Why do some addiction rehab centers focus on nutrition? What people eat has an enormous impact on general well-being. Nutrition impacts mood and brain health, affecting people’s recovery and general mental health. Painted Desert offers a nutrition therapy program in Utah for women seeking addiction treatment.
If you or someone you know is considering entering rehab and starting the recovery journey, reach out to Painted Desert to learn how food impacts mood and how nutrition and food can fit into your addiction treatment plan. We will answer your questions about nutrition therapy in Utah and how to get started. Call 844.540.0357 or use our online form to reach out.
How Nutrition Affects the Brain
Since the brain is the eternally running command center that controls everything you do, think, and feel, it seems logical that the fuel you provide that brain is vital to keep it in tip-top shape. How does what you eat directly affect brain function?
Food high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants fuel the brain. They also protect it from stress caused by the free radicals produced when the body uses oxygen, which it constantly does.
Poor fuel for the brain includes refined sugar and processed foods. A few of the foods that help with brain health include:
- Wild-caught fatty fish – This includes trout, salmon, or sardines. They provide omega-3 fatty acids, which are the brain’s building blocks.
- Green leafy and cruciform veggies – This includes kale, collards, spinach, and broccoli. These contain vitamin K, folate, beta-carotene, etc., which prevent cognitive decline.
- Tree nuts – This includes walnuts and almonds. They contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which improves memory.
- Berries – This includes blueberries, strawberries, and cherries. These fruits get their color from flavonoids which protect memory.
- Coffee and tea – The antioxidants in caffeine protect from free radicals and sharpen concentration.
- Turmeric – This spice can be taken in capsule form with black pepper for maximum absorption. It is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant.
Because the brain’s health impacts the whole system, including physical and psychiatric wellness, and nutrition affects the brain, creating good eating habits is a vital part of mental health care, including addiction treatment.
Food Impacts Mood and Emotional Regulation
The food you eat, as mentioned above, affects your brain. So does the way you eat. One way that nutrition impacts mood quite noticeably is when blood sugar creates ups and downs in blood sugar. Processed foods containing refined sugar make a roller coaster in your system of rapid ups and downs, which affect mood. The steadier the source of fuel, the better, so in addiction rehab and mental health care, it is essential to eat good foods in a way that sustains a constant source of healthy nutrition—which means:
- Not skipping meals
- Eating a wide range of food groups
- Avoiding binges, especially of refined, processed food
- Eating at intervals throughout the day that doesn’t vary too much
- Staying hydrated—specifically with adequate water intake
Your diet is linked to mental health—how it manifests and possible prevention and management. You make better food choices when your diet is regulated, healthy, and brain-positive. Making better food choices improves health. The cycle of good nutrition is one that, once created, can maintain itself into the future.
Find Nutrition Therapy for Addiction Treatment in Utah at Painted Desert Recovery
How your brain is supported by its primary fuel source—what you eat—directly affects your mental health and addiction recovery. Nutrition to regulate mood, reduce brain fog, and improve concentration will enable you to engage fully in addiction rehab, gleaning maximum benefits from evidence-based treatments and experiential therapies.
Let Painted Desert help you achieve improved body and brain health in our addiction treatment center. Contact Painted Desert Recovery today at 844.540.0357 to speak with someone from our staff or use our online form.
