Congratulations — you've decided to quit! Now it's time to put that decision into action. Your body needs to clear the effects of its enemy, cigarettes, and renew itself. Doubts may circle — “What if I gain weight?”, “Just one more,” “I'll quit next week.” But there's no need to let these cloud your mind, because in the quitting phase it's entirely possible to be fitter and healthier than before.
“I've quit, but I'm terrified of gaining weight!”
- You're at the office and starting to feel hungry. What would you have done before? Tea/coffee and a cigarette were a great pairing. Now that you've ended that relationship, it's time to flirt with new foods that are good for you! Place healthy snacks in your day — a handful of roasted chickpeas with a cup of green tea flavoured with cinnamon, clove and lemon will curb your hunger and keep you in shape.
- Someone mention habit? The hardest part for smokers is often not the nicotine but the hand-to-mouth habit. Look at it another way: think of cigarettes as an old flame — you loved them once, but you knew something wasn't right. When you parted, you were sad at first because it was familiar — but over time you decided it was better for you and moved on. Choose new, healthy habits: start exercising, chew gum, drink more water, and reach for dried fruit and fresh vegetables instead of high-calorie snacks.
- You know the harm smoking did to your organs — but you may be hearing for the first time that it also dulled your sense of taste. When you quit, you start to taste food and drink far better. Varied salads dressed with walnuts, delicious olive-oil dishes, and milky-fruity desserts will taste better than ever — so you won't need high-calorie foods for the love of flavour.
- Smokers often say their bowels work more actively after a cigarette, so you may worry about constipation after quitting. But the fuel for your gut is hidden in food! A pot of probiotic yogurt a day, choosing whole-grain and rye (brown) products, and increasing your fruit and vegetables can help prevent gut troubles.
Clear the effects of smoking from your body
You've set aside that once-loved habit, and you're determined. Now it's time to clear its effects — and there are wonderful, antioxidant-rich foods to help create a detox effect in your body.
Cress: Cress does more than support your airways — salads made with it help support fat burning, and it can take the place of the cigarette you thought relaxed you in moments of stress.
Terebinth (menengiç) coffee: Forget the cigarettes you had with coffee! You can enjoy 1–2 cups of terebinth coffee a day.
Carob tea: Made from 4–5 dried carob pods, carob tea helps refresh your body and ease the stress smoking created.
Grapefruit: This peerless food supports the body's resistance and is famous for its antioxidants.
Apple: How about forgetting all your memories of smoking with a warm apple tea flavoured with ginger and cinnamon? Slice an apple with its skin into a teapot, add a pinch of ginger and 2 cinnamon sticks, and steep.
Mallow (ebegümeci): Mallow tea, drunk on an empty stomach, is a soothing choice as your body recovers.
Foods with a calming effect
When you smoked, you felt a relaxation and pleasure nothing else gave you — but that was a reward system you taught your body. “A cigarette after I finish work. One after a meal.” Conditioning yourself this way made your brain treat cigarettes as a reward. Instead, you can build a reward system around foods that ease your stress.
Mandarins: A stress-busting food and a candidate for your new habit — its vitamin C protects against colds while soothing your nerves. If you can't find mandarins, a handful of fresh blueberries will do.
Probiotic fruit yogurt: A single food that hits three targets — add fruit in small pieces to increase antioxidants, and choose probiotic yogurt to help regulate your gut.
Beetroot: Anyone who thinks a salad can't help them forget cigarettes is very much mistaken — beetroot added to delicious salads helps ease stress.
Pineapple: Want a tropical treat instead of a cigarette at your snack? Low-calorie pineapple helps clear toxins and, with its magnesium, supports fat burning.
Aubergine: A vegetable dish of aubergine soothes the nerves.
Merve Tığlı Çınar, Dietitian