Answers for Amy

Yay! I started this blog last night and already have followers and comments! I am happy to see that people are showing interest so far. Here are answers for the questions I have gotten so far:

Q: Is it expensive to get started?

A: That depends, it could be. If you already have a juicer, blender and/or food processor then it won't be too bad. Tupperware in a variety of different sizes is also essential. Just think about how much money you spend now at the grocery store buying meat, cokes, dairy, and all of the other things that you pay money for that don't go along with the diet. If you are no longer buying those things, but instead spend your money on fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, then there shouldn't be a difference in your grocery bill. If anything, it may be less money but you may have to start shopping more frequently because the foods are fresh and have a shorter shelf life than processed food that contains preservatives.

This lifestyle may be more time consuming, but I have found that this also evens out a bit because you are no longer spending time cooking food. You are just spending time chopping and preparing things in advance. It does require a bit more pre-planning though, which leads me to my next question.

Q: How do you pack a lunch for your child to take to school?

A: This will depend a lot on what kinds of foods your child likes that fit into the diet. If they like a good variety of things then this should be simple, assuming that you have already prepared some things the night before. I would pack things like nuts or seeds (raw and unsalted of course which are actually much tastier than you might expect). Most kids like sunflower seeds. You could also give them almonds, pecans, walnuts, or whatever other kind you can find that they like. That will give them the protein they need that most people are concerned about when you tell then you aren't eating meat. Other options include bananas, apples, or oranges. I think it would be fun to have a little container or fresh mixed fruit such as: blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, grapes, watermelon, and/or any other of your child's favorite fruits (avoid canned of jarred fruit as it contains a lot of excess unnatural sugar and preservatives).

I have been making a lot of chopped salad lately. I just chop whatever veggies I have on hand into small pieces and mix them together. There are also many recipes for homemade dressings. If your child likes salad then put a small chopped salad in their lunch box with a small container of dressing. You can also chop up carrots, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and pack them as well. I will look to see if I can find some sort of veggie dip that is all natural but so far I have not come across any. If you are not planning on doing this diet 100% then you can put veggie dip in there. I think it is better to eat vegetables with dip than to not eat vegetables at all. Just do the best you can! Veggie wraps and sandwiches are also an option. Use whole wheat bread or wraps with tomato, avocado, cucumber, lettuce, etc. Carrot juice is also delicious and kids may find it fun because of it's bright orange color. I hope this helps!

Q: What do I eat for lunch?

A: A lot of the things that I mentioned above are all things that I would eat for lunch. Sometimes I just snack all day. I will eat a banana, then some nuts, then a small salad, then some honeydew. I just depends on what I have. If you are at work and you want to go out to lunch then there are a lot of options as far as restaurant food. I know Amy, which is who asked me this question, works in Lakeland. Palace Italian Restaurant has one of my most favorite and delicious salads of ALL TIME! The Ensalada Caprisiosa salad (I may have spelled that incorrectly, sorry) contains: mixed field greens, queens olives, tomatoes, and a very generous amount of artichoke hearts, and roasted red peppers (it also comes with cheese and croutons but I just ask them to leave that off and I add onions to it which is never a problem). Their artichoke hearts and red peppers are homemade, have big chunks of garlic and herbs on them and are delicious. Then I order it with the balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the side. You can really go to any restaurant and find something that you can eat, you may just have to modify it a bit.

These are my suggestions and I hope that this helped!