(NaturalNews) Most smokers eat junk food nearly every day of their smoking lives, because they know that the cigarettes are already destroying most of their "healthy living," so why bother to eat right, right? There are 45 million smokers in the United States, and coincidentally Americans eat about 50 billion hamburgers a year, so go figure. In fact, McDonald's alone sells 75 burgers every second of every day.

How is this relevant? Fast food, beer and aspirin are a typical consumption regimen for many smokers, who don't sleep well, have sicknesses last longer than non-smokers and have that constant hack cough. So no matter what weight a smoker may be "weighing in" at while smoking, that weight is likely to skyrocket after coming off nicotine. The hourly or bi-hourly stimulant keeps many smokers skinny or at the weight that they were when they started smoking, but there's more health detriment in store for the "ex-smoker" who doesn't understand a thing about nutrition.

Nicotine is a stimulant and a sedative - it kills appetite, but feeds long-term depression

Nicotine is a heavily used addictive drug and the leading preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States. Ninety percent of lung cancer cases involve cigarette addiction. So exactly what is nicotine? Nicotine is a naturally occurring clear liquid that turns brown when burned and smells like tobacco when exposed to air. It has very complex and UNPREDICTABLE effects on the brain and body.

Forget for a second about how nicotine makes smokers feel while they smoke it, and let's talk about the long-term "feeling" that keeps them reeling backwards, losing not only the benefits of healthy living but the drive and motivation to fuel a progressive lifestyle. It has long been known that smokers have higher rates of depression than nonsmokers, but research reveals a deeper link, one of a causal relationship. Depression, quite often, leads to uncontrolled eating "binges" and a "lack of caring" about much at all. When smokers quit, they still have a need to feel enthusiastic, and without changing what they eat, that "enthusiasm" may be for convenient junk-science addictions like cheap chocolate, fried foods and just plain eating to occupy their time.

Quit smoking and eat more vegetables - the organic ones

If you quit smoking, you can get healthy and lose weight or simply maintain proper weight, without medication, surgery or consuming artificial sweeteners, which are all usually very detrimental to holistic health. Start first by reading articles and books that talk about oxygen-killing cancer cells. Organic vegetables feed your cells oxygen and can make you feel "full" even when your stomach is only half full. This is a strategy. Also, true spring water alkalizes an ex-smoker's highly acidic body and brings energy and vitality into the new equation, fueling the innate desire to exercise. This is also a strategy. Strategies for obtaining and maintaining optimal health can be very simple. That leads us to talking about omega-3s (healthy fats) and how vitamin B complex can balance the central nervous system. This is a key third strategy to never putting on unhealthy weight after quitting smoking.

Omega-3s and vitamin B complex can help eliminate stress, anxiety and depression

The 7,000 chemicals in cigarettes disrupt the CNS, the central nervous system. This creates anxiety, nervousness and doubt. Nicotine provides just enough kick to make smokers feel normal for 20 minutes. Little do most smokers know when they quit that specific natural foods, vitamins and supplements boost dopamine and serotonin production, and balance the central nervous system. Vitamin B complex, mucuna, and cabbage are great examples of this.

Also, many nutrients, such as the B vitamins, are critical to proper brain function. In fact, fatty acid deprivation works against optimal brain power. The brain is almost entirely composed of fatty acids. Insert one avocado into your daily diet. Buy some coconut oil and flax seed oil. These will replace whatever salad dressings you were using. Remember to rotate your greens, including collard, spinach, kale and mustard greens. It's no huge secret that this works. If you smoke, become a non-smoker today, and never put on a single pound of unwanted, unneeded weight; in fact, find your perfect balance with Natural News.

"It's no secret that long-term diet and nutrition choices have an effect on the way we look and feel," wrote Alexis Black for Natural News, "but new studies show that nutrition can also affect the way we think. As it turns out, there really is such a thing as 'food for thought.'"

Do you know somebody who wants to quit smoking? Tell them about the natural method! (http://programs.naturalnews.com/14AndOut__TV.htm)

Sources for this article include:

http://psychcentral.com

http://addictions.about.com

http://www.womenshealthmag.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com