Nicotine is an addictive chemical which gets into the body when cigarette is smoked. Even passive smoking or second-hand smoking is found to lead to the entry of nicotine in traces into the system. Once cigarette smoke enters the lungs, the bloodstream absorbs the nicotine from the smoke and distributes it all through the body. As nicotine is a poisonous chemical, the body makes all attempts to metabolize it with the help of the kidneys. This chemical is soluble in water and it is flushed via the liver and gets into the urine ultimately to be expelled out of the body. In each cigarette, there is about 9 mg of nicotine out of which 1 – 2 mg actually enters the system through inhalation. If you are a smoker who is trying to kick the habit and know how to get nicotine out of your system, read on.
Increase your water intake
Consume plenty of water. Given that nicotine dissolves in water, increasing your water consumption will assist in flushing it out of your body through urine. A healthy adult human being generally consumes 62 – 72 ounces of water on a daily basis. But you can flush out the chemical at a faster pace if you consume a minimum of 80 ounces of water every day for around a week.
Work Out
Other than having plenty of water, you should also work out more in order to detoxify your body and cleanse your system of nicotine. Exercising can help flush out nicotine faster through sweat. You can jog, run or play any sport every day in order to remove the chemical more quickly. However, if you are not really into exercising, it is better to stick only to the basics and attempt more than you can manage. Working out too much without allowing enough time can put your heart and lungs at risk. Like any other substance that gets into your system, nicotine needs to be metabolized. Due to this reason, any activity which raises your metabolic rate can assist in faster removal of nicotine and cotinine from your system.
Have a proper diet
People who know how to get nicotine out of your system would also advise you to reduce your diet and consume more fruit. Try to add more citrus and vitamin-rich fruits into your daily diet, such as apples, grapefruit and oranges which can help cleanse your system better. It is also important to eliminate heavy meals, junk foods and heavy eatables for a few days at least. Substitute these foods with low-calorie eatables, vegetables, fruits and crackers.
Avoid consumption of beverages
During the first few days of the detoxification period, you should try to avoid coffee and alcohol and also reduce sugar intake to a minimum. These tend to reduce the elimination of nicotine from the system. It is better to have minimum amounts of food, and increase the intake of fruits and water.
Have more Vitamin C
Remember to have more vitamin C – which can accelerate your metabolism and allow faster nicotine elimination. Intake of nicotine destroys vitamin C reserves in your system, and these have to be replenished as well.
