Donna Grissom is a fire fighter and a police officer. Even though she spends her days making sure everyone else is safe, each day she was putting her own life at risk.

"I was right at two packs a day," said Donna. "Especially when I was driving, just patrolling, I was, out of habit, taking a cigarette out of my pocket and lighting it up."

Now, she's cigarette-free and says what she eats impacts her urge to smoke.

"Especially after a rich meal, or heavy meal, I was always looking for that cigarette," she said.

That's not surprising to psychologist Joe McClernon. He believes smoking and eating go hand-in-hand.

"Foods and beverages can affect the taste of cigarettes," said Dr. McClernon.

A Duke University study found milk, cheese, yogurt, water, fruits and vegetables worsened the taste of cigarettes, while alcohol, coffee, soda and meat made smokers enjoy the taste.

"There could be some sort of chemical reaction between something in dairy products and the some 4,000 chemicals that make up tobacco smoke," said Dr. McClernon.

Although researchers know which foods have an effect, they still need to figure out why.

"A real silver bullet would be to take this pill, now for the rest of your life, cigarettes will taste so bad you never want to smoke again," said Dr. McClernon.

Donna has no intentions of smoking ever again. The only fires she'll be putting out are on the job.

Smokers of menthol cigarettes were less likely to report that any foods or drinks altered the taste of cigarettes. Doctors believe menthol covers up bad tastes from foods.