Smoking is something that a lot of people do worldwide. While all are well aware of the ill-effects of smoking, many seem to struggle throughout life to get rid of this habit. Firstly it's very important to understand what a cigarette contains and how our body takes it. When one understands the mechanism, they become more aware of what it's doing to their health and how can they manage the collateral damage. Cigarettes contain Nicotine and it’s the most dangerous part of the cigarette. It is what reaches the lungs and causes addiction. Cigarettes also contain Tar which is very toxic and has the function of carrying nicotine to your lungs. Another toxic substance it contains is Cadmium, which is a heavy metal. So the more we can help the human body remove heavy metal toxicity like cadmium from the body, the easier it gets to manage the collateral side effects. When one smokes, there is a lot of carbon-monoxide that is inhaled. Carbon monoxide is an odourless and colourless gas that has 20x stronger affinity towards haemoglobin than oxygen, hence it latches onto it much faster and gets carried to all the cells in your body. Now even a tiny amount of carbon monoxide makes blood very toxic and can cause shortness of breath and higher heart rates. Amidst all of this toxicity, there is a lot happening in the background triggered by smoking, like: 1. Regular smoking depletes our body of Vitamin C and that can interfere with the absorption of dietary iron, it’s seen that smokers have almost 40% lower levels than most people. One cigarette depletes almost 25 mg of vitamin c. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant ,boosts immunity, prevents & heals diseases, maintains skin and hair health and metabolic functions in the body. Lack of Vit. C leads to a build-up of free radicals in the body and that is what gives rise to disease, low immunity and several other problems. If you smoke, it’s essential to replenish Vitamin C through citrus fruits and in most cases a good quality vitamin C supplement. Tomatoes not only contain high Vit C, but also chlorogenic and coumaric acid that helps fight some of the carcinogens brought about by cigarette smoke. 2. Smoking cigarettes depletes other essential vitamins and minerals from your body and its very important to replenish them because each have a function ranging from immunity to heart health to prevention of diseases like cancer, diabetes, thyroid and several other things including weight gain and weight loss .Vitamin E is one such depleted nutrient . Smoking damages and cause scars in the arterial walls which can culminate into heart issues. Vitamin E being a powerful anti-oxidant helps repair scars and keep the arterial health in order. It also neutralizes free radicals in the body Hence one must take a good quality emulsified vitamin E or get it from natural foods like pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts .Dosage depends on how heavily one smokes. 3. Smoking depletes a range B vitamins. Vitamin B5 along with collagen is what prevents aging of skin, wrinkles, constriction of blood vessels. Low levels of B5 is liked with shortness in breath, lack of stamina and endurance. A supplement high in B5 is a must, so is eating foods plentiful in B5 if you smoke cigarettes. The presence of Tobacco blocks the formation of vitamin B6 which is what help in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates. Sowhen we have less b6 which is depleted by smoking we have these issues, so replenishing B6 in your body is very important. Smoking also depletes B12 and its insufficiency leads to diseases like arthritis, Parkinson's, dementia and many other brain diseases. A supplement in such case is necessary and remember to keep at least two hours of a gap between Vitamin C and B 12 because Vitamin C can destroy B12 if taken together. 4. Smoking doesn’t even spare trace minerals like Selenium which is so important for thyroid and blood sugar management. Selenium has a function of forming the architecture of cells. It has the ability to latch onto heavy metals like cadmium and remove it from the body. One can get natural selenium in seeds like pumpkin, Brazil nuts (highest content) sunflower, watermelon, almonds and walnuts. Quantity depends on how much one smokes. In most cases one is required to take a high quality plant based selenium supplement. 5. Magnesium gets depleted when you smoke cigarettes. Magnesium deficiency can cause issues like heart problems, calf pains, muscle spasms and neck pains. For the proper functioning of heart a balance between calcium-magnesium is required and an imbalance in that can cause arrhythmia. Magnesium is also required to breakdown fatty acids to develop cell membranes and inability to do so because of Mg deficiency leads to deposits of fatty acids between joints and arteries causing pain and muscle spasms. In a perfect world, one would want to quit smoking completely, but if that’s a tough task, the best way to enhance health is by making sure one replenishes what smoking takes away from body.
Plant-based Diets: The Novel Health Catalysts
Mr. Luke Coutinho – Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine, Holistic Nutrition and Founder, Purenutrition.me.
The main reason that I have championed plant-based diets is because I have seen first-hand what a difference they make and how they can benefit people. In a world where fad diets seem to spring up on a daily basis, no one thinks that the solution can be as simple as switching to a plant-based diet. Fad diets often promise miraculous results but they do little to improve health and wellbeing; in fact, many of them are imbalanced and can have a negative impact on overall health. I can tell you that there is no diet plan that can guarantee overnight results but adopting a plant-based diet can work as a health catalyst to offer greater and quicker health benefits.
Why Plant-Based Diets Are Health Catalysts
Over the years, I have noticed that more and more people come to me with lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. What’s shocking is that most of them are just in their 30s! One of the main cases for the rising incidence of lifestyle diseases is our growing dependence on meat, especially processed and packaged meat products. Do you know that right now, 1 in every 2 chickens in India is contaminated by antibiotics? Can you imagine the impact this has on your health? Processed meat is so unhealthy that the WHO (World Health Organization) has classified it as a group 1 carcinogen – the same category as tobacco!
On the other hand, plants provide a wide range of macro and micro nutrients including proteins, healthy carbs and fats, vitamins and minerals. These nutrients do play an important role in improving health but what makes plant-based diets health catalysts are the enzymes in these foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain natural enzymes that support digestion and improve overall enzymatic activity. So, let’s take a look at just 2 common fruits – pineapples and papayas.
Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromelain which reduces inflammation – if you have joint pain or an autoimmune disorder, you might want to toss a few chunks of pineapple into your fruit bowl. Similarly, papaya contains papain, an enzyme that promotes wound healing and breaks down toxins in the body. Switching to a plant-based diet will increase your intake of enzymes and help to improve your health on a cellular level.
How Plant-Based Diets Can Protect You from Major Diseases
When you follow a plant-based diet, you are likely to consume less saturated fat and more phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. This means that you will lower your risk of cholesterol problems and blood pressure which in turn reduces the risk of other diseases such as heart disease and cancer. It’s not surprising that vegetarians are 25% less likely to die of heart disease. Plant-based diets that are rich in high-fibre whole grains, legumes, and nuts offer great heart protection health benefits so if there is a history of heart disease in your family, you might want to swap out that packet of chips for some nuts!
People who switch to a plant-based diet have half the risk of developing diabetes as compared to meat-eaters and they are also less likely to suffer from weight gain and obesity. Also, people who follow plant-based diets have a lower incidence of cancer as compared to people with a high consumption of meat. So, to sum it up: a plant-based diet = lower risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes… AND no love handles!
Not All Plant-Based Diets Are Healthy
I can’t even begin to count the number of times that I have met people who assumed that their diets were healthy only because they were vegetarian! Not all plant-based diets are the same – while some are strictly vegan diets without egg or dairy, others may include a small amount of poultry and fish. What is important is that the diet should be “appropriately planned” – which means that it should meet all your nutritional requirements. It’s not always easy to sustain a plant-based diet, especially in the beginning; this is one of the main reasons I founded Pure Nutrition, to provide people with a convenient and sustainable option. Whatever diet plan you choose to follow, make sure that it is sustainable in the long run and never forget that plant-based diets can be unhealthy and can even lead to weight gain if they are not properly planned.
When I suggest a plant-based diet to my clients, they often ask if they will be able to meet their protein requirements, which are higher since they have regular workouts. It is true that meat is an excellent source of protein but you can get all the protein you require from plant sources. I don’t try to “convert” people to vegetarianism, I only point out how a plant-based diet is the health catalyst they’ve been searching for and once they give it a try, they never look back!
