Food and drink
Healthy eating and drinking is always important for your body, but can also contribute positively to your smoking cessation. You will get just that little bit of extra energy, forget your urge for a cigarette or you will be able to combat your restless feeling better. Of course there is always a risk of gaining some pounds.
Tips to avoid gaining weight
Smokers often refrain from quitting because they are afraid they will put on a lot of pounds quickly. But is that really so? Does your body become hopelessly out of balance when you quit smoking? You don’t have to, as long as you keep a few simple things in mind.
The health benefits of quitting smoking far outweigh the disadvantage of small weight gain. In addition, smoking has adverse effects on your appearance.
- Smoking increases your energy consumption and curbs your appetite. When you quit smoking, a number of changes can occur in your body. As a result, you will sometimes eat a little more and you may gain a few kilos. These discomforts usually disappear 6 months after smoking cessation.
- Try to eat a varied diet and spread your meals. Do not skip a meal and eat three healthy or low-calorie snacks.
- You may feel more like sweets, and you often feel the strong need to put something in your mouth, to nibble. You can then eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, drink water, or eat low-fat yogurt and other low-fat dairy products.
- Eat plenty of legumes and starchy, whole and whole grains. These ensure that you are less hungry again.
- If you always have something on hand, you will avoid reaching for candy for lack of a cigarette. Think of a computer game, a crossword puzzle, a small job, a short shower, etc. For tips on nutrition and exercise, you can also visit the site the Flemish Institute for Healthy Living .
- Don’t dare to quit smoking and lose weight at the same time. Then you make it very difficult for yourself. If you focus on quitting smoking first, while not putting on extra pounds, you can then focus on your weight problem.
Advice on the use of alcohol
Drinking alcohol can make it more difficult to quit smoking. Alcohol will make you feel fewer inhibitions, making it easier to reach for a cigarette like ‘ Best Cigars for Under $10 ‘ . Drinking alcohol can also trigger smoking because the two often went together.
Less coffee
Nicotine also has an effect on the caffeine level in your blood, because the substance ensures that caffeine is broken down more quickly. Caffeine is mainly found in coffee, tea, cola and energy drinks. If you quit smoking and continue to drink as much cola or coffee as before, your caffeine levels will be much higher.
It is advisable to halve your daily portion of caffeinated drinks when you stop smoking. This can be done by simply drinking less coffee or cola. You can also replace your coffee with tea or decaffeinated coffee and cola, for example. It is better not to quit your caffeinated drink altogether as this can cause withdrawal symptoms.