
How could quitting smoking and sunflower seeds possibly go together???
One of my best friends in my efforts to quit smoking was...sunflower seeds. Why? Well...i think one of the hardest things for me when I was trying to quit smoking was getting over the habit of putting my hand to my mouth. I always was kind of a "nervous chewer." Even as a kid I chewed my finger nails, pen caps, gum...whatever. I believe that was part of the reason I became a smoker, the whole smoking thing tied in with that kind of "oral fixation" I had. So when I quit I didn't only have to get over the whole nicotine addiction thing, I had to find something other than a cigarette to put in my mouth. I didn't know what to do with my hands.
So whenever I was outside, or alone in my car, or in my house and I got the urge to smoke I would pop some sunflower seeds. The most effective sunflower seeds for me were the kind that were in their shells, not the unshelled ones. The ones in their shells really keep you busy cracking the shells and spitting them out. Plus it really is like smoking in that you put your hand to your mouth to put the seeds in your mouth and to take the shells out.
Not everyone is a fan of sunflower seeds, and eating sunflower seeds is not appropriate in every situation. A lot of people thought I had taken up chewing tobacco when they would see me with a "cheek full of seeds"...ha! But if you are trying to quit smoking and you need something to munch on to keep you busy...try sunflower seeds. Not only are they great at replacing the hand to mouth habit of smoking, they are a lot more healthy than a lot of other things that people binge on when they are trying to quit smoking.
Actually sunflower seeds kind of replaced my smoking habit. To this day I still chew sunflower seeds when I am on a long car trip or hanging around outside. But, hey...I would much rather be a seed chewer than a smoker. And now at least I have something to do with my hands.
One of my best friends in my efforts to quit smoking was...sunflower seeds. Why? Well...i think one of the hardest things for me when I was trying to quit smoking was getting over the habit of putting my hand to my mouth. I always was kind of a "nervous chewer." Even as a kid I chewed my finger nails, pen caps, gum...whatever. I believe that was part of the reason I became a smoker, the whole smoking thing tied in with that kind of "oral fixation" I had. So when I quit I didn't only have to get over the whole nicotine addiction thing, I had to find something other than a cigarette to put in my mouth. I didn't know what to do with my hands.
So whenever I was outside, or alone in my car, or in my house and I got the urge to smoke I would pop some sunflower seeds. The most effective sunflower seeds for me were the kind that were in their shells, not the unshelled ones. The ones in their shells really keep you busy cracking the shells and spitting them out. Plus it really is like smoking in that you put your hand to your mouth to put the seeds in your mouth and to take the shells out.
Not everyone is a fan of sunflower seeds, and eating sunflower seeds is not appropriate in every situation. A lot of people thought I had taken up chewing tobacco when they would see me with a "cheek full of seeds"...ha! But if you are trying to quit smoking and you need something to munch on to keep you busy...try sunflower seeds. Not only are they great at replacing the hand to mouth habit of smoking, they are a lot more healthy than a lot of other things that people binge on when they are trying to quit smoking.
Actually sunflower seeds kind of replaced my smoking habit. To this day I still chew sunflower seeds when I am on a long car trip or hanging around outside. But, hey...I would much rather be a seed chewer than a smoker. And now at least I have something to do with my hands.