We are in the midst of a series of blog posts about making more nutritious choices when it comes to your eating habits. In the first entry, we made suggestions related to breakfast as well as considering your best options for staying hydrated. In this entry, we will take a look at lunch and your afternoon snack.
You might wonder why we are focusing on food in a blog about recovery from substance use disorders. The answer is that good physical health and mental well-being are important pillars of support for your ongoing recovery. A healthy diet can improve and help maintain your physical and mental health—and that means healthy food supports your recovery as well.
Before we consider the midday meal, a reminder: We are not nutritionists. For specific advice regarding your diet, we suggest you talk with your doctor.
At Lunchtime, Consider What You Eat and Where You Eat It
In our blog about breakfast, we noted that many people rush through the first meal of the day, and that often means making less healthy choices. When it comes to lunch, many people tend to fall into a similar trap. Folks might rush through lunch in an effort to keep working under the theory that they just do not have time for a more leisurely meal. As with breakfast, hurrying through lunch can lead to bad food choices—like fast food or convenience foods that tend to spike your blood sugar, which, in turn, leads to a crash in the afternoon.
You are better served by choosing options like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Those things can be hard to find in your company’s vending machine or at the nearest fast-food joint. Additionally, you are better served by eating those foods away from your desk. The combination of healthy food and an actual break from your work can actually lower stress levels and increase productivity.
So our primary suggestions about your lunchtime routine are twofold: First, you might more easily ensure your lunch contains foods that are good for you if you commit to packing your own lunch (here are some great suggestions for doing so). Second, you should commit to stepping away from your desk and your computer (and even your phone) so that you can enjoy your lunch and recharge.
We would also encourage you to eat lunch with a friend at least some of the time. Good relationships support your sobriety—and sharing a meal is a wonderful way to keep your relationships healthy. If you go out to share a meal, just be mindful of your choices when it comes to finding something reasonably healthy on the menu.
Good Choices for Your Afternoon Snack
As the workday wears on, many people turn to an afternoon snack to keep their energy up and to take a small break. Bad choices abound for afternoon snacks, of course, but fortunately so do better choices. Consider an apple with peanut butter, for example, or a piece of string cheese or some trail mix. If you are craving chocolate, consider dark chocolate, which offers some health benefits not found in other sweets.
The key here is not to deny yourself your afternoon snack. Instead, you want to make sure that snack works for you—and your recovery—rather than against you.
Dinner is on the Horizon
In the next entry in this series, we will take a look at dinner options that support your health and recovery. And we will consider what sorts of late-night snacks can be a healthy part of your overall diet.
In the meantime, a reminder: You do not have to transform your entire diet overnight. Our purpose here is not to make you feel guilty or anxious about your current habits around food. Instead, we are working to provide ideas that will help you move in a positive direction when it comes to your diet. Each positive choice supports your health and your recovery—and might make it easier to make the next positive choice.
Recovery is on the Menu at Bel Aire Recovery Center
When you are struggling with drugs or alcohol, it can feel as though there is no good path forward. Continuing to use the substances leads to a whole range of negative outcomes, and severe withdrawal symptoms make it all but impossible to give up the drugs or alcohol on your own. It can feel like a trap from which you cannot escape.
But substance use disorder treatment offers a way out of the trap and a way forward to a better life. At Bel Aire Recovery Center—located near Wichita, Kansas—we offer personalized treatment plans for substance use disorders as well as co-occurring mental health disorders like depression, anxiety, or trauma-centered issues.
At Bel Aire, we work together to ensure that each person we serve is treated the way we would want to be treated. When you are ready to make a change, we are here to help.
