Quitting? You've made the right choice! Here's an unusual five-food diet to help you quit smoking without gaining weight or going crazy from stress, according to Smachno.ua. This simple diet will support you in this bold and healthy endeavor.
Cucumbers and celery will ruin your cigarette.
Who would have thought, but eating a celery salad before smoking can actually ruin the taste of a cigarette. Incidentally, adding tomato and green pepper to the salad—they contain small amounts of nicotine—will help with withdrawal symptoms. These vegetables also pair well with celery and butter or sour cream.
Cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, beans, and asparagus also have similar properties, making them “as bad as a cigarette.” At least, that's what smokers claim. Furthermore, these vegetables, if you eliminate alcohol, salty, and fried foods from your diet, can help reduce nicotine addiction.
Milk for the radically minded
Smokers claim that a glass of milk before a smoke break will irreversibly ruin the taste of a cigarette. But there's a less humane approach (in this battle, all means are good). Soak an open pack of cigarettes in milk, let them dry, and then try smoking. They say the aftertaste is so bitter and nauseating that you won't want to smoke again for a long time. Subsequently, when you try smoking regular cigarettes, the association with milk-flavored cigarettes will supposedly persist, and the problem will disappear.
Orange juice for nicotine removal
A smoker's body quickly breaks down vitamin C, and nicotine begins to replace it. Experts say that if you burn a pack of cigarettes a day, you'd need to eat a kilogram of oranges to replenish the lost vitamin C.
The juice of these citrus fruits helps restore balance in the body more quickly and boost its resistance. So, eat plenty of oranges, lemons, and currants.
Broccoli protects against chronic lung disease
The unique properties of “fluffy” broccoli include its protective properties against chronic lung diseases, which smokers understandably suffer from. This is due to the substance sulforaphane, which is abundant in broccoli. This component increases the activity of one gene (NRF2), which, in turn, protects lung cells from damage by toxins.
However, if you eat broccoli and continue smoking, you won't see any results. Even in large quantities, broccoli will be powerless against the next nicotine attack.
And a surprise… red wine
Researchers from Southern California surprised everyone, and smokers were simply delighted. They claim that a glass of dry red wine a day reduces the risk of lung cancer in those who have smoked or quit.
Experts have found that people who smoked but drank a glass of wine daily were 60% less likely to develop cancer than smokers who did not drink it.
What's the secret? Red wine contains resveratrol and flavonoids, which are what produce this positive effect. The key is not to overdo it. Otherwise, you'll soon need treatment not only for nicotine addiction but also for alcohol addiction.
Here's what you should avoid if you're planning to quit smoking:
Coffee, tea, cola
The combination of coffee and cigarettes is quite common. Caffeinated drinks enhance the taste of smoke. At least, this is what 45% of smokers surveyed by specialists at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina claim. Furthermore, coffee and cigarettes are a fashion statement, which is why many smokers prefer to enjoy a cigarette with a cup of coffee.
Candies, chocolate, sweet fruits
Sugar activates the areas of the brain responsible for pleasure, and therefore the human body begins to demand even more pleasure, in the case of a smoker – nicotine.
REFERENCE
On April 6, the Russian Civic Chamber discussed anti-smoking issues. Some grim figures were announced.
82% of Russians smoke passively. Consequently, only 8% of Russian teenagers are reproductively healthy, according to the Research Institute of Pediatrics. 19% of women in our country are dependent on tobacco. By comparison, during Soviet times, this figure was only 7%. At this rate, in five to ten years, this figure will approach 40%.
Tips for quitting
1. Drink more juices, fruit drinks, and water . Two to three liters of fluid a day will prevent dehydration caused by smoking. And cooked fruit drinks will also provide vitamins to support a body weakened by nicotine and the struggles!
2. Try a short-term milk diet. Drink a liter of milk a day: 1 glass every 2-3 hours. Kefir will also help curb the urge to smoke.
3. Someone's authority can be an incentive to quit . Tell your office or a loved one whose opinion you value about your intention. Oh, how embarrassing it would be to relapse.
4. It's a good idea to quit smoking on a dare. Many smokers simply lack the motivation: they feel fine, haven't developed bronchitis yet, and aren't planning a pregnancy, so why give up an extra pleasure in an already difficult life?
Make a bet! Gambling can win over the smoker in you. The main thing is that the “bet” is significant. In the worst case, if you lose the bet, you might simply not have enough money for cigarettes.
5. It’s also good to argue “in exchange”: for example, your wife loses weight to the size of Scarlett Johansson, and you quit smoking.
6. Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be alleviated with patches and chewing gum . However, remember that their use can last for several months and can have side effects (nausea, hiccups, muscle pain).
7. Some smokers who read Allen Carr's book “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” actually quit. Some of them had no intention of giving up their daily smoke, but read it out of principle or curiosity. Give it a try, maybe you'll be hooked. You might even become one more healthy person.
Alena Nikitina