Background Information

The nicotine in tobacco makes it one of the most powerful stimulant plants known, and one of the most addictive.

Nicotine in smoke enters the lungs and quickly goes into the blood stream, immediately stimulating bursts of adrenaline which consequently boost the heart rate and increase blood pressure. The effects of nicotine continue to ripple throughout the body with a wide range of damaging results, many of which can be fatal.

Quitting Smoking Recommendations:

Some suggestions to help you "kick the habit": It's usually better to quit gradually rather than all at once if you've been smoking for some years. The stress of sudden withdrawal can be very hard on your system. If you have any medical problems (whether or not you are taking prescription medicines) you should check with your doctor before beginning a liquid cleanse.

Getting Ready to Quit

Before you quit smoking, improve your diet to correct any nutritional deficiencies See the online recommendations for specific foods to add to your diet and take a good quality multivitamin/mineral supplement every day, with a meal.

Try to eat 5-6 servings (half cup each) of fresh vegetables daily (especially broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, winter squash and leafy greens like kale, collards, beet greens and salad greens) -- steamed, raw, stir-fried and in soups, casseroles, pastas, etc. Eat brown rice often, as well as whole grain pastas, breads, cereals and legumes.

Quitting

Start with a cleansing diet for 2 to 3 days to help clear nicotinic acid from your blood and stabilize blood sugar. The most effective way to do this is with a liquid cleanse -- fresh fruit and vegetable juices and clear soups (especially miso soup) for a day or two and then add steamed vegetables, brown rice, sprouts and fruit for the next day before adding more vegetable protein (with sea vegetables, seafoods, legumes, etc.). An alternative is to leave out the juice cleanse and eat lots of fresh vegetable salads, vegetable protein, citrus fruits, carrot juice (and fresh carrots and celery), etc., whole grains (brown rice). This is a very nutrient-dense diet that is moderately cleansing, light and easy to digest. A cup of green tea daily will help cleanse your system.

Your liver is your body's natural detoxification control. It's important to keep it healthy. See the online liver recommendations.

Your metabolism will likely slow down when you quit smoking and that's the reason for the weight gain (besides substituting food for cigarettes when you first quit). The healthier you are, the sooner your metabolism will adjust. Eating refined foods and sweets will slow down the rebalancing process. Be sure to keep something healthy around to eat when you have to have something. It's important to keep blood sugar levels as stable as possible to reduce cravings and irritability (see the online hypoglycemia recommendations). Avoid junk foods and situations where you'll be too tempted to smoke.

A green food powdered supplement that is dissolved in water or diluted juice would be an excellent supplement for you. It would give you a quick green boost (minerals) and, since it is a food-source supplement, it is easily absorbed. Wheat grass, barley grass, sometimes alfalfa, spirulina and chlorella are the main ingredients. They supply an extra boost of vegetable protein, minerals, a wide range of vitamins and chlorophyl (good for your liver). Wakunaga Kyo-Green would be a good one to try (it's not too expensive) but there are others available if you can't find it. Green superfoods are really good fatigue fighters, too -- and can help prevent food cravings when taken between meals.

Some extra supplements you should consider taking for at least two to three months (take them in divided doses with meals over the course of each day):

There's a good homeopathic remedy called Caladium that you can take up to 4xday when you have cravings. A vitamin or health food store would likely have it or you might get it from a naturopathic or homeopathic doctor.

Health food stores also have kits to help you quit which some people find very useful. Acupuncture can help reduce cravings as well as boost will power. Also, try deep breathing exercises continually for about 4 minutes until the desire for tobacco decreases -- the extra oxygen helps.