Best Foods That Reduce Your Cravings For Cigarettes When Quitting Smoking

What you eat is very crucial when trying to quit smoking, as some foods can increase your cravings for cigarettes while some foods can improve your staying smoke-free for good. As it stands, there isn’t an official quitting diet. Dieting while trying to quit smoking can be detrimental. Too much deprivation can easily backfire. Instead, keep things simple and try to eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. These foods are good for your whole body.

A study published in 2017, in the journal Tobacco Induced Diseases, found that the damage caused by cigarette smoking isn’t always permanent. Within as little as two weeks of quitting, you’ll begin to notice how you can enjoy flavors and scents. Below are 4 foods that can help you reduce your cravings for cigarettes when quitting smoking.

1. Fruits and Veggies

Daily, smokers tend to eat fewer fruits and veggies than those who don’t smoke, according to a study published in 2013 in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research. When the researchers examined1,000 smokers, they found that those who ate the most fruits and vegetables were three times more likely to have stayed smoke-free for at least the past 30 days compared with those who ate the least.So when you’re quitting, it’s a good idea to eat lots of fruits and veggies.

Fruits and veggies like carrots, zucchini, peppers, cauliflower, lemons, bananas, grapes, pears, oranges, celery, broccoli, and cucumbers are all foods that can delay your urge to smoke with their sheer crunchiness. They can make cigarettes taste awful and are also known to reduce cravings for nicotine.

Smoking regularly diminishes the levels of vitamins A and C in your body. Consuming carrots regularly can help maintain a healthy balance of vitamins A, C, and K. Carrots contains high levels of beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotenoid that decreases the risk of lung cancer. Vitamin C, found in citrus fruits, helps in neutralizing the free radicals that smoking creates in the body. Eating fruits that are rich in Vitamin C boosts your immunity.

2. Ginger, Garlic, and Cinnamon

Ginger is hot a herb - literally. It makes you sweat out your toxins. Garlic stabilizes your fluctuating blood pressure when you quit.Simply inhaling deeply on a cinnamon stick mimics the deep drag on a cigarette. Secondly, when eaten, cinnamon increases brain activity, reduces anxiety, and memory loss, and cleanses the blood - all the temporary side effects of quitting smoking.

3. Nuts

Carrying a bag with various nuts like walnuts, almonds, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts, peanuts, and macadamia nuts will also help in times of anxiety, and will also provide fiber and vitamin E while quitting smoking.

4. Whole Grains

Whole grains are typically high in iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and B vitamins. They are a rich source of dietary fiber and can help curb hunger while quitting smoking.

A diet high in whole grains is one of the best ways to avoid hypoglycemia and maintain a stable level of blood glucose. Fiber maintains the regularity of bowel movements, hence, making you feel less bloated. Whole grains also contain B-complex vitamins and vitamin E which fight depression and fatigue. Sorghum, spelled, wheat, rice, millet, corn, oats, bulgur, quinoa, farro, barley, wild rice, amaranth, fonio, and buckwheat are all good choices of whole grains to eat when quitting smoking.

We all know the struggle is real when trying to quit smoking. These tips will work only when you have finally made up your mind to quit the nicotine addiction. Once that's out of the way, these usefulfood tips will help you quit smoking significantly.

My Short Bio:

Daniella Obuwan Oshiame is a Lover of "Cats" and all things "Black & Vegan". She is a Naturalist /Vegan-Health Consultant, who enjoys writing Health & Nutrition articles and developing Vegan recipes.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/only_obuwan

Medium: http://onlyobuwan.medium.com

Instagram: @onlyobuwan

Twitter: @Only_Obuwan

Linkedin: Daniella Obuwan Oshiame

Email: verycaya@gmail.com