Foods to assist in nicotine withdrawal?

I always see ex-smokers chew on ridiculous amounts of gum (not nicotine gum)

My boyfriend swears by raw ginger. He sliced it thinly and chewed a piece whenever he had cravings (with occasional help from an e-cigarette). The smell (and I'm assuming taste) is a bit overwhelming.. he said it was the strong taste that kept him distracted, but he managed to quit completely within a couple of months.

I remember reading that foods that are slow to digest help with withdrawal and to avoid foods like orange juice which are fast to digest. The theory being that slower foods keep the nicotine reduction on a more even keel, while fast digesting foods lead to too high a drop, causing more severe withdrawal symptoms. This was 10 years ago so maybe the wisdom has changed.

My boyfriend chewed toothpicks for a few months to quit. Hasn't smoked in over 5 years now.
I've heard of people dipping them in certain things to get a flavor, and some are sold flavored as well. You'll find something that works for you.

I so agree with the fireballs! i don't know why but they really helped me when I quit! Also good idea to increase your fiber intake and drink more water to help prevent constipation!

Might be a little out-there, but if you have access to a sauna or steam room, or a hot tub, or sufficiently hot water in your shower, spending some time in there every day for 3-4 days can help you by sweating out some of the nicotine in your system. Or so I've heard; I've never smoked so I can't speak to how effective this might be for you. I have studied mechanisms of addiction and of nicotine addiction in particular, though, and I can tell you that a huge part of getting over nicotine addiction is psychological. Needing something to do with your hands or mouth is also a problem that people run into, hence gum, toothpicks, sunflower seeds, etc being so popular among people trying to quit.

Changing up your routine will definitely help, though; the effect of the environment on addiction to any substance is significant. You've heard stories of celebrities who OD on preposterously large quantities of drugs, and it wasn't the first time they had done that much - 9 times out of 10, they OD because they were doing their drugs of choice somewhere other than where they normally did them (like a hotel room). The body becomes accustomed to a routine of drug use so that, when you're in the situation and environment where you normally use a substance (e.g., with your morning coffee), the body compensates by inducing withdrawal symptoms, so using the drug brings you back to normal. Switching to tea and perhaps drinking the tea in a different room will help to dispel morning cravings.

If you nitpick at the food you want to eat, it will bring up stress, and you will start again.

Destress the body. Do not "worry" about weight issues or other nutrition concerns. Sugar and gaining weight are dwarfed mightily when talking about quitting smoking. But you have to really want to quit smoking, not to just want to quit when it will not make you gain weight.

Oh, and I quit cold turkey. Spent three months feeling guilty about every time I puffed up, and then one morning, just didn't need em. Now, I can be around smoking, but will not want them at all. I don't think my lungs could take such toxins anymore anyways. They have adjusted to being able to run for 3-5 miles without stopping!

I had a college teacher say that tums helped with that. she chose one class volunteer who was a smoker and told him when he craved a cigarette to raise his hand and she handed him a tums. seemed to work? many years ago. something about the acid and ph levels and that's why drinking alcohol makes people crave cigs. but tums kills the urge. maybe same with coffee?

do not quit coffee cold turkey. taper down. especially if you are getting headaches. tea only has a percentage of the caffeine as coffee so hopefully it will be enough for you not to have withdrawals.