What to Eat When You Quit Smoking?
Quitting smoking is a hard process that can cause multiple changes both physically and emotionally. This includes the increase in the appetite, the acceleration of metabolism, and the addiction to sugar. But what should you eat when you decide to quit smoking? In this article, we provide helpful insights on what foods to eat when quitting smoking to help facilitate the process.
Start With Here:
Before diving into the components of a post-smoking diet, it is important to emphasize that everyone’s body reacts differently to what they put into it. Therefore, make sure to consult with a nutritionist or a physician before changing your diet as they can help personalize the journey to meet your specific needs.
Secondly, it must be stated that quitting smoking can be incredibly challenging, and it takes a lot of willpower and patience. But it’s worth it as quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Many studies have shown that within 20 minutes of quitting smoking, the blood pressure and heart rate drop, and the levels of carbon monoxide in the blood decrease. Within a year of quitting, the risk of heart disease is halved, and within ten years, the risk of lung cancer is also reduced.
Why is It Important to Change Your Diet After Quitting Smoking?
Several fundamental components underlie why it is necessary to commence a diet change after quitting smoking.
Helps to Decrease Addiction to Sugar
When you stop smoking, you tend to develop an addiction to sugar. This is caused by nicotine withdrawal symptoms that depict depression, fatigue, and low energy. It is essential to know that one can overcome this by incorporating protein and carbohydrates into their diet as it positively affects the body’s level of sugar.
Help to Improve Metabolism
Smoking increases the metabolism rate, which prompts the burning of calories; however, when you quit smoking and keep eating the same way you did when you smoked, the metabolism rate slows down. This, in turn, means that you can gain weight quickly. By changing your diet to a healthier option, it helps to improve and create a balance of metabolism, and it will aid the body in burning calories faster.
It Helps You in Your Journey Towards a Healthier Life
Smoking is not healthy, and it has several health effects, such as increasing the risk of cardiac issues, lung diseases such as cancer, and other types of diseases. By changing to a healthy diet after quitting smoking, it aids in the journey towards a healthier life.
What is the Perfect Diet When Quitting Smoking?
There is no specific diet that works for everyone’s weight gain, but the principles and guidelines stay the same. This guide offers several options to choose from, depending on your needs, likes, and dislikes.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
When you start making dietary changes, it is essential to increase fruits and vegetables in your diet. These foods are known to assist in weight management while keeping you full and providing the body with the essential nutrients it needs.
Drink Plenty of Water
When you stop smoking, the body becomes dehydrated, which prompts you to feel thirsty, and that is why you should consume plenty of water. By drinking water, it helps the body stay hydrated and keeps you full hence minimizing the need to eat.
Incorporate Proteins and Carbohydrates
Proteins and carbohydrates play a crucial role in the body, especially when you quit smoking, as they play a significant role in balancing the body’s sugar level.
Foods to Avoid or Reduce
It is also necessary to reduce or avoid food that can add more calories, such as fast food, baked goods, high-fat foods, and deep-fried foods. These foods contain high calories and can increase the body’s weight, making it habit-forming hence slowing down a healthy lifestyle.
Making Weight Management Easy
Although quitting smoking and managing your weight is tough, it needs commitment and effort, but it is doable.
Exercise
Exercise plays a tremendous role in weight loss and the management of the body’s sugar level. It is recommended that you exercise about 30 minutes every day. This can be split to three separate 10 minutes of workout sessions. It is an efficient method to reduce calories and promote overall health.
Be Consistent
While making changes in your diet, ensure that you maintain your motivation. Note that lifestyle changes are not a one-time affair, but they require consistency to maintain. Celebrate your small victories and monitor your progress. This will help to keep you motivated and will create a sense of responsibility within you.
Conclusion
To sum it up, we all know quitting smoking can be extremely hard. But with the right choices in diet and given enough motivation, one can overcome this challenge. Consulting a Nutritionist or a physician and taking professional advice is an effective and practical mode of action. Incorporating fruits, vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates in your diet are the first effective steps you can take to achieve that balance in metabolism and reduce addiction to sugar. On the other hand, proper exercise and maintaining consistency are important to achieve and overcome the challenge of quitting smoking.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What foods will help with nicotine withdrawal symptoms?
- Q: What can I do to stop sugar cravings?
- Q: Is there a way to avoid gaining weight when quitting smoking?
A: Foods high in protein are highly recommended. This includes meat, fish, poultry, beans, and lentils.
A: Instead of consuming highly processed foods, opt for fruits which are high in natural sugars, as they have the ability to satisfy sweet cravings.
A: Engage in physical activities like exercising, cycling, or swimming to burn extra calories, even going for a 30-minute walk will be of help.
References
Healthy Eating. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/
Incorporating healthy eating. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention/incorporating-healthy-eating-habits-after-smoking-cessation.html
Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://esmmweighless.com/nutrition-for-smoking-cessation/
Nichols, H. (2021, May 11). What to Eat and Drink When You Quit Smoking. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-to-eat-and-drink-when-you-quit-smoking-4166027