Someone I know just started her candida diet and asked if I might suggest the order to eliminate her top three killers from her diet and life. It’s the sugar, cigarettes and caffeine that he’s been addicted to for years and now they all have to be cut out.

He knows he can’t do all three without freaking out, so he was wondering if anyone had any experience with this and what might help him in his attempt. He knows that he has to leave them all, but mentally he can’t do it all at once because he thinks he’s not that strong.

Now that is hard. I was lucky enough to have quit smoking about 3 or 4 years ago. I used the patch and Zyban. I used the strongest patch for about 3 months and went down to the next one for about 1 ½ – 2 months, then a month on the weakest. It was kind of like my 4-5 try and I wanted it to stick. With both the patches and the Zyban, I was able to get it to stick. I thank God every day for that.

If you have to eliminate all addictions, I would ask you which one is bothering you the most right now? Per Dr. Mercola’s suggestion, I would choose sugar first. After five days of strictly following the diet (no sugars, starches, or processed foods, no grains), amazing things will happen to your psyche that should make everyone else easier. Especially, I think if you have strong cravings for cigarettes/smoking after a meal, changing what you eat to low carb will quickly change what you think about eating. And the heightened awareness of your taste buds can make cigarettes seem pretty off-putting.

Also, make sure you have plenty of fresh vegetables on hand when you quit and don’t give in to carb cravings. Take it easy, and instead of feeling like torture, you should think about your future health. Nothing will be good if you never start a good condition.