Drink Milk, Quit Smoking?

A new study at Duke University reveals that a healthy diet may make it easier for smokers to quit smoking. Researchers asked smokers to rate the effects of food on the taste of their cigarettes. The findings:

• Cigarettes taste best with meat, alcohol and coffee.
• Fruits, veggies and dairy products impair the taste of cigarettes.
• Menthol cigarettes show the least susceptibility to flavor changes.

So if you're working on getting healthy, the first step --obviously-- is to quit smoking. No point in losing weight and exercising if you're going to end up with lung cancer. I say this as someone who loves smoking. It really is too bad that smoking isn't like taking your vitamins.

But, alas, it isn't. I went on Wellbutrin for three months to quit and was able to stay smoke-free until my friend asked me to be maid of honor in her wedding (long story). So now I'm back on Wellbutrin and hoping to quit again, this time for good.

But there are a bunch of options, including nicotine patches, nicotine gum, hypnotism and a new pill that may alter the taste of cigarettes.

I think what's most interesting in this new study from Duke is that most of us believe that quitting smoking will cause us to gain weight. However, if we're able to combine quitting smoking with a healthy diet, it seems that we might strengthen our chances of quitting smoking and not gaining weight, since hopefully the diet changes would offset the weight gain.

And the study makes sense. Are you a smoker? Try lighting up after drinking a glass of milk. Gross.