Six Tips To Handle Food and Drink Triggers and Quit Smoking

Quitting smoking can be a challenge as you alter the activities of your daily life. What you consume every day can become a common trigger.

Some people associate cigarettes with certain foods or mealtimes and cutting smoking out of your life may be harder if you stick to these consumption habits. This Monday, you can change that by replacing or cutting these foods and drinks out of your meals:

1. Try a mint: It is possible to enjoy your meals without a cigarette and keep your breath smelling good. Mints and gum can keep your mouth fresh after meals, and chewing them can last just as long, if not longer, than smoking a cigarette. This can help keep your mouth moving so that you aren’t tempted to smoke.
2. Replace coffee with tea: Some people just need coffee to function in the morning, and often smoke along with their first cup. However, tea can be a beneficial replacement because of its ability to weaken the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is released when smoking tobacco. Start the day with a cup of tea, with popular options being ginseng, peppermint, green and oolong.
3. Have a glass of milk: Make smoking less tempting by making it less enjoyable. Milk can come in handy since it creates a bitter aftertaste for cigarettes. Not only will you be helping your bones stay in shape, but you will make cigarettes taste bad, thus reducing the likelihood that you’ll keep packs around.
4. Cut down on alcohol: Smoking and drinking can be tough enough to cut down on or quit on their own, but it’s common for smokers to smoke when they consume alcohol. With less trips to the bar and cutting beer out of your grocery list, you have an easier time weakening the habit of smoking. It will be easier to slowly cut back on drinking instead of going cold turkey so that you will be less tempted to jump back on the alcohol wagon, as well as the cigarette wagon.
5. Focus on fruits and vegetables: If you smoke, chances are that you don’t include fruits and vegetables in your meals. In this case, it is time to start adding them to your meals so that you have an easier time getting rid of the cigarette packs in your pocket. Not only will this help make cigarettes taste worse, but you’ll have the proper energy needed to get through the day.
6. Treat yourself: At this point, the mints, gum, fruits and vegetables should have removed the tasteful pleasure from smoking. Now it’s time to replace cigarettes with a snack that will stimulate your taste buds and won’t negatively impact your health long term. Treat yourself in moderation to stay in shape while still enjoying something tasty so you don’t go back to cigarettes.

Consuming the right food and drinks at the right time on the right occasions will help you slowly cut cigarettes and cigars out of your life and get your body into the best shape. Use Quit Monday to put these tips into action so that you can enjoy a long, fulfilling life.