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The detoxification process forces a patient to avoid alcohol altogether, which can lead to withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety and fatigue, or even potential health risks. Due to it, your doctor may suggest an alcohol detox diet that will help reduce the discomfort of such withdrawal symptoms.
The best foods for detoxifying from alcohol are those that assist in healing the body. You need to include those foods in your diet that are healthy and help the body recover and rest from damage caused by heavy drinking.
Foods for Alcohol Detoxification
Here is an alcohol detox diet that will help strengthen your immune system, repair your organs, and provide the body with energy. Therefore, you should eat the below alcohol detox foods at the start of the recovery process.
Low-Fat Diet
Lack of healthy nutrients in the body and loss of appetite will make the detoxification process difficult. It happens because a lack of healthy products in your diet will make the process of removal of alcohol toxins from the body longer and slower. However, foods rich in fibre, such as fruits and vegetables, make it easier for patients to feel full faster.
This is where lean proteins, such as beans, fish, beans, eggs, and skinless chicken come in handy. Not only are they high in fibre, but they also tend to promote a person’s health and wellness. With such a diet, relapse from detox and the recovery process as a whole is less likely.
Fruits and Vegetables
You may have been asked to eat fruits and vegetables during your childhood. These health benefits remain true even when you are trying to recover from alcoholism. Due to the high level of fibre in them, they break down quickly as your body tries to cleanse itself from toxins.
In the process of detoxification, a person may feel cravings for sweets. In such a situation, you may eat fruits as they are sweet which helps to satisfy these cravings. Eating fruits is also light on your stomach, preventing unpleasant symptoms like nausea. Such an alcohol detox diet is especially good for pregnant women, who are trying to quit alcoholism.
Those fruits and vegetables that are more effective during detox include beets, onions, figs, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, raspberries, pears, and bananas. It is also a perfect detox for pregnant women who do not want to take medication. However, it is important to consult your doctor regarding such a diet.
Whole-Grain Products
If there is one type of diet that always proves to be effective during the detoxification process, it is a diet that is high in fibre. Whole grains are among the best fibre sources as compared to other food groups. From corn to wheat, rice, oats, or even popcorn are good sources of carbohydrates that are essential during the recovery process.
You can also find some less healthy alternatives to whole grains. This includes white bread, which still provides the carbohydrates a person needs for energy. But such refined grains products contain less fibre and are less effective at making a person feel full, and the extra fibre reduces digestive problems.
Following a healthy is not easy, even if the fight against alcohol addiction does not exist. For optimal comfort and health, these dietary changes during the detoxification process can improve your experience of withdrawal. You should add healthy foods for detoxifying from alcohol in your diet.
Fluids with Electrolytes
People who are trying to abstain from alcohol may lose fluids through sweating, vomiting, and diarrhea. Due to this, the risk of dehydration or lack of fluid in the body increases. In the early stages of detox, a person needs to stay hydrated to keep the heart and kidneys fully functional.
At this time, a person can drink fluids rich in electrolytes, such as Gatorade. It will replenish the body and prevent dehydration. You also should not drink water in excess, as it may lead to water intoxication. During water intoxication, the body retains more fluid than the kidneys remove. And it occurs when substances, such as electrolytes and salt become too diluted.
An adult should try to drink at least 13 cups of fluid daily as per the Institute of Medicine. Because your body’s fluid needs can be affected by many factors. So it is important to ask your doctor or healthcare provider how much water you should drink each day.
Worst Food for Alcohol Detoxification
It is important to keep in mind that not all foods are helpful during detox. Nutritionists even recommend celebrities who don’t drink alcohol, prevent the consumption of foods that contain empty calories. Such products do not provide any nutritional value to the body. Typical foods that do not have any nutritional value include pizza, biscuits, and soda.
Caffeine
Detoxification can be a stressful process for an individual that can cause anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Therefore, while it is important to eat healthy food for alcohol detoxification, you also need to avoid harmful products, such as caffeine. Caffeine consumption can lead to increased heart rate, tremors, and chills. These are all symptoms of anxiety so it is better to prevent its consumption.
Sugary Products
Your body needs nutrients during the detoxification process. While foods rich in fibre or vitamins should be part of your alcohol detox diet, you should avoid sugar products that are low in nutrients. Some high sugar snacks include candy bars, ice cream, cookies, and doughnuts.
People may want to eat unhealthy foods that are high in sugar while detoxing from alcohol and this is one of the worst unhealthy habits. But at the moment, eating sugary products instead of healthier foods can cause vitamin deficiencies, which put extra stress on the body.
Take Away
Alcohol is a disease that can be cured by evidence-based treatment. A person may experience reduced appetite during the process of alcohol detox. However, this is not a reason that should prevent you from eating food for alcohol detoxification. In serious conditions, an alcohol rehab center can help in providing safe detox and withdrawal from alcohol.
