Food Cravings & Recovery
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Early on in my recovery I learned about many great things — new skills, new people, places and things. However, no one ever mentioned to me the incredible food cravings that I would also get in recovery! There are cravings for candy — which would give me a burst of high energy but then would make me fidget or anxious, and the same for caffeine. Cravings for fried foods gave me a full belly but also left me feeling lethargic or like I needed a long nap after indulging.
Prior to recovery, nutrition was not a top priority for me and that led to high sugar intake, drinking almost no water and very poor diet in general. When I finally did feel well enough to eat — I over-ate and this caused a whole host of issues on its own.
Now, as a person in recovery and diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disorder I am learning about nutrition and food cravings in ways I never did before. Cravings have been an especially difficult challenge. This has nudged me to search for creative solutions and to explore ways I can satisfy cravings healthily.
Many hormones and organic chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine are strongly influenced and even produced in your gut or stomach. These can influence how happy I feel or how much energy I have to perform day-to-day tasks, like vacuuming. Because of this, I’ve started reading nutrition facts labels, introducing more fruit to my diet and trying to learn more tips from others in recovery about what has worked for them.
Some other tips that I have gathered along the way include things like Menu planning and Smart Grocery Shopping. Menu planning has been extremely helpful in cutting food waste, including more fruits and vegetables in my diet and creating more of a routine around eating- which has been a journey all on its own. Smart grocery shopping for me includes buying store brands, using coupons, not shopping hungry, and over all going into the store with a plan. These simple tips allow me to save money, time and energy. This by no means is a comprehensive list of ideas or tips but it’s a good place to start and add your own.
When I started incorporating these small changes into my grocery shopping routine it started to change how I felt about the process. I now spend more time planning my menu ideas (fun) and less time stressing about what I need to buy at the grocery store and how much it’s going to cost (less fun). To become more aware and intentional about our relationship with how we nourish ourselves is another part of our recovery, and unique to everyone’s journey. Above all be creative and compassionate with yourself as you rebuild your relationship with food as we all do throughout life. Take what you like and leave the rest.
