Foods to Avoid to Help quit smoking
Smoking could cause chronic bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer, and it also links to other diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and type 2 diabetes. Moreover, smoking could increase the risk of heart disease and could lead to heart attack or stroke. Quitting smoking is difficult, as the smokers usually have both the psychological and physical addiction to smoking.
However, smoking cessation programs could help the smokers overcome the dependency. During the cessation process, certain foods should be avoided to help quit smoking:
1. Caffeine
No matter what food caffeine is contained in, in coffee, tea, cola or any other food, it has been identified that caffeine could stimulate the effects of cigarettes and make it taste better. Also, smokers often smoke cigarettes when they are drinking coffee, which makes caffeine and cigarettes go together hand in hand and almost automatically become a habit. So, drinking coffee could trigger a strong craving for smoking. It stands to reason that to avoid or reduce your intake of caffeine could make it easier for you to stay away from smoking cigarettes.
2. Alcohol
It also has been identified that alcohol could make cigarette taste better. Moreover, from the perspective of a smoker, alcohol and cigarettes are a great pair, and more than often, the smokers smoke cigarettes when they are drinking beer, wine or others. Alcohol and cigarettes are so intimately linked that the smokers would automatically light a cigarette without even thinking when they are having a beer. It goes without saying that avoiding or reducing your intake of alcohol could make it easier for you to stay away from smoking cigarettes.
3. Low-calorie foods
On the one hand, it is very important to watch your intake of calories, but on the other hand, to rely only on low-calorie or diet foods could cause backfire on quitting smoking. It could be a temptation to go for a strict low-calorie diet when quitting smoking, in order to ward off any gain of weight. However, the strict low-calorie diet may prevent your attempt to quit smoking. Some studies have found that the smokers who cut down 700 calories in their diet a day resulted in smoking 8 percent more cigarettes than the one who did not decrease the calories in their diet.
4. Meat
It also has been identified that meat could make smoking cigarette taste better. While you don’t need to be vegetarian when quitting smoking, it stands to reason that reducing the intake of meat could make it easier for you to stay away from smoking cigarettes.
5. Sugary foods
Sugary foods tend to make the smokers crave for cigarettes more, and they should be avoided when you are quitting smoking cigarettes.
6. Fried foods
Fried foods have high unhealthy fat as well as low nutrients. In general, they are digested fast and then make you lower the urge to quit smoking cigarettes. It stands to reason that you should avoid eating fried food while trying to quit smoking cigarettes.
7. Spicy foods
Spicy foods also tend to make the smokers crave for cigarettes more, and they should be avoided as well when you are quitting smoking cigarettes.