Paleo Diet & Quitting Smoking
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'Holy Smokes' by Brian Whelan. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
A couple of my close friends are currently struggling with quitting smoking. They made the New Year’s resolution to give up, and set Easter as the point at which they’d be free of the evil weed. Both have reported finding it harder than they thought they would. They asked if I knew of any good “stop smoking” resources. I do, and I’m about to share them with you; but here’s the main attraction, right up front - the paleo diet. It’s a major weapon in your quitting smoking arsenal.
It’s not hard to fathom why. Here’s the experience of a paleo dieter trying to give up, from PaleoHacks:
As a truck driver who had smoked 2-3 packs a day, I had tried everything. I was one of those that enjoyed the smoke going in my lungs. I started paleo at the end of October and quit smoking cold turkey the second week of November. For me whenever I was having a craving, I took a long, slow deep breath and held it for as long as I could. I’m so happy to finally get rid of that sh*t.
Eat Real Food!
Could it be that the paleo diet can help with quitting smoking? I think it could. Real-foods advocate Nancy Deville talks about the role of eating real food in dealing with any addiction. Her advice?
If You Want To Quit An Addiction, Start By Properly Caring For and Feeding Your Big Dumb Pet, Your Brain!
I can still clearly remember the inner turmoil of thinking about quitting smoking and my many failed attempts. I also remember feeling bleak about
quitting coffee, though it was something I really wanted to do. Both times I quit cold turkey. But cold turkey is really murder and takes a ton of will. What if you go cold turkey, fail, and then hate yourself? I now understand that there’s a much better way to deal with addictions. By taking care of your big dumb pet, your brain, you can create a healthy, happy brain, flooded with happy neurotransmitters and you’ll have a much easier time quitting addictions. I don’t think it’s unrealistic for people to begin working on their brains months before quitting an addiction.
The Basics of Properly Caring for And Feeding Your Big Dumb Pet, Your Brain
First and foremost is eating real food. Real food is going to rebuild your brain, cell by cell. Along the way, neurotransmitter production will increase. You’ll find that you feel happier, less knee jerk reactive to the pain and upsets of life, and more centered.
She goes into the whole process in more detail in her new e-book TAME YOUR BRAIN TO QUIT ADDICTIONS: A Brain Plan To Help You Quite Smoking for Good which is available to download for just $4.95 from Smashwords. You can also view a short sample before purchase.
Courtesy of Smashwords.com
Other Ideas
Mark Sisson counts down 10 suggestions to help you quit in his article, How To Quit Smoking
Need More Motivation?
An illustration of the tar content in cigarettes. In a word - yuck.
If you’re struggling to give up, try combining the paleo diet & quitting smoking. It can only help…
Have you successfully quit smoking with the help of the paleo diet? What other resources did you use? Share your experiences below so that others can benefit!
Brian Cormack Carr is a freelance writer and coach whose mission in life is to help YOU do what you were designed for.
His home on the web is YourPrimalLife.com where you will find more articles, freebies, and information about his online career-creation programme VitalVocation.com - 12 sessions of virtual coaching from Brian for just $20!
Twitter: @cormackcarr
I read Allen Carr “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking”. Fantastic! His last book “Scandal” is also very good, and it’s free online.