
Can a diet compensate for health damage caused by smoking? What foods should you eat if you smoke? When you quit, what type of diet is best to prevent weight gain? Linda Smyth, an experienced dietitian and nutritional consultant explains the issues and gives practical eating advice.
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As a dietitian, the three most common questions which smokers ask me about diet and smoking, are: (1) Can a diet compensate for health damage caused by smoking? (2) What should I eat if I smoke? (3) If I quit, what type of diet is best to prevent weight gain?
(1) CAN A DIET COMPENSATE FOR SMOKING?
No diet or eating-plan, no matter how nutritious, can neutralize the health damage caused by the 850+ chemicals in tobacco smoke - many of which are carcinogenic. On average, if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day, you double your risk of a heart-attack and are five times more likely to suffer a stroke than a non-smoker. At 40 cigarettes a day, you are five times more likely to suffer from sudden cardiac death. Smoking is also the leading cause of lung cancer.