Needless to say, many smokers are dreaming of quitting this unhealthy habit, however, this is a very complicated challenge. Yet, if you are one of those people who can boast about not having been smoking for at least a couple of days, it is time to think about the ways you can help your lungs to regain their optimum condition. Fortunately, it is possible since the lung tissue is capable of self-recovery. Still, if you use at least one of the tips mentioned in this article, you will help your lungs a lot!
Tip 1 Avoid passive smoking
The simplest thing you can do which is actually an absolute necessity, is avoiding passive smoking. Some doctors claim passive smoking is even more harmful for your body than smoking directly. Whether it is true or not, you shouldn’t stay among smoking people as it is definitely not healthy. Furthermore, inhaling cigarette smoke can easily trigger a craving for smoking which is certainly something you do not want to experience in the first place.
Tip 2 Clean your lungs with a special diet
Unfortunately, there is no special lung detoxification procedure that will clean your lungs in a short time. This is a gradual process, so you should be patient with your body. Still, there are several nutritional products that can increase the process of lung detoxification.
One of the greatest plants that you can add into your diet after quitting smoking is beetroot. Notice that you can eat the vegetable itself or consume its leaves which are also extremely healthy. The best practice will be eating both of them, especially taking into consideration the fact that in all likelihood, you will consume cooked beetroot vegetables. As you might know, high temperature destroys many vitamins and other organic compounds, thus, eating the beetroot leaves will increase the healthy effects of this plant.
Other great products for cleaning your lungs are hawthorn, algae, honey and green tea.
Tip 3 Rebuild the lung tissue
Undeniably, smoking damages the lung tissue making this organ susceptible to various diseases. As you now know, with time, the tissue will rebuilt itself, yet, helping it by modifying your diet will be a great idea. All you need to do is to consume some of the products mentioned below on a regular basis.
Due to a high amount of bet-carotene that has a unique ability of strengthening the lung cells, carrots are one of the most important products for ex-smokers.
Calcium is also a crucial element for the lung recovery and its greatest content can be found in dairy products. The best choice for you will be fermented milk products without sugar such as, for instance, natural yogurt. First of all, fermented milk doesn’t have lactose which is important for people with lactose intolerance. Second of all, sugar decreases calcium absorption in your body which means eating sweet dairy products will be counter-productive.
Broccoli is another fantastic food for the health of your lungs since it contains crucial elements for the synthesis of proteins of which the lung tissue is constructed.
Tip 4 Take your urge to smoke under control
Many ex-smokers are completely unaware of the fact that some dietary products can actually boost the craving for smoking. For example, drinking coffee can trigger an urge for smoking in you and it is not only because many people enjoy smoking while relishing this popular drink. Scientists claim the culprits are the chemical compounds of coffee themselves, not just this popular habit. That’s why you should minimise coffee intake at least for the first time after quitting smoking.
Interestingly, the same is true for meat, however, resigning completely from eating this product in case you especially enjoy eating it wouldn’t be a good idea either. Harsh diet modifications can cause additional stress in your body which will increase your wish to smoke even more.
Tip 5 Reduce stress
Reducing stress is absolutely vital for quitting smoking successfully and regaining the optimal health of your lungs. It is even more important for people suffering from some conditions of the respiratory system, for example, asthma.
Symptoms of asthma become even worse under the stress making lungs shrink. That is why you should minimise stress in your life as much as possible, however, it might be not a simple task. Undeniably, physical activity, sport, especially yoga, time outdoors, meditation, sufficient sleeping and a healthy diet are some of the basic things that will help you to eliminate the harm of stress.
Keep these simple tips in mind and you will soon notice improvements in your health.