When the smoke clears on eating plants. Eating fruits and vegetables may decrease risk of lung disease in smokers. No matter who your primary care doctor is, you can almost guarantee they’ll tell you to eat your fruits and veggies. And now new research suggests that eating plants might be even more important for smokers. In the study, nearly 44,000 people and their dietary habits were tracked for 10 years. The scientists found that the smokers who ate more than five servings of fruits and veggies a day had a decreased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). The best way to decrease the risk of COPD is to stop smoking, but patients in the process of quitting may be able to get additional benefit from eating more food from the produce aisle.