12
12
Th e HEALTH | FEBRUARY, 2019
ISSUE: SMOKING
fad, vitamin vapes.
Pursuit of pleasure/The Dopamine Diet
“Nicotine works as a neurotransmitter that sticks to the
brain providing the smoker with a pleasurable feeling,
while suppressing hunger. It’s similar to dopamine
which can be found in chocolate. Secondly, it could be
due to the sensory part of the cavity,” explains Kenneth.
You know how cigarette smoke tends to stick to our
clothes and hair? Kenneth explains that when a person
smokes, the taste and smell will linger in their mouths
thus disturbing the food palate.
“If a smoker tells me that a certain dish is delicious,
I will be rather doubtful,” quips Kenneth humorously.
Packing on the pounds
Kenneth Low is the Senior
Nutritionist at NCSM,
working to help smokers
quit while also maintaining
proper diet and nutrition.
Quitting cigarettes
woes, debunked
What kind of diet should a
former smoker follow?
BY REENASSRI SEKARAN
B
EEN reaching for the cookie jar since your
2019 resolution to quit smoking? Here to
debunk the mystery behind quitting that
oh-so addictive nicotine and its mysterious
relationship with food is Senior Nutrition-
ist, Kenneth Low of National Cancer Society
Malaysia (NCSM). We will also fi ll you in on the latest
It’s a common worry amongst smokers to see the weigh-
ing scale creak once they quit.
“Gaining weight is not a side eff ect of quitting smok-
ing. What happens is that smokers replace the very
action of smoking with food.”
“Smoking is a “hand-to-mouth” habit which is simi-
lar to the action of eating. And even though nicotine
gets them hooked, for some it’s a habit. Th ey would
light up a cigarette after a meal. Th erefore when they
are trying to quit, they need a replacement. Sugary
treats becomes substitute to get that same good feels
that cigarettes once provided.”
He also revealed that once smokers quit, their
sensory palate is revived, food get tastier, rather than
their usual fl avour – cigarette smoke infused delicacies.
Beating the munchies
So what kind of diet should a former smoker follow?
“If you do a proper diet consultation, the fi rst step
begins with a need analysis – we fi rst understand
the patient’s background and needs. Everyone has a
diff erent problem. For example, a smoker who quits
and replaces it with chocolate is diff erent case from
a smoker who recently quit who instead of practic-
ing replacement, resorts to food to kill the boredom.
Our advice caters accordingly to each situation. It’s
a step-by-step framework, need analysis followed by
identifying the problem, patient intervention, and a
follow-up session. Th e content at each stage will vary
for each patient,” said Kenneth. — Th e Health
on e-cigarettes and vapes.
The fi rst step
“First, we would do what we can to make the clients
feel comfortable. We converse about their smoking
habits such as, how long have they been smoking and
how many packets of cigarettes do they smoke in a
day,” Swinder starts.
“Th en, we conduct a COPPM test (breath analyser)
where the client would have to blow into a particular
device in order to fi nd out their carbon monoxide
level. Th is is to identify whether they are heavy or
casual smokers. Smokers who want to quit also fi ll
out a Fagerstrom Chart to disclose how addicted the
smoker is to nicotine and fi nd out how much help and
what kind of medication they will need.”
Oops I did it again?
QUITTING EXPERT:
Swinder helms the
smoking cessation clinic
at NCSM and have helped
many to curb the habit.
Getting out
of the habit
BY CHRISTINE ZOE STA MARIA
M
ANY people think it’s too diffi cult to quit
smoking and it’s true for most people as
cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addic-
tive drug. However, one can overcome the yearning
with the proper approach. Th e Health found the time
to speak to Swinder Jit Jag Singh, Smoking Cessa-
tion Specialist, from the National Cancer Society
Malaysia (NCSM) regarding the approaches to take
by smokers who want to quit as well as her thoughts
Quitting and relapsing is a part of life. It is like riding
a bicycle where you fall and injure yourself but you get
up and try again until one day, you are able to cycle
without falling. How do we fi nd the motivation?
“When you try to quit smoking, you will fail a
few times before you successfully quit one day,” she
advises.
Safe place for smokers
Smokers can be shy and insecure about quitting,
therefore smoking cessation clinics (both private and
government sectors) should be advertised more so
that smokers will know where to get help from.
“Another way to implement awareness is through
NCSM’s quit smoking hotline in which smokers can
call and get advice about the approaches to quit smok-
ing. Th is may be a preferred method as they can ask as
many questions as they want openly whilst remaining
anonymous. Th ere should be a constant reminder to
smokers so that they know that they are not alone
and there are clinics here to guide and support them
through their journey.”