Tips for giving up the cigarettes.

Quitting smoking is hard.  Anyone who has attempted will tell you that.  I quit smoking quite a few years ago.  I will say, that for me personally, it was the best choice I could have made.  I feel that quitting is harder then ever since pharmaceutical companies started targeting those who want to quit with nicotine gum, hypnotherapy, pills; my list could on.  All these expensive solutions don't necessarily help.  Hypnotherapy doesn't work on everyone and nicotine gum only serves to feed the real addiction (although, it does stop you from inhaling nicotine via smoke).  So I compiled a list of things I found helpful when I quit.

1)  If you are still smoking or using nicotine patches/gum, then slowly cut back. It is okay for this to take months.  Lifestyle changes do not happen over night and quitting cold turkey has 50/50 chance of leaving you more addicted then ever. (I could explain the psychological and sociological reasons behind this but it's not necessary; all you need to know is that going cold turkey is risky.)

2) Cut down on stress levels where you can.  It is all to easy to light up in moments of stress.  The best thing you can do is start have 15 min periods throughout the day where you relax.  Meditate or read, or anything else that is calming.

3)  Be wary of food, alcohol and even excessive exercise.  When giving up one addiction it is all too easy to use another as a crutch.  The idea quitting smoking is to give up an addiction - not create a new one.

4)  Have a healthy diet with 9-10 different serves of fruit/vegetables a day.  This helps in two ways.  Firstly, it helps your lung clear and repair themselves as the body has a ready supply of vitamins and minerals.  Secondly, it helps ease the symptoms of detoxification as the traces of the nicotine and other nasty chemicals found in smoke are purged from you system.

5) Drink lots of water; this also help clean and repair the body.

6)  Remember to get a healthy amount of exercise every day.  While to much can make you an adrenaline junkie, just enough exercise can help clear and strengthen the lungs.


I sincerely hope these tips help someone.  And if you do feel the need to quit, I wish the best of luck.  Remember, though, it does take years for lungs to fully recover from the damage smoking causes and the heavier/ longer you have been smoking, the longer it will take for your lungs to recover.

The beauty of chocolate

I admit to having a minor chocolate addiction.  I like it in bikkies, in cakes, in drinkable form.  It's sweet, rich and melts in the mouth.  This is why I dislike it when people say how bad it is.  It's simple not true.


Cocoa powder and Cocoa butter contain traces of vitamins C, A, and D.  The fat contents contains a high amount of Vitamin E.  It also contains good amounts of iron, phosphorus and copper.  Even better, if it's made with milk, it contains protein, potassium, magnesium and calcium.


In addition to these nutritional values, chocolate is also high in antioxidants.  This, in my books, makes it a super-food.


All the information here is borrowed from Tamara Moffett at http://www.livestrong.com/article/279045-chocolate-and-vitamins/