THE STOP SMOKING DIET

The better of two forthcoming guides based on new findings in cigarette addiction (see also Solomon, below): there is a diet which makes it easier to stop smoking, and it can be adapted to cause weight loss. Ogle sets out the facts clearly: cigarette addiction is a physical addiction to the substance nicotine, and researchers (predominantly Schachter at Columbia) have found that smokers smoke periodically to maintain a certain nicotine level in the blood. Since nicotine is excreted more quickly in acidic (rather than alkaline) urine, explains Ogle, a diet which renders the urine alkaline causes a beneficially slow, steady decrease in the body's nicotine level--rather than a fast drop which causes an intense desire to smoke again. Such a diet is also compatible with weight loss and healthy eating habits, since it involves eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables, and reducing meat portions. Ogle successfully interprets information on how the body uses and rids itself of nicotine, and the effect of the substance on various body systems; and she supplies practical advice on implementing this information. The diet, she emphasizes, is only one part of a quitting program; other measures are also necessary--for heavily addicted smokers, temporary use of alternative sources of nicotine may be helpful (e.g., snuff, or a soon-to-be-available nicotine chewing gum), since these are less harmful than smoking. Finally, the extensive menu and recipe section lays out the diet in detail. Much more is known about smoking and addiction than is generally thought, and Ogle has done a solid, careful job of explaining and applying the latest scientific advances.