“People think smoking helps with stress – it doesn’t”
When chef Vittoria Velti gave up smoking, she found her health improved – and she could finally taste her food properly
More than 80% of smokers start before the age of 20 and Vittoria Velti is one of them. The chef who lives in south-west London was just 14 when she started.
“It was very stupid and I would not do it again,” she reflects. Vittoria gave up smoking when she became pregnant, only to start again with the stress of first-time motherhood. It was when she was pregnant with her second son, in 2020, that she quit for good. “I didn’t want to be a mother that smokes,” the 39-year-old says.
Her determination that her sons now aged three and six - won’t get addicted in the future was a key factor in her decision to quit. “I’m definitely trying to avoid this,” she says. “If you see that your parents are smokers, you are more inclined to smoke. My mum was a smoker, and her friends were smokers.”
Quitting has had so many benefits for Vittoria, including for she teaches cookery workshops to
lose your taste buds, so quitting really changed my work life because I was able to taste more. For a person working with food, it’s essential to taste things.”
At the peak of her addiction, Vittoria was smoking 20 cigarettes a day, so she has also saved a small fortune since quitting. “We now treat ourselves to better food instead of cigarettes,” she says.
Most significantly, smoking had affected Vittoria’s health, including causing her to suffer from low blood pressure. “I was always feeling tired and looking pale, just not feeling 100 per cent. And everything was smelly. Now I can’t
We treat ourselves to better food instead of buying cigarettes
For someone who was otherwise healthy and sporty, smoking no longer reflected the active life that Vittoria was leading. After quitting, she felt noticeably healthier and happier.
“I don’t have any shortness of breath,” she says. “I used to be very depressed and anxious about doesn’t.”
She also feels that she is stronger and able to fully take part in activities with her energetic young sons. “We’re all going skiing together,” she says with a smile. “Imagine if I had shortness of breath - how much less fun would I be able to have with them?”