Just Quit Smoking, Food Advice needed

Rosyrain said:
The funny thing is that I really have to be in the mood for fruit in order to eat it. It is not always my favorite thing. I love apples and those are my main fruit. I am more into veggies. Strange I know.
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it's not strange, it took some getting use to for me as well, and that's because of eating a bunch of processed foods all my life had my taste buds totally out of whack. It's funny how your body can get use to something that is unhealthy, and when you eat something healthy the body rejects it, But only in the beginning, It's like you have to train your body to love healthy foods just like you use to (or still do) love junk food.
 
ally79 said:
How about carrot sticks or celery with some hummus or some other kind of low calorie dip. The same thing with fruit like apples and strawberries. We are making a conscious effort to start eating healthier and the biggest challenge is that all of the healthier foods cost so much! My kids are begging for strawberries, and they hate frozen ones, but they are $7.99 a package right now!
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For the most part that is true healthy foods cost more, but you can save money buying from local markets. I don't get caught up on everything has to be organic to be healthy. I look for foods that have a thick protective skin, like avocado and watermelons, but my berries and apples I prefer Organic.
 
kamarsun1 said:
You will not gain much eating plenty of raw fruits
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5 dates contain around 100 calories.
5 dried apricots are roughly the same.
Grapes 100g roughly 60-100 calories
Dried raisins/sultanas 100g is around 250-300 calories
60g bag of dried mango is 180 calories
50g of almonds/cashew nuts is 250-275 calories

It is very easy to eat a lot more than that if you like them. These things add up when watching calories. I know because I am watching the calories at the moment and am having to restrict how many dates, apricots and how much dried mango I have each day. Unchecked I can easily eat 20-30 fresh seeded dates a day and nibbling on apricots or almonds is no better for me when watching my weight.

Currently I manage to restrict myself to 7 or 8 seeded dates, 2-3 dried apricots and a 30g serving of dried mango a day, roughly 300 calories and that is not a lot when you look at it laid out.
 
Don't worry too much about an extra couple of pounds - the health benefits you gain from quitting are far greater than the risk of putting weight on. In any case, you will start to feel as though you can exercise more. I would agree that a hobby or activity will be ideal - it will distract you from both the urge to smoke and the urge to nibble!
 
I am really not worried about the extra food costs either as I am saving a ton of money by not smoking. The price of a pack of cigarettes is about $8 where I live, so you all can do the math. I can afford to splurge on some tasty healthy snacks now. I am ok if I put on a couple of extra pounds because spring will be here soon enough and I can exercise it all off again.
 
having watched most (as in every member) of my family gain considerably more than a 'few extra pounds' in weight quitting smoking, whilst I agree the health benefits are good, I can also tell you that several of them are now suffering from other weight related health problems related to gaining those few extra pounds and in the case of my mother, it severely affects her life, has done all of her life and is going to make her old(er) age much more difficult, to the point where it has meant she has had to change her house because of those health issues. I have seen my mother say she can exercise it off, she can diet it off, and seen her fail time and time again, pretty much all of my life. With my brother, he has had to give up hobbies that were important to him (motorcycling) and change his job (he was a motorbike courier). With my sister it is constant dieting also, but also gym 5 times a week before work - she is burning herself out and is on the way to a nervous breakdown and has numerous medical issues, some as yet undiagnosed and all related to trying to loose the weight after quitting smoking. Only my younger brother has yet to quit smoking, his father still does as well, but has tried repeatedly, put weight on and never lost it. My younger brother is 26.

All I am saying is don't fall for the snacking on fruit is healthy and low calorie. It is not always as low calorie or healthy as people believe.

Informed decisions early on will help as will watching your weight as you quit.

Best of luck
 
Some protein bars will actually do you good. A good suggestion is anything from Quest Nutrition. It's a brand that sells healthy protein bars, healthy chips, and other healthy snacks. They're good for people who want something to nibble on, and at the same time get the nutrients they need on a daily basis.

They actually have really good flavors, like cookies and cream, etc. I really think you'll enjoy their snacks!
 
Veggies are great because they are full of vitamins and fiber. Snap peas are one of my favorites. I don't go for raw carrots though because they are so hard I dongbghink I get much nutrients from them raw. I would recommend any of the softer veggies as great snacks as well as eating salad frequently as leafy greens help detox.
 
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