Fuel Well: How to Boost Food and Nutrition for Recovery

Fuel Well: How to Boost Food and Nutrition for Recovery

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? For many people, changing what’s on their plate turns out to be just as important as putting down the drink. In this conversation, you’ll hear how nutrition can play a huge supporting role in long-term recovery. Registered dietitian Kristen Kirkpatrick joins host Tim Westbrook to talk about food as a true partner to therapy and sobriety.

Kristen shares her own history as "the fat kid" hiding Little Debbie bars under the bed and how that experience shaped her approach: she doesn’t just quote research, she understands what compulsive eating feels like from the inside. The heart of the chat is the idea that diet is "the compliment to your therapy" in recovery.

Kristen explains why many people swap alcohol for sugar, how "sugar is the original gateway drug" for some, and why crash-and-crave cycles can keep the brain stuck. She breaks down simple strategies for early recovery, from cutting obvious sugars to avoiding diet drinks that keep taste buds hooked on sweetness. You’ll also get a clear explanation of what eating "real food" means, using Michael Pollan’s definition: food comes from nature, is fed by nature, and eventually rots.

That lens leads to practical tips on choosing meat, using fibre and healthy fats to blunt sugar spikes, and why a Mediterranean-style, MIND diet pattern can support better mood and brain health. Tim and Kristen touch on intermittent fasting, gut health, omega-3s, vitamin D, and how Covid-19 has pushed some people towards home cooking while others lean harder on junk food and alcohol. The tone stays relaxed and relatable, with a focus on small, doable changes rather than strict rules.

If you’re sober or thinking about it and wondering what to eat to feel mentally and physically better, this chat offers plenty of food for thought—what’s one change you’re ready to make to "fuel well" today?