Providing your body with vitality-enhancing nutrients is essential to maintaining your health. If you have a smoking habit, however, you might be cutting off those all-important nutrients. One 2021 study highlights the fact that cigarettes lower your antioxidant capacity, increasing the production of free radicals that can deteriorate healthy tissue. That’s not to mention all the other negative impacts cigarettes can have on your health, like increasing your risk of developing lung disease or cancer.
To keep your body vibrant and strong, you’ll want to stop smoking and make deliberate choices about what you eat to nourish yourself back to good health. Here’s how you can do just that.
How to quit smoking
Quit gradually
The sooner you stop smoking, the sooner you regain your lost nutrients. That said, it’s best not to quit abruptly—doing so exposes you to withdrawal symptoms like tremors and headaches. Instead, try leveraging alternative nicotine products, which can slowly wean you off nicotine without toxic chemicals involved.
Nicotine pouches are one toxin and tobacco-free product you can try. Prilla explains on its website that the nicotine pouches available online are varied, with top brands like Zyn and Rogue offering different flavors and strengths to fit your needs. You can use one by placing it under your lip and then letting it disseminate the nicotine for approximately 60 minutes. You could also use nicotine lozenges, which are candy-like tablets infused with nicotine. As this webpage from Medical Professionals Reference notes, all you have to do is keep it in your mouth until it dissolves, which will help spread the nicotine throughout your body. Popular brands like Equate and Nicorette are available at your nearest CVS Pharmacy or local convenience store.
Call a helpline
Even if you’re ready to get on the path to healthful nourishment, quitting smoking isn’t easy, and you might want to get extra help for smoking cessation. Fortunately, that support is readily available to you. All you need to do is dial 1-800-QUIT-NOW, and you’ll be connected to the national health line with quit-smoking experts ready to help.
While this can be intimidating, these quit coaches are highly trained to listen attentively and support your smoking cessation journey. They’ll assist you in crafting a personalized quit-smoking plan, asking you good questions to determine when best to set your quit date, what your triggers are, and the methods that can best help you. They can grant you access to programs for longer-term support, such as one-on-one counseling or support groups. Finally, they can also give you numerous tips to confront the challenges of quitting, including how best to resist smoking urges, apps, and websites you can turn to for more information, how to request help with your smoking cessation from your family and friends, and effective ways to rebuild your health and nutrition while you’re recovering.
How to nourish yourself after quitting smoking
Avoid high-calorie foods
According to a 2017 study from Eating Behaviors, smokers tend to crave and consume more high-fat foods and fast-food fats compared to non-smokers. This poses a challenge when you quit—you’ll likely still be mired in the same unhealthy eating habits. The best way to confront this problem is to discard any junk food in the house and replace it with healthy snacks. For best results, try ones that aren’t high in saturated fat or sugar—for example, roasted chickpeas or toasted coconut chips. Stay clear of foods that negatively impact your nutrition recovery.
Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet
Because smoking deprives you of essential nutrients, you’ll want to make sure your diet is rich and varied to restore your health. A previous post from our website outlines consuming particular green vegetables like cabbage and broccoli during the winter to guard against coughs and colds common in the season. -As a former smoker, you’ll want to eat them too to strengthen the immune system your previous cigarette habit might have weakened, as well as nutrient-dense fruits like strawberries, oranges, and grapefruits. These fresh foods will help nourish you and regain your health.
Take supplements
To aid your healthy diet, consider taking supplements for further nourishment. Aim for what smoking has previously deprived you of, like Vitamin C and E. Taking these vitamins will help you speed up your recovery and see tangible benefits in your body sooner, like your skin regenerating and your lungs clearing up. Find and consume the nutrients that can help boost your healing from cigarettes.
Using cigarettes can block your body from gaining healthful nutrients. Follow the above tips to quit the unhealthy habit and regain your health and nourishment.
For more helpful articles and news, visit our website.
