Nicotine Off: Tips for Heavy Smokers to Detoxify the Body
After every smoked cigarette, it takes the body 6-8 hours to clear itself of nicotine’s effects. However, for a complete detoxification, it requires at least 20-30 days. Doctors recommend that those who cannot completely quit smoking should follow simple advice for the proper functioning of their bodies.
Nicotine is a chemical substance that causes addiction to cigarettes and smoking itself. It’s also one of the most well-known substances consumed by humanity for centuries, serving as a stimulant that disrupts the proper functioning of nerve and muscle cells.
Tobacco use raises heart rate, blood pressure, and may even increase the risk of stroke. Despite all the smoking bans, medical warnings, and scientific research, people still prefer to smoke or chew tobacco, which, by the way, contains only slightly less nicotine.
Tips for Heavy Smokers to Detoxify the Body
For heavy smokers, doctors recommend a few simple habits and foods to incorporate into their daily routine to help the body cope better with the harmful effects of smoking. So, here are some recommendations:
- Drink plenty of water: It helps the body flush out toxins, including nicotine, more quickly.
- Eat plenty of vegetables: Foods like eggplant, beans, cucumbers, and celery also aid in the body’s detoxification process.
- Add kiwi to your diet: Kiwi contains vitamins A, C, and E, which are beneficial for overall health, especially for smokers.
- Consume nettle: High iron content in nettle is useful for your immune system.
- Drink pine needle tea: This type of tea is not only good for treating oral and throat issues but also helps improve lung health.
- Breathe deeply: Oxygenating your blood with deep breaths promotes the optimal functioning of your cells.
Products for Heavy Smokers to Detoxify the Body
Your body will greatly appreciate it if, along with cigarettes, you include in your daily diet these 10 foods known for their ability to effectively detoxify the body from nicotine toxins.
Broccoli
Broccoli is rich in vitamins B5 and C. B vitamins regulate many important processes in the body, and a deficiency in these vitamins can hinder optimal bodily functions. Vitamin C, on the other hand, maintains your metabolism and protects the lungs from toxins. Broccoli also contains the Nrf2 gene, a vital assistant in lung recovery.
Oranges
Oranges are among the best citrus fruits for detoxification and providing the body with vitamin C. Consuming oranges can help reduce stress and cravings for nicotine.
Spinach
Spinach contains folate or vitamin B9, which is known for effectively removing nicotine from the body. Smokers often suffer from sleep disturbances, and folate plays a crucial role in mental and emotional well-being.
Cranberries
The acid in cranberries helps flush nicotine from your bloodstream faster than usual. Nicotine raises blood sugar levels, while cranberries are an excellent substitute for cigarettes during the quitting period due to their optimal sugar content.
Lemons
Lemons are another powerful weapon against nicotine. If you smoke, lemons, along with their citric acid, can boost your immunity and maintain healthy skin. Don’t forget the peel, as it contains the most vitamin C.
Ginger
Ginger can help alleviate many unwanted symptoms caused by smoking. For the full effect, consume raw ginger to reduce nicotine cravings, support healthy weight loss, and reduce the level of toxins in the bloodstream caused by nicotine.
Carrots
Medical professionals note that smokers often have low levels of vitamins A and C with constant nicotine consumption. Damage to nerve cells, blood circulation, and brain function is evidence of this. Support your body by regularly consuming carrots to replenish your supply of vitamins A, C, and K, thereby strengthening the body’s natural defenses.
Pomegranates
Smoking increases heart rate, blood pressure, and reduces oxygen levels in the blood. To counteract these symptoms, it is advisable to consume pomegranates to improve blood quality and circulation.
Cabbage
Cabbage is a natural source of isothiocyanates and other antioxidants that can help rid your body of the unwanted effects of nicotine. It’s a good source of beneficial substances for the body, especially for the gastrointestinal tract.
Wheat Germ
Improving the condition of blood vessels can be achieved by adding wheat germ to your diet, which contains essential elements found, in particular, in nuts. These products contain vitamin E, which can enhance the elasticity of the circulatory system and reduce the risk of developing heart diseases, especially in older age.
The benefits of quitting smoking for health are as follows:
- Taste and smell quickly return.
- Oxygen levels in the blood increase.
- Carbon dioxide saturation in the blood decreases.
- Improved oxygen supply to the tissues of the heart and brain.
- Reduced risk of developing ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction.
- Improved complexion and skin condition.
- Increased overall endurance.
- Lung capacity is restored.
- Approximately a 50% reduction in the risk of developing cancerous tumors.
- Chronic headaches and smoker’s cough disappear.
- Improved immune system function.
- Restoration of the cardiovascular system’s functionality.
Most former smokers report the disappearance of chronic fatigue, the emergence of physical endurance, and increased vitality.
We RECOMMEND the following list of self-restrictions to your attention:
- Do not smoke on an empty stomach; try to postpone the first cigarette of the day as far as possible. Do not smoke one and a half to two hours before meals. Do not smoke immediately after eating.
- When the desire to smoke arises, delay it, postpone it, and try to distract yourself with something or engage in another activity.
- Try to replace smoking with light physical exercises, walks.
- Substitute the cigarette with a glass of juice, mineral water, chewing gum, or unsweetened fruits.
- Every time you take a cigarette, place the pack farther away from yourself. Do not carry a lighter or matches with you.
- Stop taking deep drags. After each drag, extinguish the cigarette.
- Smoke only half of the cigarette. Quit as soon as someone around you lights up.
- Buy only one pack of cigarettes at a time. Buy cigarettes of different brands, not just your favorites.
- Try to delay opening a new pack of cigarettes for as long as possible.
- Do not smoke when your hands are occupied with some other activity. Stop smoking at work.
- Stop smoking indoors. Do not smoke outdoors.
- Do not smoke when you are expecting something (a phone call, a bus at a stop, etc.).
- Do not smoke while watching TV, listening to music, drinking coffee, etc.
- During leisure hours, choose the most pleasant activity for you, but do not smoke.
- When you run out of cigarettes, do not borrow them from anyone. Decline every offered cigarette.
Start by selecting 3-4 of the easiest rules from this list and adhere to them rigorously. Then, as you comply with them, move on to implementing the next 1-2 self-restrictions, and continue this process until they become a habit.
People who used to smoke but managed to quit were able to realize what their needs were and how to satisfy them without cigarettes…
Statistics show that 68% of smokers want to quit this harmful habit. Psychologists recommend limiting interaction with smokers, especially in the office, where the temptation to “get some fresh air” with a smoking colleague is great. Quitting alcohol and coffee can also help since both can intensify the desire to smoke. Various herbs can help ease the withdrawal symptoms when quitting smoking. A sauna can have an excellent detox effect. And more physical activity! If you are busy, you won’t feel the urge to kill time with a cigarette.
Please read as well: Detoxification after quitting smoking