Smokers and people in the process of quitting smoking have an increased need for vitamin C. The greatest amount of vitamin C can be found in such vegetables as: parsley, paprika or Brussels sprouts and in fruits, e.g. sea buckthorn, rosehip, blackcurrant, strawberries, and also hawthorn.
What to eat to provide the body with the right ingredients?
Heavy smokers and people who quit smoking should supply the body with:
- folates contained in leafy green vegetables,
- cinnamic acid found in coffee,
- polyphenols (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), which can be found in green tea,
- resveratrol in red grapes,
- sulforaphane i isothiocyanates cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, kale),
- lignans linseed, which protect against abnormal cell division, which is why they are considered to be of great importance in overcoming the addiction.
You should also remember about the right amount of vitamin E, which can be supplied to the body by consuming: vegetable oils (e.g. rapeseed or sunflower), fish (e.g. mackerel, perch) and nuts (e.g. hazelnuts or almonds).
Eating large amounts of carrots, kale and spinach will provide a high dose of beta-carotene, which is also recommended for smokers and people who are trying to break this addiction.
What should be in the smoker diet?
Every smoker of tobacco products and people trying to quit smoking should add liver and eggs to their diet - mainly due to the high concentration of folic acid in these products. Good sources of this ingredient are also fermented milk products, e.g. natural yoghurts, buttermilk and kefirs.
Other dairy products as well as soybeans, tofu and legumes are also highly recommended. Due to the fact that nicotine has a negative effect on calcium metabolism, the mentioned products are a good source of calcium supplementation. There are also opinions that a sour aftertaste in the mouth after consuming dairy products can effectively discourage smoking.