3 Natural Nutrition Tips To Help Kick Cigarettes

I trust you're looking for some natural ways to quit stop smoking?  If you, like me, have tried it all and relapsed every time, you may be thinking there's no real hope.  In my last blog post we looked at exercise as a powerfully effective method of stopping and staying stopped.  Recently The Natural News published 3 natural nutrition tips to help you in your quest to stop smoking.  I'm going to review them for you and examine why Natural News is probably suggesting them and toss my opinion in on these as options.

As you know, I am a cold turkey advocate so I immediately took issue with their first sentence which talks about weaning off nicotine with nutritional supplements that reduce cravings.  Weaning off is prolonging the inevitable.  Try and wean off heroin or even  ice cream for that matter.  See how well that works!  They do go on to say that nutrition is the Yellow Brick Road to quitting smoking and I tend to agree with them on that with a few minor exceptions.  So let me dig in here.

First, before nutrition plays a role, you must realize that smoking is a choice you make.  Even when you're under the influence of nicotine or the lack of nicotine.  You will always be in charge and you are the number one factor between lighting up and deciding not to.  Once you have made the commitment to actually stop smoking this time, it then will become a battle of will and whits.

Drug companies and even big tobacco now will try to sell you on an idea called NRT or Nicotine Replacement Therapy.  NRT reminds me of Celebrity Jeopardy on Saturday Night Live where Sean Connery misreads Therapists as The Rapists.  Because that's what happening with NRT.  Large drug companies and Big Tobacco are continuing to rape you, your health and your wallet with these "alternatives" to smoking.  It's like using Pseudoephedrine to get off meth.  At the end of the day, as it has always been, it's you verses nicotine.  Period.

Now, if you're going into battle, having some armor will help.  NRT is not armor.  It's not even a crutch.  It's the same addiction with a different delivery device.  The Natural News suggests three nutritional tips to help you manage the intensity of cigarette cravings.

1.  Juicing.  I'm in!  Well, sort of.  I do it now and have full regret I didn't start juicing sooner.  They recommend juicing as a way of alkalizing the body and flushing out toxins.  Basically putting an end to Metabolic acidosis.  They also suggest eliminating meat, milk, gluten, grease and sugar.  By sugar, I can assume they mean processed sugar and the meat part...  I don't know.  Who doesn't love a good steak?   Now here's my beef with this good idea; you're about to to make a severe lifestyle change.  If you're not juicing already, doing this and trying to not smoke is a recipe for disaster.  Also, I wouldn't suggest a delay in stopping to get into the whole juice thing.  So what do you do?  Exactly!  Here's my suggestion with juicing as a method of preparation to stop and then as a reward for staying stopped.  3 times a day starting now, either buy or make a juice drink.  Put that concoction in some kind of cup that has a lid and a straw and sip that thing over the course of an hour.  Notice the hand to mouth action, the sucking and small cylindrical object going into your mouth.  Conveniently you'll be ingesting healthy nutrients to cleanse the body and mind.  Make sure you're using uber fresh organic fruits and veggies while you're at it.  Remember to start this now.  Not once you've stopped and in you're already stopped, start this now.  In fact, while you're in the initial throws of kicking the habit, I say drink everything through a straw!  

2.  Maca.  This is a root from Peru and parts of South America.  It has been marketed mostly as an aphrodisiac because of it's nutrient breakdown.  It can act as an endocrine adaptogen.  Basically that means that Maca nutritionally supports a healthy hormonal balance.  Hormones do more than make man strong like bull and ladies "interesting" to be around every 24 days.  They regulate all kinds of bodily functions including stress and anxiety.  Maca as a root and dietary supplement can act as an antioxidant, help with the circulatory system, energize the body, and speed healing to name a few.  If you're doing the smoothie/juice thing, consider adding a scoop or two of Maca Up to the blender.  I've used this plant based protein powder before and really enjoy it.  If you're not doing the home made juice/smoothie thing Maca is available in capsule form as well.

3.  Mucuna.  Otherwise known as velvet bean.  This is another adaptogen that works great on helping maintain a healthy level of dopamine in the body.  Dopamine plays a huge part in the reward and pleasure part of the brain and is also released when you smoke.  If you're eliminating nicotine that can have a severe impact on dopamine levels (hence the withdrawals) and so supplementing with a little Mucuna might not be a bad idea.  It will help you maintain a semblance of calm and control when the urge seems like it's going to win.

The bottom line here is just that.  Keep calm and don't smoke.  There are multiple pathways to becoming smoke free again.  I say that to remind you that you once were smoke free.  There was once a time when you did not smoke.  You can have that back with a little work and due dilligance.  You also can have that without having to resort to NRT or additional chemicals and drugs designed to not help you quit but designed to help you buy their product over cigarettes.  See the difference here.  Take charge of your life, your health and create your life instead of being led by the media who say's you need their "whatever" to stop.  You don't.  Never did.  It's all you.

Need help wrapping your head around taking the power back?  Can a carton and instead get a copy of my book, How To Stop Smoking Without Killing Anyone.  Short read, yet effective.  It will resonate with you.  Written by a smoker who doesn't smoke for smokers looking to, as mentioned earlier, take the power back!