Besides paying the utmost attention to his respiratory system when a person smokes cigarettes, he must also safeguard the digestive system. Yes, there is a correlation between cigarettes and one’s diet, which must be considered to preserve one’s health. This is because nicotine tends to change the functioning of the lungs, arteries, and blood flow. This could also affect the stomach. Therefore, since the butts are a health time bomb, the food should be chosen more carefully.
A trivial solution would be to avoid all these problems: quitting smoking, but we all know how difficult it is. It would be solved by abandoning classic cigarettes for e-cig. If you are a smoker and unable to free yourself from nicotine addiction, know that at least you should follow a diet appropriate to your smoking condition. According to some studies, a diet rich in antioxidants (vitamins C, E, B-complex, and beta-carotene) can help your body stay lighter and prevent some damage otherwise caused by smoking.
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The Various Studies On The Most Suitable Diet For A Smoker
Based on numerous research carried out to study the relationship between smoking and food, it has emerged that most smokers usually follow a diet that is poor in fruit, vegetables, cereals, and fiber compared to non-smokers. Instead, they make room for much more meat, alcohol, fat, and cholesterol consumption. To avoid falling ill with cancer (pancreas, liver, stomach, organs that indirectly suffer the negative flow of cigarettes), scholars have often advised smokers to follow a diet rich in fruit, vegetables, cereals, and beans and low in meat, dairy, and other fatty products. While no diet can guarantee total protection from any disease, following these recommendations can counteract at least some of the harms of smoking.
Foods Of Plant Origin
First, if you are a smoker, you must prefer plant-based foods. It would be a good idea to consume at least five servings of fruit and vegetables (as we will see later). But other plant-based foods, such as bread, rice, ties, and cereals, are also ideal. Numerous types of research have shown that for smokers, eating fruits and vegetables, especially green and yellow vegetables and the cabbage family, as well as soybeans and beans, can lead to a reduction in the risks of many types of cancer, in particular, it prevents the formation of cancer of the stomach, intestines, and respiratory system. More specifically, cereals are an essential source of vitamins and minerals such as folate, calcium, selenium, and nutrients associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer. For their part, legumes are a concentration of nutrients believed to be a protection against cancer.
Also Read: Here Are The Tips To Quit Smoking
Banish Fatty Foods
It would be a good idea for smokers to avoid the intake of fatty dishes, especially those made with foods of animal origin. It is necessary to prefer light meals and limit meat consumption. In particular, red meat increases the incidence of colon and prostate cancers even more when combined with the very high consumption of cigarettes. High-fat diets are the primary cause of colon, rectal, prostate, and endometrial cancers.
No To Alcohol And Yes To Physical Activity
The intake of alcoholic beverages should also be banned from the diet of a smoker. Active smoking and tobacco chewing combined with wines and spirits can considerably increase the risk of mouth and esophagus cancers. It goes without saying that you should also do a lot of physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. Exercising can help protect you from some cancers by enabling you to stay fit. And since smoking already increases the blood fat level, exercise helps control weight. An imbalance between calorie and low energy consumption can lead to obesity, the primary determinant of the colon, rectal, prostate, endometrial, liver, and, among menopausal women, cancer. Otherwise.
What Substances Should Not Be Missing In The Diet: Caution With Vitamins
Several nutritional agents help to inhibit the toxic properties of smoke. These include antioxidants as well as other chemical elements. However, as far as vitamins are concerned, although they are essential, one should not overdo them with supplements and nutrients, as there is no evidence that they can preserve the health of smokers. The immune system of a person who smokes a lot is, in fact, constantly bombarded with potent toxins, so it is continually evolving.
In light of this, all the probable minor risks of a supplement overdose are to be avoided compared to the possible protective effects that some vitamins and minerals may provide. In any case, it will be better to interact with your doctor, to understand how to behave in this regard and whether or not it is appropriate to take vitamin supplements. However, when you decide to take supplements moderately, try to prefer those based on Vitamin A (and its relative, retinoids and retinoic acid), Vitamins C, E, and B-complex (in particular, B12). Taking abundant Beta-carotene, folic acid, and folate would also be advisable. Finally, Zinc and Selenium should not be lacking in the body of smokers.
Antioxidants For Smokers
According to some doctors and their studies, the smoker should also take a lot of antioxidants. They even recommend taking it through green tea (the varieties commonly served in Asian restaurants) and red wine (in very moderate doses, again because alcohol is bad for smokers). Consider, where the consumption of cigarettes and animal fats is very high, the incidence of heart / coronary diseases is lower than expected. However, studies have yet to find the ingredient responsible for this phenomenon.
Why Fruit And Vegetables Galore
But why should fruits and vegetables be eaten galore by smokers? Because the macronutrients in some products can protect smokers from the toxic effects of smoking, some of these nutrients are the same antioxidants that vitamin supplements provide. In contrast, others can only be obtained from fruits and vegetables. The smoker, as already mentioned, must consume between five and six portions a day of fruit and vegetables, whereby per portion, we mean a medium-sized fruit (150 g), a glass of 100% fruit juice (150 g), 50 g of salad, a plate of cooked vegetables (250 g), some dried fruit (30-40 g). It is also advisable to prefer cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and the like. Yes, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, watercress, turnips, mustard, and thistles. Do not denigrate the intake of citrus fruits, carrots, and red peppers, which can also be taken as centrifuged and squeezed juices.
Smokers: More Fish, Less Meat
For smokers, consuming omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as those found in fish) can promote the creation of a protective network from chronic obstructive diseases. A study conducted in 1994 found that smokers who consumed more fish were less likely to suffer from respiratory problems such as bronchitis, emphysema, or poor lung function. So even now, it is theorized that omega-3 acids inhibit the inflammatory processes triggered by smoking. Since smoking raises cholesterol levels and promotes the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries, the risk triples in eating more meat, so make the motto yours: more fish, less meat.
Also Read: How To Quit Smoking Without Gaining Weight?
