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Find Healing and Support at Arista Recovery
Recovery isn't just about stopping substance use or managing mental health symptoms. Your body needs to heal, too—which is where nutritional therapy recovery comes in.
At Arista Recovery in Paola and Overland Park, Kansas, we've seen how proper nutrition can transform someone's recovery journey. When your body gets the nutrients it needs, your mind becomes clearer, your mood stabilizes, and your energy returns.
Recovery begins now, and it starts with understanding that what you eat directly impacts how you feel, think, and heal. Our nutritional therapy recovery program combines evidence-based nutrition science with compassionate care to support your whole-person healing.
What Is Nutritional Therapy Recovery?
Nutritional therapy in recovery is a specialized approach that uses food and nutrients as medicine to help your body and brain heal from addiction and mental health challenges.
This isn't just about eating healthy foods – nutritional therapy recovery is a targeted treatment that addresses specific deficiencies, repairs damage from substance use, and supports your brain's natural healing processes.
Our approach recognizes that healing your relationship with food is part of healing your relationship with yourself. At our Paola and Overland Park locations, our chef and licensed professionals work closely together to create personalized nutrition plans that support your recovery goals.
Why Nutrition Matters in Substance Use and Mental Health Recovery
Addiction and mental health disorders can wreak havoc on your body's nutritional status. Substances interfere with how your body absorbs vitamins and minerals, while poor eating habits during active addiction create serious deficiencies.
Some examples of this interplay between substance use and your nutritional health include:
Alcohol Depletes B Vitamins, Magnesium, and Zinc
These are nutrients your brain needs to function properly. Without these, you might experience anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating.1
Alcohol especially tends to deplete these nutrients over time, leading to struggles with brain fog and co-occurring mental health disorders.
Opioids Slow Down Digestion
Opioids often suppress appetite, leading to malnutrition and weakened immune function. Additionally, stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine can cause severe weight loss and nutrient depletion.2
Poor Nutrition Can Exacerbate Substance Use
When your brain lacks essential nutrients, you're more likely to experience mood swings, cravings, and difficulty managing stress, which are all major relapse triggers.3
Mental health conditions also affect eating patterns. For example, depression might cause you to lose your appetite or overeat comfort foods, while anxiety can lead to digestive problems that make it hard to absorb nutrients properly.4
Key Goals of Nutritional Therapy Recovery
While everyone’s body is different – and their needs during nutritional therapy will be different as well – there are a few key goals that this approach works to achieve:
Replenish Depleted Nutrients
The first goal of nutritional therapy recovery is restoring the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients your body desperately needs. This includes vitamins for brain function, vitamin D for mood regulation, and omega-3 fatty acids for reducing inflammation.
Support Emotional Regulation
When you know better, you heal better. Our team at Arista Recovery understands that proper nutrition directly impacts your ability to manage emotions and stress, and we work hard to educate everyone who comes into treatment about what they need and how their body works.
Also, we incorporate foods that ensure stable blood sugar and offer adequate protein to support neurotransmitter production and prevent mood swings.
Restore Gut Health
Your gut produces many of the same neurotransmitters as your brain, including serotonin. Healing your digestive system and gut health through proper nutrition can significantly improve your mental health and overall well-being.
Core Components of Nutritional Therapy at Arista Recovery
When you reach out to Arista Recovery in Paola and Overland Park, you get the exceptional care and support you need during the healing process.
Our nutritional therapy offerings include:
Comprehensive Nutritional Assessment
Every client receives a thorough evaluation of their nutritional status, medical history, and eating patterns. Our team looks for specific deficiencies and identifies how substance use or mental health symptoms have affected their relationship with food.
This assessment helps us understand not just what nutrients you need, but also any food aversions, allergies, or eating disorders that need attention.
Personalized Meal Planning
No two people have identical nutritional needs, and our on-site chef will prepare nutritious meals designed by dietitians specifically for people in recovery. These meals provide the right balance of nutrients while being delicious and satisfying.
Supplementation When Needed
Sometimes, food alone isn't enough to correct severe deficiencies quickly. Our medical team may recommend specific vitamins or minerals to jumpstart your healing process.
All supplementation is carefully monitored and coordinated with any medications you're taking to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Nutrition Education
Knowledge is power in recovery. We teach you why certain foods support your healing and others might trigger cravings or mood problems. This education empowers you to make informed choices long after treatment ends.
Integration with Family Therapy
You don't recover alone – neither should your loved ones. Our nutritional therapy recovery program works hand-in-hand with your individual and family therapy sessions to address emotional eating patterns and food-related triggers.
Nutritional Support Across Levels of Care
No matter what level of care you’re currently enrolled in, we work hard to ensure that you receive the nutritional support you need.
At our drug and alcohol rehab, we offer the following types of therapy and treatment:
Detox
During detox at our Paola facility, nutritional therapy recovery focuses on gentle nourishment and hydration. Your body is working hard to eliminate toxins, so we provide easily digestible foods rich in antioxidants and electrolytes.
Small, frequent meals help manage nausea and maintain stable blood sugar during withdrawal. Our medical team will monitor your nutritional status closely during this critical phase.
Residential Treatment
Our residential program includes structured meal times that become part of your daily routine and healing process. You'll participate in nutrition education groups and cooking classes that teach practical skills for independent living.
Therapeutic meals provide opportunities to practice mindful eating and address any anxiety or emotional issues around food in a supportive environment.
Outpatient Care
At our Overland Park outpatient location, nutritional therapy recovery continues with flexible meal planning that fits your work and family schedule. You'll learn to navigate grocery shopping, meal prep, and eating out while maintaining your recovery.
Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) will include regular check-ins with our team to help you stay on track and adjust your nutrition plan as your recovery progresses.
Aftercare Planning
We don't just send you home with a meal plan. Our team teaches you practical skills like reading nutrition labels, planning weekly menus, and cooking simple, healthy meals that support your ongoing recovery.
Beyond our levels of care, we continue to walk alongside you on your recovery journey through ongoing alumni services. Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation, and we’re here to be your recovery community—for life.
Foods That Support Recovery
If you want to start implementing nutritional therapy recovery into your healing journey but don’t know where to begin, here are a few examples of food that can help you become happier and healthier:
Brain-Boosting Nutrients
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds reduce inflammation in the brain and support mood regulation. Complex carbohydrates from whole grains provide steady energy and help produce serotonin.
Additionally, high-quality protein from lean meats, eggs, and legumes provides the amino acids your brain needs to make neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Chronic inflammation contributes to depression and anxiety. Colorful fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants that fight inflammation, while herbs and spices like turmeric and ginger offer additional anti-inflammatory benefits.
Hydration for Mental Clarity
Even mild dehydration can affect your mood, concentration, and energy levels. Proper hydration supports every aspect of recovery, from physical detox to mental clarity.
Reducing Trigger Foods
Processed foods, excessive caffeine, and refined sugar can trigger mood swings and cravings. Our nutritional therapy recovery program teaches you how to identify and avoid foods that don't support your healing.
How to Get Started with Nutritional Therapy at Arista Recovery
Every client receives a comprehensive nutritional assessment as part of their admission process when they reach out to our team at Arista Recovery in Kansas. This evaluation identifies specific deficiencies, eating patterns, and goals for nutritional therapy recovery.
Our team will review your medical history, current medications, and any food allergies or preferences to create a safe, effective nutrition plan.
Integration Across All Programs
Nutritional therapy recovery is included in all our treatment programs – from medical detox through outpatient care. You don't need to request it separately; it's part of our comprehensive approach to healing.
Let’s Walk the Path to Healing, Together
Recovery is a journey, not a destination. Our nutritional therapy recovery program provides ongoing support through alumni groups, follow-up consultations, and community resources.
When you're ready to prioritize your health and healing, contact Arista Recovery for a confidential consultation. Our compassionate team will help you understand how nutritional therapy recovery can support your unique journey.
Recovery begins now – and it starts with nourishing your body, mind, and spirit. Let us show you how proper nutrition can become a powerful tool in your recovery toolkit.
