If I could have just one friend waiting for me when I got out of cigarette prison, it would be vitamins.

If I could have just one friend waiting for me when I got out of cigarette prison, it would be vitamins. When it comes to sheer destructive power cigarettes have no equal. They wreck your health in almost endless ways. One of these is through the heavy damage they unleash on the various vitamins in your body, and because vitamins are one of first lines of defense in your body, their destruction in turn makes you more susceptible to almost everything that is not in the interest of your best health.We are going to look at vitamins and the critical role they can play in the restoration of your health (life after smoking), but before we can do that we want to address the primary question, What Is A Healthy Diet?

The human body has amazing defensive powers and an even more amazing ability to adapt to poor nutrition. If you are not a student of health and aren't sure how to plan a healthy diet, it's this simple:

The ideal healthy diet should be built along the following proportions:

• Protein——————————30%
  
• Carbohydrates———————-40%
  
• Fats———————————30%

Another way to look at this is that for every 1000 calories you intake, you should strive to achieve the following balance:

• Protein——————————-75 grams
  
• Carbohydrates———————100 grams
  
• Fats———————————-35 grams

Because we have become an obese society, I would like to start our journey with a look at the last of these first: Fats Not all fats are villainous. In fact, some fats - especially those we call EFAs, or, Essential Fatty Acids, are extremely important to our diets and therefore to our good health.The problem with many fats is that they contain cholesterol. Instead of having to commit to memory long lists of what foods do and don't contain "bad" fats, an easy approach is to simply cook everything in olive oil - or one of the many vegetable oils that contain no cholesterol. Of all the things you can do to help your depleted body after quitting cigarettes, lowering your cholesterol is probably the most significant.

The most unfortunate things about fats that contain cholesterol is that most people, Americans in particular, have a love affair with the taste they give fried foods. But in fact, oils like olive oil not only give foods an "exotic" taste that other oils cannot, they reward you with the bonus that they contain no cholesterol. If you don't like the flavor of olive oil, then at least settle on a vegetable or other oil that contains no cholesterol. I challenge you to detect the difference! Of the Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) mentioned earlier, at least two of them - Omega 3 and Omega 6 - can help reduce smokers' risk of a variety of diseases and can lower triglyceride levels in the blood that impair circulation, thus helping to prevent clots. Omega 6 is beneficial to both the heart and to circulation.

Sources of Omega 3 are nuts, seeds and fish (especially tuna and salmon).

Sources of Omega 6 are safflower, sunflowers, walnuts, sesame and soybean.

Carbohydrates Our next look is at carbohydrates, of which there are both simple carbohydrates (candies, sweets and processed flours, for instance) and complex carbohydrates (vegetables and whole grains, for instance). How fast your food "burns" (food is fuel) is equal to how long it will last. If protein can be likened to slow-burning coals at one end of the fuel scale and simple carbohydrates at the other end can be likened to throwing a match in a container filled with gasoline, then complex carbohydrates are somewhere in the middle. Naturally, the quicker the fire burns out (simple carbohydrates), the sooner you are without energy, whereas the longer it burns (protein), the longer you have stamina and everything that goes with it.

The problem with simple carbohydrates is that they can stimulate hormone insulin in a way that is not good. In fact, if they are consumed in excess, they can cause a quick rise in blood sugar levels. When this happens, the body, recognizing the rapid escalation, tries to settle things down by sending insulin to move the excess sugar out of the bloodstream. But if an excess of insulin is released, it can actually have the reverse affect of decreasing your energy level, and instead of picking you up, it can cause you to feel even more exhausted than you before you ate the sweet! Meanwhile, here you are, the ex-smoker, desperate for a pick-me-up, you've eaten a candy bar, it's burned out in under 30 minutes and now you're feeling even more depleted and exhausted.

Desperate for an immediate lift, your friend the cigarette reminds you, from memory past, that nicotine has just the charge you're looking for - and an instant later you've just started smoking again. I cannot impress upon you strongly enough the urgency of a HEALTHY DIET all through your life, but if you're an ex-smoker trying to stay quit, it is absolutely crucial.

Protein Finally, we want to take a look at protein, the granddaddy energy of them all. As we have noted, protein is a slow-burning fuel that supports energy over a longer, consistently-sustained period of time. Among other things, protein is charged with the responsibility of manufacturing neurotransmitters, which in turn have a huge impact on mood. I don't need to remind you how important controlling mood swings is if you are trying to quit smoking. Once again, I cannot stress enough the vital importance of beginning your day with a high infusion of protein. A breakfast filled with protein can absolutely change not only the brightness and strength and presence of your day, it can actually change your life. This will not happen in a week, but your general feeling of wellbeing will. In short, a diet rich in complete proteins is necessary to the very sustenance of life. Proteins form the base for all living structures and manipulate the chemical processes that allow life to happen. If you are still hungry after a meal, leave the cake and ice cream (simple carbohydrates) alone. Serve yourself another bowl of beans or a helping of one of the hundreds of varied and delicious food sources of protein.

Who's Who In Vitamin B World

Protein contains amino acids, almost all of which are critical to you if you have recently quit smoking. They can be obtained inexpensively in the form of vitamin B-Complex and include the following powerhouse of stars:

Vitamin B1—-Known as Thiamin, this amino acid corresponds to the good health of your heart, nervous system and muscle tissue and plays an important role in metabolism.

Vitamin B2—-Riboflavin, forms red blood cells and it vital to your vision, healthy hair and the formation of red blood cells.

Vitamin B3—-Niacin, The ENERGY MAKER, it also lowers cholesterol, helps insomnia and can be a benefactor for those suffering from depression.

Vitamin B5—-Panothenic Acid, The Regulator, regulates energy, regulates stress, regulates the nervous system and regulates the adrenal glands.

Vitamin B6—-Pyridoxine, is vitally essential to the good health of the nervous system. And Also Starring Other vitamins for consideration for those who have recently quit smoking might include the following as well:

Vitamin A——A key player in vision and body growth, Vitamin A is an Antioxidant can be crucial in sweeping up the filth cigarette smoking leaves behind. Vitamin A is also a principal player in the body's repair process.

Vitamin C——I can't say enough about Vitamin C. Also an antioxidant that helps clean up the cigarette litter in your body, this vitamin has been proven not only to fight cancer but to prevent some forms of it. It heals wounds and is vital key to healthy bones, teeth and gums (cigarette smoking causes the gums to recede).

Vitamin D——Primarily assists the body in using calcium, but it is also for the bones, teeth and gums, as well as for the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

Vitamin D can be absorbed from sunshine, so it's the one vitamin you never have to buy. However, if you're thinking of assimilating it this way, take protection against the sun's harmful rays.

Vitamin E——-Known as Tocopherol, Vitamin E is yet another antioxidant that play a vital role in sweeping up the trash cigarette smoking leaves behind. Tocopherol has been shown to counter damage to cells, but it also counters tiredness and can brighten mood. Just an importantly, it protects both the heart and brain, especially against heart attack and stroke. In summary, you may wish to consider adding these few simple and inexpensive vitamins to your diet immediately after you've quit smoking:

• Vitamin A
  
• Vitamin B-Complex
  
• Vitamin C
  
• Vitamin E

You are strongly advised against taking vitamins or for that matter any supplement without first consulting your doctor or physician. I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT a scientist. I can only attest to the good these vitamins have done for me over the past 22 years I have been taken them since quitting smoking. My endorsement of and strong belief in the value of vitamins is, ultimately, only MY opinion.

Are Vitamin Supplements Right For You?

With all that said and done, you have the right to know that less than 1% of deaths in the United States each year result from vitamin toxicity. Even so, you are well-advised never to introduce anything into your body without first consulting your doctor or physician.

All of the vitamins above suffer HEAVY DAMAGE as a result of smoking. Vitamin C, for instance, occurs in lower levels in smokers than in the general population. Research has proven that it is especially beneficial in fighting cancers to the mouth, larynx and throat.

The Wrap Up

Beta Carotene (an A vitamin) is also low in smokers. It is a cancer-preventative and keeps breathing passages clear. Vitamin E is nearly magical in its powers and can repair damage from heart attacks and stroke. It is a primary player in fighting high cholesterol and repairing damage to arteries caused by smoking. Vitamin B-Complex is essential because it not only makes energy but fights depression. Given the edginess of smokers who have just quit, this essential vitamin and ally can actually mean the difference to many ex-smokers in whether they give in to cigarettes or break away from them.

Finally, I would not consider a diet that did not include Lecithin and COQ10. COQ10, in particular, has played a major role in my energy level, my memory and my thinking. It plays an equally critical role in the effectiveness of the immune system and in the aging process. Once again I remind you that this is opinion and testimony on my part. All in all I spend about $80 a month on vitamin supplements. You will NOT realize the benefits of vitamins for about the first 4 to 6 months of taking them, but if you stick with them that long, then leave them out of your diet for a couple of weeks, you will almost assuredly recognize the difference.

I cannot prescribe vitamins nor do I prescribe them. I am a vitamin advocate and I don't think anyone should be without them because more and more, the countries of our world are putting more and more processed foods in our grocery markets. These foods are sadly delinquent in vitamins, minerals and herbs.

Ask your nutritionist which vitamins are right for you!

Thas me Dr Robin Rushlo email me at blindguy55@msn.com and I can get you started off right.