In the first three entries in this series (you can find them here, here, and here), we have been going meal by meal and snack by snack as we considered the kinds of healthy foods and eating habits that support your recovery from a substance use disorder.
In this fourth entry, we are shifting the focus just a bit. We want to suggest two activities that can really boost the overall healthiness of your diet. Those activities are gardening and cooking.
Now, some readers might think those things sound like fun. Heck, you might already be doing one or the other—or both. But other readers might not be too enthusiastic about getting into the garden or the kitchen.
If you fall into that second category, stick with us. We are going to make a case for how growing food and cooking food can support your ongoing recovery. Who knows? We might convince the skeptics among our readers to give one or both of these healthy activities a try.
The Benefits of Growing Your Own Food
Let’s face it. It is hard to grow anything unhealthy in your garden. Or to put it the other way around, the foods you grow in your garden will be good for you. And that means they will be good for your recovery, too.
Those vegetables (and possibly some fruits, too) will also taste amazing. It is simply hard to beat fresh-from-the-garden produce when it comes to flavor. You will particularly notice it if you are in the habit of eating frozen or canned vegetables (or in the habit of not eating vegetables at all).
In addition to providing healthful food, gardening is a creative activity that provides some exercise and gets you outside to get a little sun. Creativity, exercise, and sunlight: all of those things support your recovery as well.
In many ways, the hardest part of gardening is getting started—deciding what you want to grow, finding the right spot, doing the physical labor to get the ground ready, and the like. Like many projects, getting some early momentum can be a key to success. Starting a garden might be a good opportunity to gather some friends, share the work, and spend some enjoyable time together. That, too, is good for your recovery.
The Benefits of Cooking Your Own Food
Many people—perhaps you—find it difficult to consistently cook their own meals. Busy schedules, a perceived lack of skill, a dislike of the cleanup involved, and more can make cooking seem like more of a chore than it is worth.
But when it comes to your overall health and your recovery, cooking can be a powerful way to make positive changes that have lasting benefits. When you make your own meals, you can make healthy—but still delicious!—choices more consistently than when you are relying on highly processed premade meals cooked in your microwave, frequent takeout, or the like.
As with gardening, the trickiest part of cooking more often can be getting started. Fortunately, there are recipes you can try online, in cookbooks, and even in the occasional mystery novel. With a little planning and preparation, you can try recipes out, find your favorites, and explore new options as your skills grow.
Food is also something that brings people together—which means you can gather up your family and friends to share in what you make. The old-fashioned idea of sharing a meal around a table to enjoy food and one another’s company is actually a great way to support your recovery as you strengthen your relationships.
And sure, there is probably going to be some cleanup involved. That, too, can be a shared activity—but even if you are doing it on your own, you can take pride in the fact that you have prepared something healthy and delicious, all while supporting the foundations of your recovery. That, we would argue, is worth having to do the dishes.
From the Garden to the Table
Obviously, gardening and cooking are complementary activities. When you grow your own food, you can also cook your own food. But if you are not currently doing either of these things, we suggest starting slow. Do not expect to become a master gardener or master chef right away. Instead, enjoy the process of learning a new skill. Focusing on the process rather than the product in the early going will remind you to give yourself grace as you develop your abilities in the garden or the kitchen.
Let’s Get Your Recovery Growing
When you are in the grips of a substance use disorder, it often feels like all positive momentum in your life has been stopped. You can’t grow in positive ways because drugs or alcohol are limiting your ability to make good decisions, damaging your health, and undermining your relationships.
But you can reclaim your life—and The Farley Center in Williamsburg, VA, can help. We offer evidence-based, personalized treatment plans to help you build the foundation of a lasting recovery. When you are ready to get started, we are ready to help you move forward into a better future.
