Treating Alcoholism With Diet
July 11, 2009
Alcoholism is believed to be a chronic disease. It develops from psychological, social, environmental and genetic factors. The intense craving for alcohol causes severe physical and psychological damage.
Adverse effects of alcoholism
Excess alcohol adversely affects nearly every organ of our body. In the long run heavy drinkers could develop cirrhosis of the liver. With excess flow of alcohol in the body, the liver fails to break down the alcohol. Fatty livers can also develop from alcoholism. Although, incidence of heart problems is less among light and moderate drinkers, but risk of strokes is high among heavy drinkers. Alcohol raises blood pressure and blood cholesterol.
Excess alcohol increases the risk of kidney failure. Alcoholism might cause enlarged kidneys. Alcoholism causes deficiency of important nutrients. It increases the risk of gout. Liver, pancreas, rectum, mouth, breast and upper respiratory tract cancers might develop from heavy drinking. Excess alcohol is bad for our mental health. It causes depression, loss of memory, insomnia, anxiety and mental imbalance.
Treating alcoholism with diet
Certain foods can help to reduce craving for alcohol. According to some studies, reducing consumption of caffeine and sugar could effectively reduce alcohol cravings. Caffeinated beverages, including coffee, tea and soda should be avoided.
However, you can safely consume decaffeinated coffee and tea. Chocolates should also be avoided by people trying to reduce their alcohol craving. Restrict intake of simple sugar products. Your diet should not contain more than 10grams of sugar. Although, dry fruits and fruit juices are rich sources of essential nutrients, but nonetheless, to reduce alcohol craving, their consumption should be reduced.
To reduce alcohol craving you should try to stabilize your blood sugar level. Studies have found that normal and stable blood sugar level is essential for reducing alcohol craving.
Heavy drinking causes nutrient deficiency. Along with increasing intake of all forms of vitamins and minerals, adequate amount of vitamin B complex is especially needed by heavy drinkers. When you are trying to reduce your alcohol craving, avoid grapes, corn, barley, cane and other products from which alcoholic drinks are made.
It is believed that heavy drinkers might be allergic to these products, and alcoholism might be a manifestation of advanced food allergy. Alcohol facilitates absorption of these foods, which is difficult for our body to absorb under normal circumstances. These foods need alcohol for digestion, and therefore naturally increases alcohol craving.
Comments
Got something to say? Join the conversation and leave a comment below.