Heal Your Lungs After Smoking: Former smokers do not need to follow a specific diet, but they recommend that they lead a healthy lifestyle that emphasizes a balanced diet. If you recently quit smoking or smoking, you should know that by leading a healthier lifestyle, you should try to improve your diet and include foods rich in certain nutrients in your diet to help heal your lungs or, better said, improve your condition.
We tend to think that quitting smoking is enough to make everything “perfect” again. However, it is not. It is necessary to add measures that benefit the body and, of course, learn to maintain them permanently over time. Only then can we evaluate the actual results.
While it is true that there is no diet per se for ex-smokers, there are healthy eating plans that can be a good guide for them. Two examples are the Mediterranean diet and the Harvard plate.
Next, we will tell you what foods you should usually include in your diet when you stop smoking. Take note to know what options you should use!
Table of Contents
Foods Rich In Vitamin C
Smoking can reduce the amount of vitamin C or ascorbic acid in the body by up to 25%. Therefore, some experts consider it advisable to eat foods rich in this vitamin.
Some ex-smokers can take vitamin C supplements in moderation. However, this does not mean that everyone should do it. The case must be assessed well.
You can eat fruits rich in vitamin C, such as kiwi, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, and orange.
Vitamin A
A deficiency of vitamin A or beta-carotene can cause changes in the immune system. Therefore, it can increase the incidence of respiratory infections.
You can find this nutrient: beef liver and other organs, fortified cereals, dairy products, salmon, plums, squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, grapefruit, chard, watermelons, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, and more.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E, or tocopherol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant to protect essential fatty acids. It also helps strengthen the immune system.
To reap the benefits and heal your lungs after smoking, try incorporating vitamin E naturally by consuming healthy sources of fat such as:
- Coconut.
- Broccoli.
- Seeds.
- Spinach.
- Nuts.
- Yolk.
- Brussels sprouts.
Vitamin B9
Vitamin B9 or folic acid contributes to the formation of blood cells. Thus it affects the prevention of anemia and also helps to maintain healthy skin.
In addition to healing the lungs after smoking, vitamin B9 is essential for the central nervous system’s proper functioning. This is because this vitamin is involved in the synthesis of carriers.
If the above seems insufficient, keep in mind that this vitamin helps active smokers kick this habit. To get vitamin B9, you can find it at:
- Soy.
- Raisins.
- Strawberries.
- Walnuts.
- Lemon.
- Onion.
- Pumpkin.
- Avocado.
- Carrots.
Other Ways To Heal Your Lungs
- Avoid unhealthy foods, fried foods, industrial drinks, and food.
- Special care must be taken with non-alcoholic beverages, as they alter the nervous system and intestinal function, thus increasing the harmful effects of cigarettes.
- When planning your menu, include foods rich in tryptophan like soybeans. It is an amino acid responsible for the production of serotonin. This is beneficial for people who quit smoking, as high serotonin levels reduce anxiety.
- Nicotine damage accelerates bone loss that occurs with age. Therefore, the additional calcium intake in your diet counteracts this effect and helps maintain bone health by preventing breakage and other damage.
Exercise helps improve the cardiopulmonary system. Thus, daily physical activity helps to exercise the heart. This improves blood circulation and helps prevent blood clots within the arteries, which can cause a heart attack in the long term.
Also, regular exercise reduces the incidence of high blood pressure and improves lung levels, which will help you maintain a stable respiratory rate (14 to 22 breaths per minute).
Quit Tobacco And Start Healing Your Lungs
Finally, it is important to remember that tobacco is one of the most critical risk factors for developing serious diseases. Therefore, it is more than advisable to abandon this habit as soon as possible.
Finally, it is also recommended that you refrain from using supplements in your diet without first consulting with your doctor if you want to quit smoking.