Foods that may help you to stop smoking

MNA Life Style Desk: Today’s smokers have an entire arsenal of smoking cessation aids to help them quit – more than ever before. But many people are either turned off by many of the aids available, or just simply cannot afford the high prices of patches, prescriptions, or hours of hypnosis sessions.

Stop smoking, eat right at the right time, balance your diet and meditate, suggest experts. A balanced diet should be a healthy mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, low fat dairy, nuts to take care of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, fibre and probiotics.

Milk

Research has shown that drinking milk prior to smoking makes cigarettes taste unappealing to study participants. The same effect can be had by dipping cigarettes into milk ahead of time and allowing them to dry. Most respondents claimed their cigarettes had a bitter aftertaste.

Vegetables

Namely, snack-like veggies such as celery, carrots, eggplant, squash, and cucumbers. Not only are these snacks better for the waistline than many others, but they also have the same taste effect as milk. Additionally, many vegetables take longer to chew than other snacks, so they’ll keep your mouth busy while you work through tobacco cravings.

Vitamin C

Smoking cigarettes depletes the body’s vitamin C stores, so this is a good idea for other reasons as well. But some research suggests that restoring vitamin C in the body may also help reduce cigarette cravings.

Foods to Avoid

Knowing which foods to consume is one thing, but it’s also a good idea to avoid foods which are most likely to trigger tobacco cravings. Trigger foods may vary based on the individual. For instance, if you enjoyed smoking while eating chocolate cake, then chocolate cake is probably going to be a trigger food. Other well-known foods that enhance the flavor of tobacco include red meat, alcohol, and caffeine-containing foods and beverages such as chocolate and coffee.

Avoid fad diets that recommend unsafe practices such as fasting (going without food for long periods of time) or cutting out entire food groups such as meat, fish, and wheat or dairy products. There are chances of putting those extra kilos back once the fasting is over.