically focuses on the “gut” can greatly increase and speed up the chances of recovery. Exercise can also do this.
Adding Exercise to Nutrition and Diet
The reality is that exercise can be a cornerstone of one’s recovery. Also, for many people struggling with active addiction, exercise has gone out the window. However, that does not mean that an exercise regimen is out. Many people find that, once they detox and get the initial substances out of their system, they are ready for a routine that includes regular physical activity.
Physical activity has also been shown to help with mental health. According to the Annual Review of Medicine, “A large and growing body of evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) may hold therapeutic promise in the management of mental health disorders. Most evidence linking PA to mental health outcomes has focused on the effects of aerobic exercise training on depression, although a growing body of work supports the efficacy of both aerobic and resistance exercise paradigms in the treatment of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite abundant evidence linking PA and mental health, use of exercise training as a mental health treatment remains limited….”
However, when it comes to physical activity, it is important not to replace one addiction with another. Many people in early recovery begin to see big gains as they add exercise to their recovery routine. However, this is natural because it has been so long since they have utilized regular exercise. When these big gains start to level out, some people start to overexercise to chase results. This is dangerous and can actually lead to an exercise addiction. It is important to keep everything in balance, including diet and exercise. Remember, it is very easy to replace a substance addiction with a behavioral addiction (such as gambling addiction, online shopping addiction, and exercise addiction).
Physically Active Recovery Modalities
The good news is that there are many healthy and effective physically active modalities that can be used in a recovery plan. Many of these activities take place outdoors with nature-based experiential therapies. This is great twofold, because being outside has been shown to have its own benefits alongside getting exercise. According to the U.S. National Park Service, “5 minutes walking in nature improves mood, self-esteem, and relaxation. Frequent exposure to nature reduces anxiety and depression, while promoting a sense of well-being and fulfillment. Physical activity in a green space can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels by 15%.” It is also true that exercising outdoors in water-based environments is particularly beneficial.
This is ideal for those coming to see us on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island because our luxury property is mere minutes away from the big, beautiful, blue Pacific Ocean. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “Evidence reveals that physical exercise on land has been identified as an effective method for improving body composition and functional capacity, and reducing the cognitive impairment associated with aging. However, exercise in an aquatic environment has progressively gained popularity, particularly in the elderly population, as it minimizes or overcomes some existing disadvantages from land-based exercise programs due to specific water properties, such as buoyancy and water viscosity.”
One of the best exercises that one can experience in the Pacific Ocean is surfing. Lucky for us at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, we are located a mere 12-minute journey away from one of the best surf breaks on the Island. According to the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Psychology, “[T]here is increasing evidence suggesting that participation in action and adventure sports, such as surfing, is meaningful and life-enhancing. Participating in action and adventure sports is said to create opportunities to foster positive psychological outcomes such as resilience, self-esteem, positive affect, and relatedness. A growing body of evidence worldwide has validated the use of surfing as a therapeutic mediator to achieve positive change, such as increased well-being.”
Holistic Modalities for Healing at the Cellular Level
It is also true that there are many holistic healing methods that offer physical wellness while also focusing on mental well-being. Perhaps the most popular of these modalities is therapeutic yoga. The iconic yogi and spiritual teacher B.K.S. Iyengar famously said, “Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. It was originally solely used as a spiritual or religious practice, but it has since been shown to offer many benefits for recovery. According to the International Journal of Yoga (IJOY), “Therapeutic yoga is defined as the application of yoga postures and practice to the treatment of health conditions. Yoga therapy involves instruction in yogic practices and teachings to prevent, reduce, or alleviate structural, physiological, emotional, and spiritual pain, suffering, or limitations. Yogic practices enhance muscular strength and body flexibility, promote and improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, promote recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improve sleep patterns, and enhance overall well-being and quality of life.”
It is also important to make sure that holistic methods are complementary to evidence-based modalities and not in place of them. For example, yoga works well with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, but should not replace it. According to the peer-reviewed Permanente Journal, “Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an empirically validated psychotherapy approach that medical personnel can employ to treat the sequelae of psychological trauma and other negative life experiences. Its ability to rapidly treat unprocessed memories of these adverse experiences has important implications for the medical community, as they appear to be the foundation for an array of clinical symptoms.”
Working With Others to Maintain Nutrition and Diet
Getting the proper nutrition and diet that you need is also greatly increased when working with other people with the same goals in mind. It is important to remember that recovery is a “We” program, and never a “Me” program. We must work together to help everyone succeed. The key is to begin to build new relationships in recovery. These new relationships can help you when times get tough (this is also why having a bulked-up “sober network” is so important). Now, there are many places where one can meet new companions in recovery, but group therapy creates an ideal space for this. It also offers a myriad of other benefits.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “The natural propensity of human beings to congregate makes group therapy a powerful therapeutic tool for treating substance abuse, one that is as helpful as individual therapy, and sometimes more successful. One reason for this efficacy is that groups intrinsically have many rewarding benefits—such as reducing isolation and enabling members to witness the recovery of others—and these qualities draw clients into a culture of recovery. Another reason groups work so well is that they are especially suitable for treating problems that commonly accompany substance abuse, such as depression, isolation, and shame.”
It’s also important to stay connected to a recovery plan after the initial treatment is over. This is why aftercare is so critical. Long-term recovery is the goal, and, thus, nutrition and diet plans must focus on the long-term goals. For example, it is not about losing a bunch of weight all at once. It is about a gradual reduction of weight while also building strength and stamina. Remember, it is always about the long game.
Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™
Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™, we believe in long-term success over short-term “fixes.” That is why all of our plans are individualized and comprehensive with a focus on the future. It is also why all of our plans have key diet and nutrition components.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then the time to recover is now. You can do this! We can help.
Many people don’t realize the importance of nutrition and diet for healing at the cellular level. It is also important to remember how one can change their diet at any time in their recovery to experience new benefits. This includes adding an exercise routine to a recovery plan. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or both, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about the importance of nutrition and diet in recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab™ today at (808) 775-0200.