The Smoking Diet: what to eat if you are smoking

You smoke although theoretically you know you should not be doing it. You know the risks and the consequences of smoking on your health. You also know the unhealthy effects passive smoking has to those close to you. To help alleviate the side effects of smoking you should eat specific smoking foods contained by the smoking diet.

It is a fact that tobacco contains over 1 000 chemical compounds resulting from burning the cigarette and the smoke contains over 4 000 of which 60 are carcinogenic compounds.

The consequences of smoking on your health can be extremely serious:
-lung-cancer;
-cancer of the esophagus, pharynx, and larynx;
-oral cancer;
-breast cancer;
-uterine cancer;
-hormonal imbalance, amenorrhea, and dysmenorrhea;
-osteoporosis;
-congenital malformations.

However, for various reasons you keep smoking. Until you make up your mind and succeed to quit smoking you should help your body to diminish the effects smoking has on it. Get on the smoking diet and eat good healthy foods.

It was clinically shown that most people who smoke consume foods that contain too little vitamin E and vitamin B6. Especially women who smoke do not get enough folic acid, iron, calcium and zinc. It is therefore very important for women who smoke to include these protective substances, either as food or as supplements.

An essential element in the daily diet of a smoker should be antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E. Until recently, beta-carotene was considered to be beneficial to smokers, but recent clinical studies have shown that, it is in fact harmful for the health of smokers. Antioxidants are protective for the occurrence and for the evolution of cancer, coronary heart disease, cataracts or cognitive dysfunction. Some components of cigarettes favor cellular oxidation. The appearance of oxidative stress and of free radicals, that actually attack at a cellular level, make the appearance of illness possible (especially cancer).

In this respect, it is recommended to supplement vitamin C for smokers, because it is believed that nicotine inhibits the absorption of vitamin C. Nicotine actually increases the metabolic rate and, therefore, the processes by which vitamin C is metabolized. People who smoke are therefore recommend an increase vitamin C intake at 100 mg/day.

So, from food and best supplements those who smoke must make sure their body gets enough: vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacin, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), Zinc and coenzyme Q10 picoline. Supplements such as Ginkgo Biloba are also very effective.

In conclusion, here is what you have to do to enjoy a better health:
1. Follow a healthy and balanced diet: the smokers diet;
2. Supplementation with adequate nutrients: smoking foods;
3. Exercise on a regular basis;
4. Quit smoking if you can.

If you are worried about gaining weight if you quit smoking you should check out: Quitting Smoking Weight Gain