Nutrition and Addiction | Secondhand Drinking | Drugging Recovery
Nutrition and Addiction | Secondhand Drinking | Drugging Recovery – yes, there is a definite connection between nutrition and brain health. Brain health is one of the keys to re-wiring the brain, to healing the brain that has been affected by addiction and/or secondhand drinking | drugging.
This NPR news piece, “Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter,” by Christopher Joyce, appearing on KQED’s August 1, 2010, program/website, brings to mind the importance a healthy diet plays in a person’s recovery from an addiction or the impacts of secondhand drinking/drugging (SHDD). Both (addiction and SHDD) cause brain changes, and its the rewiring of these brain changes (changing them back, if you will) that helps a person recover from an addiction or the impacts of SHDD (living with a loved one who misuses substances – alcohol or drugs). 21st century brain research now shows the importance of nutrition in that change process.
The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book, Loved One In Treatment? Now What!. The other keys to brain health/changes are: exercise, sleep and mindfulness activities. You can read all about these and other important research when the book is released August 20, 2010.
Unlike other body organs, the brain is incapable of making and storing glucose, which is its sole fuel source. No fuel, no brain activity. The brain requires a daily dose of about twenty percent of the body’s glucose supply – a staggering amount given the brain is only two percent of the body’s total weight. (1)
The brain gets its glucose supply from the carbohydrates in the foods we eat, which are broken down and transported to the brain via the bloodstream. For optimum brain health, however, it can’t be any old carbohydrates, like those in candy or sugar-packed soft drinks. The brain needs the complex carbohydrate variety, such as that found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
And while glucose is essential, so is protein (like that found in lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, milk products). Protein serves as “the basic building block of the brain’s tissue,” AND it helps in the production of neurotransmitters(2) and neurotrophins.
Healthy fats, like omega-3 fatty acids found in tuna and salmon, are important for building the neuron’s cell membrane and nerve fiber insulation,(3) as well as “synaptic plasticity” and functions related to memory and learning.(4)
And it goes on and on from there.
Healthy nutrition is astoundingly important to brain health – something only known and understood as a result of the new brain research. But if you are not inclined to learn the nitty-gritty about nutrition, and let’s face it, who has the time when grappling with a loved one’s addiction and/or treatment, following the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines (visually shown in the Food Pyramid) covers the basics. In a nutshell, these guidelines suggest you:
– emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
– include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
– keep saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and simple sugars low
– stay within daily calorie needs(5) (yes, excess calories impact brain health – especially the flexibility of the synapses and increased vulnerability to cell damage(6)).
Visit Choose My Plate for more information.
Think of nutrition as “food” for “thought.” The more nutrient-rich the food, the “better” the thought.____________________________________________________________________
1) Carter, Rita, et al., The Human Brain Book, New York: DK (Dorling Kindersley Limited) Publishing, 2009, p. 45.2) Gilmour, Patricia, “Nurturing Health Brains,” Bardstown City Schools Comprehensive School Health, January 4, 2010, http://bardstownschools.us/health/bloghealth/?p=146
3) Gilmour, Patricia, “Nurturing Health Brains,” Bardstown City Schools Comprehensive School Health, January 4, 2010, http://bardstownschools.us/health/bloghealth/?p=146
4) Wolpert, Stuart, “Scientists Learn How What You Eat Affects your Brain – and Those of Your Kids,” UCLA News, www.newsroom.ucla.edu, July 9, 2008, <http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/scientists-learn-how-food-affects-52668.aspx>
5) USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture, <http://www.mypyramid.gov/guidelines/>
6) Wolpert, Stuart, “Scientists Learn How What You Eat Affects your Brain – and Those of Your Kids,” UCLA News, www.newsroom.ucla.edu, July 9, 2008, < http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/scientists-learn-how-food-affects-52668.aspx>
Lisa Frederiksen
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What a great post. This makes so much sense it is scary. I have never considered how important diet was to a recovering addict. When you stop to think about how a healthy mind and body makes everything easier to cope it only follows that when you are breaking an addiction being healthy and feeling good is even more vital. I hope this information gets to the addicts and their families who would benefit from it.
Thanks for your comment, Bobby!!