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Recovery Habits: Eating for Mental Wellness

Today’s idea of eating for mental wellness represents a much different facet of health than we grew up with. In school, it was common for people to receive lessons about food groups and the importance of eating a balanced diet. However, for many, those lessons never materialized into actual practice. 

From a young age, we may have learned that healthy eating contributes to looking good and our energy levels; however, the impact of good nutrition on mental health has not received as much emphasis. Eating for mental wellness, in addition to the focus on physical health, significantly impacts our mental health and well-being.

 Just as a balanced diet contributes to enhanced cognition, an inadequate diet can exacerbate and contribute to stress, depression, impaired decision-making and fatigue.

The mental benefits of eating well demonstrate how significant the food a person eats can be to their experience of psychological disorders, behavioral issues, substance abuse and addiction. In particular, excessive consumption and abuse of alcohol and drugs can lead to changes in a person’s diet and nutritional deficiencies. 

For this reason, people should prioritize nutrition while receiving treatment and therapy for drug and alcohol dependency and addiction. Skilled therapists and clinicians at top-notch treatment centers, like those at The Ranch Tennessee, recognize that a healthy diet can help restore a person’s quality of life as they recover from disordered eating, addiction and other behavioral or psychological conditions.

 

Mindful Eating For Mental Wellness

A crucial part of achieving mental wellness is watching what we eat and paying attention to our feelings while we eat. A person who is aware of how they feel while eating can better recognize if they overeat or undereat when experiencing sadness, stress or depressive symptoms. Paying attention to eating patterns and behaviors can help alert you to any disordered eating you may be exhibiting and if you need help managing such behaviors.

With the help of professional psychologists, psychiatrists and specialists, you can not only prevent or control disordered eating, but you could also discover what bothers you and prompts you to eat the way you do.

 

Consume Brain Food

Good nutrition enables your brain and nervous system to build new cells, tissues, and proteins. For proper functioning, the human body needs various carbohydrates, minerals and proteins. Foods that enable individuals to get the nutrients they need to improve their mental functioning include:

  • Carbohydrates – Foods like brown rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, carrots, beets and quinoa contain more nutritional value and satisfy you for longer than the simple carbohydrates in candy and sugar.
  • Proteins – Fish, eggs, meat, soybeans, tofu and other protein sources provide your body with energy that enhances your cognition and reaction time.
  • Fatty acids – Foods like meat, fish, flaxseeds and eggs are protein sources and contain fatty acids crucial for brain and nervous system function.

 

Get the Treatment You Need for Nutritional and Mental Wellness

Seeking help for disordered eating, behavioral issues, substance abuse or addiction is not a sign of weakness. It is a bold, necessary step that allows you to get the guidance, compassion and support you need to improve your lifestyle and dietary habits. 

The expert team of professional clinicians, therapists, and specialists at The Ranch Tennessee know that eating well can enhance physical, emotional and mental health and reverse adverse effects caused by substance abuse and addiction. Our treatment center provides holistic and evidence-based treatment programs that meet each client’s individual health and behavioral needs.

 

Addictions, substance abuse, psychological disorders and eating disorders can impact each person differently, which is why this treatment center offers various solutions and treatment and therapy programs, including:

 

Calling The Ranch at 888-503-1801 is the first step to receiving the support and guidance you need and deserve in improving your nutritional, mental and behavioral health.

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