Cigarette smoking is very addictive and can have long-term, adverse health effects. But there is hope for those who want to quit thanks to innovative apps, helplines and proven coping strategies.

In 2019, more than 30.8 million Americans smoked, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That was almost 12.5% of Americans 18 and older.

Smoking is also the No. 1 leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for nearly 1 in 5 deaths.

Cigarettes have chemicals that can make this addiction particularly insidious. When they enter the lungs, they can cause harmful effects like bronchitis, said Jonathan Bricker, professor in the public health sciences division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Over time, smoking can eventually lead to lung cancer, which has less than an 18% survival rate within 5 years of diagnosis.

Fortunately, lung cancer can be prevented if you stop smoking and learn to "stay quit," said Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Here are six actions you can take to help you or a loved one quit smoking and enjoy a healthier life:

1. Focus on how to 'stay quit'

The goal should not be to quit smoking; rather, it should be on how to "stay quit," Galiatsatos said. He said he's had patients who say they've quit many times, but that they've not been able to permanently stop.

He recommends people break up their larger goal of quitting into smaller goals.

For example, learn your different triggers that could make you want to smoke. That way, you can be mindful and find solutions for those actions.

2. Make each time you quit a learning experience

Most people who smoke quit eight to 12 times, because of the addictiveness of cigarettes, before they successfully quit for good, Bricker said.

Because relapse is so common, Bricker tells his patients to find a lesson they can take from each experience.

"People will say things like, 'I learned how powerful these cravings are, or I learned how seeing my friend smoke was a big trigger for me, or I learned that stress in my life was a big trigger,' " Bricker said.

Patients should approach quitting from the viewpoint that the more things they learn from their relapses, the greater their chance is of quitting permanently, he said.

3. Use phone lines and apps for support

Support groups for people who want to quit smoking are dwindling, so Bricker recommended calling a quitting help line to get outside assistance.

The CDC funds a tobacco cessation hotline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669), which is free to US residents in all states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. Your call goes automatically the quit line in your state or territory.

Callers are connected to coaches who help smokers create a plan to quit and give them advice when facing withdrawals and cravings.

Currently, state cessation hotlines only reach about 1% of people who smoke, which the CDC largely attributes to the lack of funding to promote the service.

Bricker's team at Fred Hutch helped to create the app iCanQuit, which was supported by a grant from the US National Institutes of Health.

The app focuses on acceptance and commitment therapy, which encourages people to accept their emotions and thoughts instead of pushing them away. The tool also offers resources for quitting and handling cravings when they arise, Bricker said.

RELATED: Apps that help you acknowledge your smoking triggers work better, study shows

4. Speak to your medical provider

People who want to quit smoking can talk to their medical provider to come up with a treatment plan filled with multiple strategies, Galiatsatos said.

Doctors can prescribe medication to curb cigarette cravings and make them more manageable, he said. It's a short-term solution to help train your brain to not crave cigarettes as strongly, Bricker added.

The medications doctors provide will depend on your specific situation, Bricker said. The prescriptions tend to be minimal at first then escalate depending on the severity of the addiction.

5. Support people addicted to smoking

Galiatsatos said he's never come across a patient who doesn't already know that smoking is bad, so he recommends avoiding that argument when appealing to a love one who smokes.

"If you are really serious about helping your loved one quit, you have to approach it as pro-smoker and anti-smoking," he said.

When trying to help someone who smokes, make it clear that you are approaching the situation with no stigma or judgment, Galiatsatos said.

Once trust is established, he recommends friends and family members offer to help smokers find resources on how to quit smoking.

Medical providers should also be supportive of their patients who smoke, Galiatsatos said.

If patients feel judged by their doctors for smoking, they might just lie about it. And that doesn't help anyone, he said.

Even when patients don't feel motivated to quit smoking that day, it's important to outline the different treatment options so they have the resources later.

6. Address the root cause of the issue

Many times when people smoke, it's to cope with some underlying issue in their lives such as stress or anxiety, Galiatsatos said. When they face those emotions while quitting, it's instinctive for them to turn to cigarettes.

"If you've always relied on cigarettes to be that coping mechanism, and you don't have a replacement, that's all we're going to see," he said.

To combat this challenge, Galiatsatos recommended that people who are trying to quit smoking go to behavioral counseling. They will be able to better identify why they smoked and work to find healthier ways of processing those emotions.

Why is smoking so addictive anyway?

Cigarettes are filled with chemicals such as nicotine, which are chemically enhanced to drive that addiction, said Galiatsatos.

The chemically enhanced nicotine closely resembles the common neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps control muscle movement and other brain functions.

When the nicotine fits into the acetylcholine receptors, your body releases dopamine, the "feel-good" brain chemical. When the dopamine goes away, people begin craving another cigarette.

"I always tell people this is the most insidious addictive molecule known to man because it doesn't just overdose you," said Galiatsatos, who is also a volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

It rewires the smoker's brain over years and years, and "by the time someone realizes it's robbing them of their health, it's incredibly hard to break that addiction."

Despite the daunting effort it takes, never forget -- it is possible to overcome this addiction and enjoy better health.

We can all agree that as much as we wish we were people who could buy fresh produce and use it all before it goes bad, most of us are not those people. In that case, bags of frozen veggies are the most convenient option at the grocery store. But you may still be wondering if the frozen stuff is as nutritious as the fresh kind, and the answer — for the most part — is yes!The added bonuses of purchasing frozen vegetables are that they're available all year round, even if one particular veggie is not in season. Plus, they're typically cheaper than buying fresh. According to Healthline, veggies are typically frozen right after they're harvested so they retain the majority of their nutrients. Some studies have even shown that certain items like broccoli and kale have higher levels of riboflavin and antioxidants respectively, when frozen versus when fresh. It's important to be aware of exactly what frozen vegetables you're buying, though, because while many of them do not contain added preservatives, some may lose some nutritional value with the addition of salt, sauces, or seasonings that will be noted on the product's packaging. Healthline also suggests that while frozen foods have a longer shelf life, keeping veggies in the freezer after two years could potentially lower their nutritional value. Bottom line, frozen bags of vegetable medleys and mixes are a great option for those who want to eat healthy without the risk of wasting any fresh produce. Win-win!

MALVERN, Iowa (KMTV) -- On a piece of land that has buried train tracks running through it, Tyler Bartley decided to create a large garden to grow local, organic produce and offer it up at affordable prices to his community.

In the bedroom community of Malvern, Iowa it can be tough to compete with the larger city about a half-hour away.

"It was always hard to offer something here that Omaha didn't have better, but having good farmland and quality produce, that's not a challenge here," said Bartley.

Sown Local Foods is able to grow on a larger scale than a typical backyard garden.

"The amount of food has almost tripled in five years, and we're now just scratching the surface on field production of watermelon and sweet corn and stuff that you'd see at bigger stands," said Bartley.

A few years ago they met someone who had extra land attached to where he parked trucks for his business. Bartley set up a garden and is now harvesting arugula and other salad greens.

They have plots of land around the area in Malvern, Council Bluffs, Glenwood, and Pacific Junction.

Once the produce is harvested, it's sold through a number of places. They've partnered with a meal delivery service and restaurants. They also sell at farmers' markets and they have a stand in downtown Malvern.

They accept many forms of payment, including SNAP benefits.

At the stand, a lockbox serves as the cashier. People can just leave payment and take produce.

"The people that are shopping want healthy food for their family, and if you're on a tight budget that's sort of the sweet spot we're at anyways," said Bartley.

Bartley said it takes a lot of hard work, but it's worth it because they feel good about the work they're doing in his hometown.

This story originally reported by Jennifer Griswold on 3NewsNow.com.

We know more about the COVID-19 vaccines and the CDC has relaxed their masking guidelines in certain situations. So you might be wondering about the risks of getting sick with COVID-19 in different situations. 

We asked the experts: What’s the risk of getting COVID-19 from working out at a gym?

Their take: The risk of contracting COVID-19 is low risk, if you’re fully vaccinated.

"If you're unvaccinated and you're around other unmasked people that are potentially not vaccinated, the risk would be much higher because you could have (a) risk of exposure to somebody that could transmit COVID-19," Katie Cary, assistant vice president of infection prevention for HCA Continental Division, told Newsy. 

"So unmasked and vaccinated, the risks are going to be far lower of a severe or even mild COVID-19 illness across the board. If you are unvaccinated and there are other unmasked unvaccinated people at the gym, you're going to be a little bit higher risk of transmitting or catching a Covid 19 infection if somebody else is unmasked and carrying COVID-19 at that time," Dr. Joesph Khabbaza, a pulmonary critical care specialist at Cleveland Clinic, said. 

"One of the risks really comes down to who else is in your life or in your household that may be at risk if you get COVID-19. And this is particularly something to consider when you are at a place like a gym where you may have a large number of people now coming in unmasked. And we know that as you breathe heavier, you dispel more droplets and potentially virus into the air. And the amount of virus in the air will really depend on how good the ventilation is and how many people are there at a given time," Dr. Kelly Cawcutt, associate medical director of infection control and epidemiology at Nebraska Medical Center, said.

This story originally reported by Lindsey Theis on Newsy.com.

NEW YORK (AP) — Bacon and black coffee for breakfast, or oatmeal and bananas?

If you're planning to try to lose weight in 2019, you're sure to find a fierce debate online and among friends and family about how best to do it. It seems like everyone has an opinion, and new fads emerge every year.

Two major studies last year provided more fuel for a particularly polarizing topic — the role carbs play in making us fat. The studies gave scientists some clues, but, like other nutrition studies, they can't say which diet — if any — is best for everyone.

That's not going to satisfy people who want black-and-white answers, but nutrition research is extremely difficult and even the most respected studies come with big caveats. People are so different that it's all but impossible to conduct studies that show what really works over long periods of time.

Before embarking on a weight loss plan for the new year, here's a look at some of what was learned last year.

FEWER CARBS, FEWER POUNDS?

It's no longer called the Atkins Diet, but the low-carb school of dieting has been enjoying a comeback. The idea is that the refined carbohydrates in foods like white bread are quickly converted into sugar in our bodies, leading to energy swings and hunger.

By cutting carbs, the claim is that weight loss will be easier because your body will instead burn fat for fuel while feeling less hungry. A recent study seems to offer more support for low-carb proponents. But, like many studies, it tried to understand just one sliver of how the body works.

The study , led by an author of books promoting low-carb diets, looked at whether varying carb levels might affect how the body uses energy. Among 164 participants, it found those on low-carb diets burned more calories in a resting state than those on high-carb diets.

The study did not say people lost more weight on a low-carb diet — and didn't try to measure that. Meals and snacks were tightly controlled and continually adjusted so everyone's weights stayed stable.

David Ludwig, the paper's lead author and a researcher at Boston Children's Hospital, said it suggests limiting carbs could make it easier for people to keep weight off once they've lost it. He said the approach might work best for those with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Ludwig noted the study wasn't intended to test long-term health effects or real-world scenarios where people make their own food. The findings also need to be replicated to be validated, he said.

Caroline Apovian of Boston University's School of Medicine said the findings are interesting fodder for the scientific community, but that they shouldn't be taken as advice for the average person looking to lose weight.

DO I AVOID FAT TO BE SKINNY?

For years people were advised to curb fats , which are found in foods including meat, nuts, eggs, butter and oil. Cutting fat was seen as a way to control weight, since a gram of fat has twice as many calories than the same amount of carbs or protein.

Many say the advice had the opposite effect by inadvertently giving us license to gobble up fat-free cookies, cakes and other foods that were instead full of the refined carbs and sugars now blamed for our wider waistlines.

Nutrition experts gradually moved away from blanket recommendations to limit fats for weight loss. Fats are necessary for absorbing important nutrients and can help us feel full. That doesn't mean you have to subsist on steak drizzled in butter to be healthy.

Bruce Y. Lee, a professor of international health at Johns Hopkins, said the lessons learned from the anti-fat fad should be applied to the anti-carb fad: don't oversimplify advice.

"There's a constant look for an easy way out," Lee said.

SO WHICH IS BETTER?

Another big study this past year found low-carb diets and low-fat diets were about equally as effective for weight loss. Results varied by individual, but after a year, people in both groups shed an average of 12 to 13 pounds.

The author noted the findings don't contradict Ludwig's low-carb study. Instead, they suggest there may be some flexibility in the ways we can lose weight. Participants in both groups were encouraged to focus on minimally processed foods like produce and meat prepared at home. Everyone was advised to limit added sugar and refined flour.

"If you got that foundation right, for many, that would be an enormous change," said Chris Gardner of Stanford University and one of the study's authors.

Limiting processed foods could improve most diets by cutting down overall calories, while still leaving wiggle room for people's preferences. That's important, because for a diet to be effective, a person has to be able to stick to it. A breakfast of fruit and oatmeal may be filling for one person, but leave another hungry soon after.

Gardner notes the study had its limitations, too. Participants' diets weren't controlled. People were instead instructed on how to achieve eating a low-carb or low-fat in regular meetings with dietitians, which may have provided a support network most dieters don't have.

SO, WHAT WORKS?

In the short term you can probably lose weight by eating only raw foods, or going vegan, or cutting out gluten, or following another diet plan that catches your eye. But what will work for you over the long term is a different question.

Zhaoping Li, director of clinical nutrition division at the University of California, Los Angeles, says there is no a single set of guidelines that help everyone lose weight and keep it off. It's why diets often fail — they don't factor into account the many factors that drive us to eat what we do.

To help people lose weight, Li examines her patients' eating and physical activity routines to identify improvements people will be able to live with.

"What sticks is what matters," Li said.