When dealing with health issues such an mental or physical health – there are many ways we try to cope. During COVID especially many of us had to suffer at home when we were ill physically or mentally and this caused us to turn to unhealthy habits to help cope with our symptoms.
When we look at something like addiction, the first question you might ask is – is addiction a disease? Although not a disease in the sense of something like asthma or fibromyalgia – addiction has its own causes and this is down to the way we think.
If you are struggling with bad habits and addiction it can be difficult to break out of that cycle, but there are several ways you can do this. Food might be a surprising way to break out of your addiction – but the vitamins and minerals in many healthy foods can impact the brain and body. That’s why today we are going to look at some foods you can eat when you are struggling with addiction issues.
Fish
Fish contains amino acids, most notably one called tyrosine. This amino acid is essential in the creation of the neurotransmitter dopamine which helps bring focus and clarity to the mind. When suffering from addiction you need this, and this recipe below is a great way to get fish into your diet.
Herb crusted cod
Ingredients:
- 2 cod fillets
- 1 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Start off by placing your cod into a foil sheet and coating on both sides with salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Mix the rest of your ingredients to form a breadcrumb crust, and sprinkle this over the fish – coating it completely. Press the crust onto the fish on all sides until totally covered.
- Heat up a frying pan with about an inch of oil. Once hot, add your fish and fry for 4 minutes on each side.
- Serve with chips, a lemon wedge, and some fresh garden peas.
Tofu
For those of you who are vegetarian, tofu is a great source of protein as well as being beneficial for addiction. It will help with liver damage to heal it and make it stronger.
Sesame tofu stir fry
Ingredients:
- 400g extra firm tofu
- 1 egg, beaten
- 100g sesame seeds
- 150ml hoisin sauce
- 200g cooked noodles
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 200g beansprouts
- 1red bell pepper
- 100g sweet corn
- Cut your tofu into cubes.
- Coat your tofu with egg, and then with sesame seeds- before adding to a hot pan with oil and frying on all sides for a few minutes each. Set aside.
- Add your bell pepper, ginger, and garlic to the pan and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the rest of your veggies, sauce, and tofu and warm through.
- Add noodles and stir.
- Serve with some coriander as garnish for a yummy midweek meal.