Can certain foods help you quit smoking?

The Duke University Center for Nicotine and Smoking Research recently came up with some interesting findings about how foods affect the enjoyment of tobacco products. Turns out that the association between drinking and smoking (as in "I only smoke when I'm having a few drinks") isn't just a cultural or social phenomenon.  Alcohol and certain other foods, like red meat, actually make tobacco taste better. And apparently, vegetables and dairy products make tobacco taste horrible. 

MedicineNet may have been somewhat tongue in cheek when they titled their article on the research "Quit-Smoking Diet" but it does make you wonder whether would-be quitters could use this to their advantage. Of course, drinking less alcohol and eating more vegetables probably wouldn't lessen your cravings for nicotine, it might just lessen your enjoyment of cigarettes. But we've all seen smokers huddling outside in miserable weather in order to have a smoke, so I'm not sure that making smoking less pleasurable is enough to break the habit.

If you've quit or tried to quit smoking, I'd be interested to know whether you felt that diet and nutrition  was a factor. Did eating healthier make it easier? Did you use find yourself using food (especially sweets or fatty foods) as a replacement?

Pick the statement that best describes your situation, then add your comments by clicking on the "post a comment" link at the bottom of the post.

Opinion Polls & Market Research