Nutrition and wellness programs enhance recovery by providing essential education and resources for people trying to maintain their sobriety. These resources can include:
- Information on foods and drinks that can change your mood
- Education about safe exercise for your strength level
- Resources for low-level activities like walking around outside or meditation that can help you manage stress
At the correct type of treatment center, you can participate in nutrition and wellness programs that encourage you to prioritize the well-being of your physical body as well as your mind so that you can heal from the damage caused by substance abuse or mental health disorders.
Eating Right
Nutrition and wellness programs will give you education on healthy eating habits. This can include guidance about what foods you should and should not eat particularly for individual health concerns, underlying mental health conditions, and relapse prevention.
High levels of protein provide your brain with the amino acids that it needs to produce the neurotransmitters responsible for communicating information about your mood and regulating your thoughts. Without enough protein, your brain can have difficulty communicating.
Whole fruits and vegetables can improve your gut health.
Drinking Enough Water
Nutrition and wellness programs will help you appreciate the importance of drinking enough water and not drinking too many caffeinated or sugary beverages.
Studies have found that drinking regular water decreases your risk of depression. If you are struggling with irritability and mood swings, staying hydrated can have a profound impact that enhances your recovery and prevents those mood swings or irritabilities from triggering a relapse.
How?
Water is required for your brain to make tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that creates serotonin. When you have enough water, your brain is able to produce appropriate levels of serotonin, which leaves you feeling better. This means that proper hydration can literally change your mood.
Getting Outside
One aspect of nutrition and wellness programs has to do with encouraging behaviors and activities that improve your chances of overall wellness and recovery. One such activity is simply getting outside. Exposure to green spaces has been shown to boost your physical and mental well-being. This is achieved because it increases positive emotions and decreases your anxiety.
Consider this example:
Sharon struggles with anxiety and addiction. Sometimes, she gets stuck in her own head and starts to ruminate about her past decisions or her future concerns. This becomes so profound that she can’t think of anything else, and it distracts her from other things.
Whenever Sharon feels like this, she grabs a healthy snack and a water bottle and goes outside to a local park. Just walking through her park helps her release her anxiety, because being outside promotes reduced stress and happiness. It helps her release the tension she is holding in her muscles without realizing she is holding it, controls her racing thoughts and heart, and reduces her cortisol.
Something as simple as getting outside helps Sharon feel much better. When she feels better, she is less likely to relapse.
Nutrition and Wellness Programs at Sequoia Recovery Centers
When you participate in substance abuse treatment with Sequoia Recovery Centers, you can join nutrition and wellness programs that teach you how to use diet and exercise, as well as time in nature and meditation, to enhance your recovery.
Our inpatient and outpatient drug rehab programs can introduce you to regular activities that are easily incorporated into your day when you are feeling stressed or triggered, like making healthy meals in advance, meditating every morning, or going for walks throughout the day. Learning to set a routine, incorporating these activities regularly, and feeding your mind and body what they need most gives you greater control over your mental and physical health and emotional stability. The more stability you have, the greater control you can put forth when you are feeling overwhelmed or when you are at risk for relapse.
Overall, nutrition and wellness programs can give you vital information that might otherwise be overlooked. This information can extend to the right types of exercise to improve your mood, how a good diet can regulate stress or anxiety, and the importance of staying hydrated.
Call our team today to learn more about the different levels of care we offer and the nutrition and wellness programs within each.