300 people die every day in the UK as a result of smoking; many of these are comparatively young smokers.
As a smoker there are many health risks that come with smoking:
- Lung cancer.
- Heart cancer.
- Emphysema.
- High blood pressure.
In each cigarette there are more than and at least 400 toxic substances.
There are also many products that will help you too cut down and eventually quit smoking.
Nicotine gum: You chew the nicotine gum, you then place the chewing gum on the gums in your mouth, and nicotine is then absorbed through the lining of the mouth.
Nicotine patches: These can be worn for 24 hours. The nicotine is absorbed through the skin.
Lozengers: suck them slowly to release nicotine. They take around 20-30 minutes to dissolve.
Inhalators: nicotine is absorbed through your moth and throat. If you miss holing a cigarette then this may suit you better.
Improving diet
As you are improving your diet you should consider eating:
- Plenty of fruit and vegetables.
- Plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta. You should choose whole grain where possible as it is good for your body and heart.
- Some milk and dairy foods
- Meat, fish, eggs and other sources of protein for growth and repair for muscles and cells.
- Small amount of foods and drinks high in fats and sugars.
Intake of fatty foods and sugary foods should be minimal. They should only be treats.
You also need to eat breakfast as it kick starts your metabolism.
Eating sugary foods and drinks too often can cause tooth decay, especially if you have them between meals. Many foods that contain added sugar can also be high in calories, cutting down on these can help you control your weight.
High is more than 15g sugars per 100g
Low is 5g sugars or less per 100g
To stay healthy you need to have some fat in your diet. What is important is the kind of fat you are eating within your diet. There are two main types of fat:
Saturated fat: Having too much in your diet can increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood, which can increase the chance of developing heart disease.
Unsaturated fat: Having unsaturated fat in your diet instead of saturated fat will lower blood cholesterol
You should try to cut down on food that is high in saturated fat and instead eat foods that are rich in unsaturated fat instead, such as:
- Vegetable oils these include sunflower, rapeseed and olive oil.
- Oily fish
- Avocados
- Nuts and seeds.
Saturated fat
High is more than 5g saturates per 100g
Low is 1.5g saturates or less per 100g
Try to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. It will be much easier than you think.
For example in one day you could have:
- A glass of juice and a sliced banana with your cereal at breakfast
- A side salad at lunch
- A pear as an afternoon snack
- A portion of peas or other vegetables with your evening meal, but potatoes count as a starchy food, not as portions of fruit and veg.
You should also think about eating wholegrain foods as they contain more fibre and other nutrients than white starchy foods.
We also digest wholegrain foods more slowly; this can help make you feel fuller for longer so you don’t need to snack in between meals.
Wholegrain foods include:
- Wholemeal and wholegrain bread and pitta bread.
- Whole-wheat pasta and brown rice.
- Wholegrain breakfast cereals such as shredded wheat.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a relaxant so if used in moderation it can reduce feelings of anxiety and inhibitions, making you feel more sociable.
It takes your body an hour to process one unit of alcohol.
There are many risks when drinking alcohol these include:
- You can start to feel out of control, you will slur your words, lose your balance and vomit.
Official guidelines recommend that men shouldn’t regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day and women shouldn’t regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day.
- Alcohol can make you argumentative and aggressive.
- Serious overindulgence in alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning which could put you in a coma or even kill you.
- Long-term excessive use of alcohol causes illnesses such as liver damage, stomach cancer and heart disease.
If you find it hard to change your drinking habits then visit your GP or go to a local alcohol organisation for advice.
If you feel you get too shaky, restless and jumpy when you try to cut down; your doctor can help by prescribing some medication for a short time.
These tables give a rough guide to the amount of alcohol found in different drinks.
“It is thought that about 1 in 3 people who have a problem with alcohol return to sensible drinking, or stop drinking, without any professional help.”
Ways to help you lower your alcohol intake:
- You should try to have no more than one alcoholic drink per day.
- Avoid ‘binge drinking’.
- When drinking at home, people almost always pour themselves a bigger drink than they would get in a bar, so it would be useful to get into the habit of using a spirit or wine measure.
Stop drinking alcohol
You should identify your reasons why you want to stop drinking alcohol. Keep this list so that you can renew your commitment from time to time.
Then you should make a plan and set a date to stop drinking. You need to complete a plan to stop drinking alcohol. Put it in a place where you can see it very often, such as on your fridge door. You might want to put it in more than one place so you can be reminded of your plan. You also might want to put it on a card and keep it in your purse or wallet.
You need to share your plan with others. Talk to your family and friends about your plan. Let them know how they can help you to succeed.
Evaluate your progress. In your plan, identify when you will evaluate your progress so far. You should try a plan for 30 days so that the new behaviour becomes a habit. You need to review your reasons for stopping drinking. Write down the benefits that you are seeing from this.
Continue your new behaviour. After trying this plan for 30 days, try it for another 30 days. It is not easy to change your behaviour, even when it might be in your best interest to change. The more you practise your new behaviour the more likely it will become a habit.
If you try this plan but you feel you are not successful, talk to your doctor about other ways you can stop drinking alcohol.
