What to eat when you stop smoking?

Quitting smoking can be one of the best decisions you make for your health, but it’s not always easy. Luckily, there are ways to ease the transition and make it a little less difficult. One way is through making smart choices with what you eat. Here are some tips on what to eat when you stop smoking.

Drink Plenty of Water

Firstly, staying hydrated is essential when quitting cigarettes. It will help flush out toxins in your body and reduce cravings. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day, but don’t hesitate to drink more if necessary.

Snack on Fruits and Vegetables

What’s more, snacking on fruits and vegetables can keep your hands busy and fulfill that oral fixation that comes with quitting smoking. Plus, they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and low in calories.

Some excellent snack options include:

  • Apples
  • Carrots
  • Celery sticks
  • Grapes
  • Berries
  • Oranges

These fibre-rich options will also keep you feeling full for longer periods without craving snacks.

Incorporate Complex Carbohydrates into Your Diet

Moreover, complex carbohydrates like whole grains digest slowly over time which helps maintain consistent energy levels throughout the day while regulating blood sugar levels along the way.

Great sources of carbs include :

Item Details
Whole wheat bread high-fiber foods like oatmeal or quinoa \
Brown rice fruit including mangoes or strawberries \
Corn starchy food such as sweet potatoes\
Beans combo meal consists brown rice & beans\

Also note above mentioned all items have higher nutritions than any other generic carb-based foods.

This slow precision digestion method also aids weight loss because people don’t feel ravenous after eating these types of carbs; thereby leaving them satisfied and full longer.

Boost Your Protein Intake

Subsequently, When quitting smoking, protein is extra important as it provides the necessary building blocks for hair, skin cells, nails to grow back healthier than ever before. Include lean sources of protein such as chicken breasts, turkey breast or fish in your diet. These proteins contain amino acids which act as blocks to aid in repairing & rebuilding overall vitality much faster ensuring competent blood pressure improvements within days.

Eating high-quality protein also suppresses hunger, which means you won’t find yourself wanting cigarettes due to cravings from hunger.

Snack on Nuts and Seeds

In addition, there are good fats too which can regulate hormones providing a need for hormone-like improvement since tobacco contains nicotine that triggers a release of excess dopamine thereby resulting in a crash when no more nicotine is absorbed by the brain’s receptors anymore. Eating nuts like almonds, cashews or seeds like pumpkin will provide healthy fats that have been linked to lower anxiety levels associated with quitting smoking.1

Not only that but snacking on these foods has an additional impact: they significantly reduce LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels2. LDL cholesterol increases risks for heart diseases but eating nuts notably helps certain enzymatic pathways responsible for catabolism (breaking down) of fatty acid molecules by supporting better heart function over time.

Berries Are A Great Option

Berries are another snack choice ideal while navigating your quit-smoking journey because —notably— studies suggest berries enhance short term memory reducing negative consequences often associated with giving up any habituating process. Check out blueberries-strawberries-raspberry-blackberry nutrition chart below:

Item Details
Blueberries Fiber rich fruit\
Strawberries High Vitamin C content \
Raspberries High in antioxidant \
Blackberry Vitamin C and a high fibre content.\

Reflectively, the faster you quit smoking, the better your brain performance will become thereby increasing neurotransmitters support post-cessation.

Reduce Saturated Fats & Trans-Fats from Your Diet

Finally, reducing intake of saturated fats and trans-fats is crucial when quitting cigarette packs as smoking appears to accelerate heart conditions attributed by cardiovascular disease. Henceforth more attention was heightened on consuming nutritious diets which help alleviate particle clustering at the arterial level that could lead to later health issues.

It’s time what not to eat? Below are foods avoided in your new routine:

Item Reason
Fast food like cheeseburgers Lead towards obesity & diabetes over time\
Deep fried foods Chances liver scarring or damage
Packaged sweets made with hydrogenated oils Inflammatory toxins proven harmful for lungs
Processed snacks(chips) Evolves toll lane lifestyle

By avoiding these entire products list above may go beyond weight loss through healthy eating patterns.

Conclusion

To conclude, quitting cigarettes is hard work but it doesn’t mean giving up joyous meals too since having interchangeable variety yet nutrition rich broadens horizons opening multiple dietary choices. The items mentioned here can significantly reduce negative emotions attributed by nicotine antagonists which allegedly induces anxiety requiring longer recovery periods pre-pursuiting overall better health enhancements.

Remember : You should always consult with your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.

Footnotes

  1. Ainer Han et al., (2018), Consumptions nuts reduces anxiety symptoms while aiding weight control via Anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Journal of American College Nutrition; https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2017.1399163
    2.David Lawrence Katz,Maura Muñoz Grasa, (2018) “The role of tree nuts and peanuts in the prevention of coronary heart disease: multiple potential mechanisms”, Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research, available at https://www.jcdronline.org/text.asp?issn=0975-3583;year=2017;volume=8;issue=2;spage=45;epage=51( DOI: 10.4103/2250-3528.203114).

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