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Scared of quitting cigarettes because you think you’ll gain weight? Good news from Duke University in the US: certain foods give some cigarettes a bad taste.
Among the anti-smoking foods are fruit, vegetables, dairy products (milk, cheese and yoghurt) and caffeine-free beverages (juice and water). If as a smoker, you gravitated towards coffee, soft drinks, alcohol and meat, here’s the reason: they actually improve the taste of cigarettes.
Although additional research is needed, there can’t be any harm in following a diet of low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fruit, vegetables and water if you want to give up smoking.
These foods can also help reverse some of the damage years of smoking has done to your body. Consider what you may suffer as a result of smoking:
- Smokers develop certain nutritional deficiencies. Many suffer from a shortage of vitamins A, C and B6, as well as betacarotene and folic acid. These nutritional shortages make smokers more vulnerable to certain diseases.
- Smoking negatively affects almost every organ and system in the body. Up to 80 percent of all cases of impotency are due to smoking-related side-effects.
- Smoking is also bad news for maintaining bone density, especially in women. Smokers are more likely to become insulin-resistant – an early symptom of diabetes.
Nutrition tips for smokers weight gain is, of course, the main thing smokers fear. But a balanced diet can make life much easier for you. Focus on foods that are loaded with antioxidants, especially Vitamin C and betacarotene, which help your body cope with the nutritional deficiencies. Foods that fit this category include dark green leafy vegetables, orange-coloured vegetables (such as carrots and butternut) as well as citrus fruits.”
Include foods that can give cigarettes a bad taste to some smokers. Foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) – for example, unprocessed carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, legumes and wholegrain foods – ensure you don’t develop diabetes. The diet is rich in fruit, vegetables and fibre and low in unhealthy fats to ensure your heart stays healthy. Dairy products and other foods rich in calcium help to strengthen your bones.
Good to know
• Eat the recommended fruit and vegetable portions every day. Planning in advance will make this much easier.
• Have a fruit or vegetable portion high in betacarotene at least twice a day (orange options).
• Have a fruit or vegetable portion high in Vitamin C at least twice a day (red options).
• Always choose high-fibre carbohydrates (wholewheat breads and cereals).
• Make sure you get your dairy portions every day to get enough calcium.
• Limit coffee to no more than four cups a day and tea to no more than eight cups a day (no added sugar).
• Limit alcohol intake to one drink a day. One drink = 120ml dry or semisweet wine; 330ml beer or cider; 25ml spirits (single tot); 250ml spritzer (50:50 soda water and wine); 60ml sweet or fortified wine.
• Get your body’s hydration status on track by drinking enough water. Women should drink at least four glasses (10 glasses of fluid in total) and men at least six glasses (12 glasses in total) of clean, safe water a day in addition to the other fluids they choose to drink (1 glass = 250ml)
