Want to Quit Smoking? Here’re Some Food Warriors That Can Help You

Follow these diet habits to stop the cravings to smoke.

Diet Tips to Quit Smoking: Picking up the right foods might help you quit smoking faster.

(Photo: iStockphoto)

Trying to quit smoking? Congratulations! Junking the cancer stick is the best decision you can make for your health and wellness. Agreed, it is not easy to go cold turkey.

Quitting smoking requires a whole lot of will power, commitment, and determination. But not many know that food you eat can prove to be a big support in this endeavor too.

Diet Tips to Quit Smoking

Picking up the right foods might help you quit faster.

The Don’ts

Diet Another Day

Avoid dieting while you are trying to quit smoking.

When you are trying to quit smoking you really shouldn’t go on a diet. Depriving yourself of your favorite foods could cause you to lose focus and fall right off the wagon. One thing at a time please.

Avoid Excessively Sweet Foods

Try not to have excessively sweet foods while you are trying to quit smoking.

When you are trying to quit smoking, it is better to quit excessively sweet foods.

Glucose, for example, stimulates the areas of the brain that are responsible for pleasure, which can increase your cravings, for cigarettes too.

Avoid Triggers That Can Set Off Cravings

Avoid activities like coffee breaks that can trigger cravings for smoking.

Strictly avoid doing things that can set off cravings. Avoid drinking sessions with friends, visit to bars, lunch hour gossip session on the stairway with colleagues, coffee breaks etc.

Spicy food and meat are also known to trigger cravings.

The Dos

Drinking Plenty of Water is Imperative

Drink a glass of water every time you have an urge to smoke.

Water helps in detoxifying the body. So whenever you feel the urge to smoke, drink a glass of water instead. This will not only decrease the craving but will also reduce the withdrawal symptoms.

And to make it even more effective drink water kept in copper container as copper helps to remove the toxic deposits from the body and lessens the craving for tobacco use over a period of time.

Drink 2-3 Cups of Ginseng Tea

Ginseng tea makes smoking less enjoyable.

Ginseng weakens the effect of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain associated with pleasure that is released when smoking tobacco, so help make smoking less enjoyable.

Trust that Glass of Milk

Milk cuts down cigarette craving.

Next time you get a craving, drink a glass of milk.

Milk cuts down cigarette craving, according to a study published in the Journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

In the study, when researchers asked a group of 209 smokers which foods reduce the taste of cigarettes, the result was dairy products.

Have 3-4 Fruits & 4 Servings of Vegetables Everyday

Eating fruits and veggies can help regain nutrients lost while smoking.

There are multiple benefits of having fruits and vegetables.

Cigarettes block the absorption of important nutrients like calcium and vitamins A, C and D leading to severe deficiencies.

So eating more fruits and vegetables to restore these nutrients. Focus on citrus fruits, mango, and amla. Drinking orange juice helps too. 

Research has also found that that smokers who consume more fruits and vegetables smoked fewer cigarettes a day.

Plus vegetables and fruits are alkaline in nature and so help reduce the acidity of the blood and damage caused to the lungs and body due to smoking.

Grated radish works best to cut the acidity caused due to continuous cigarette smoking in the body. It works even better when consumed with a little honey.

Take Herbal Help

Triphala helps clear the toxic elements from the body.

Have one tablespoon of triphala every night. It helps clear the toxic elements and reduce the craving for tobacco.

Ashwagandha also helps the body to get rid of toxins and alleviates anxiety associated with tobacco withdrawal.

To help beat nausea, a common withdrawal symptom, drink ginger juice daily.

Five Quick Hacks To Kick The Butt

Just lick a pinch of salt when you crave for a smoke.

• Take few seeds of ajwain and chew them whenever you get a craving for tobacco.
• Eat some frozen grapes as their sweetness helps curb sugar cravings (a common withdrawal symptom) and they are healthy as well.
• Cayenne pepper helps in desensitizing the respiratory system to nicotine and helps to lessen the craving for smoking. So add a pinch to a glass of water and gulp. The relief is almost immediate but it works wonders in the long term too.
• Craving for a smoke? Take a piece of cinnamon and keep sucking for a while. It helps.
• To beat the excessive urge of smoking eat something salty or just lick a pinch of salt quickly.

(The author is a nutritionist, weight management consultant and health writer based in Delhi. She is the author of Don't Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People (Jaico) and Ultimate Grandmother Hacks: 50 Kickass Traditional Habits for a Fitter You (Rupa).