I'm still pretty new at this (just into Week 2) and I have two quick questions for the more experienced IP-ers out there:
1. Does lettuce count in the 4-cups-per-day veggie requirement, or is the lettue in addition to that 4 cups?
2. Are water chestnuts allowed? I picked some up to add to my salad, but I can't find them either on my Allowed or Restricted or Not Allowed veggie lists. The label says they have like 11 g. of carb, and that seems kind of high.
Thanks in advance to anyone who knows the answers!
I'm still pretty new at this (just into Week 2) and I have two quick questions for the more experienced IP-ers out there:
1. Does lettuce count in the 4-cups-per-day veggie requirement, or is the lettue in addition to that 4 cups?
2. Are water chestnuts allowed? I picked some up to add to my salad, but I can't find them either on my Allowed or Restricted or Not Allowed veggie lists. The label says they have like 11 g. of carb, and that seems kind of high.
Thanks in advance to anyone who knows the answers!
Lettuce is the only thing besides water than you can have unlimited
Water chestnuts are not allowed. If it's not on the sheet, it's not allowed at all. If you have the newest sheet, jicama is allowed (it's in the turnip family, I usually find it near the Asian veggies at my market). The texture is very similar to a water chestnut and the flavor is like a very very mild apple - it's a good substitute!
Lettuce is unlimited, but you can count it as part of your four cups per day.
I think you mean can't. Lettuce is unlimited and must be in addition to your 4 cups of other veggies per day. That being said, you don't HAVE to have lettuce if you're finding it hard to get your 4 cups in.
No, I mean can. Lettuce is unlimited and you can have as much as you wan't, but you can also count it towards your 4 cups. I often have 2 cups of salad for lunch, and 2 cups of veggies for dinner.
@Bella73123: Hmmm...My sheet says "2 cups of select vegetables & unlimited lettuce" for lunch and for supper. Which to me means 4 cups total of select vegetables, plus unlimited lettuce.
Yes, as I have said, it doesn't have to count towards those veggies. But if you are having a salad, you would have to eat the 2 cups of veggies and 2 cups of lettuce, which is a feat I am just not capable of. SO, if I have a salad I just count 2 cups total towards my veggies. I don't honestly think it's an issue to get hung up about. I'm not suggesting that you eat just lettuce and count it towards your four cups.
Last edited by Bella73123; 10-14-2012 at 01:11 PM.
Thanks, everyone, for your replies! Sorry to hear about the water chestnuts, but Scorbett, I appreciate the info on jicama. I'll pick some up and see what I can do with it. And I'm going with the 4 cups of veggies in addition to whatever lettuce I eat . . . criminy, that's a LOT of veggies! Good thing there's so many interesting recipes to try.
Here's the thing about using lettuce as 2 cups of your veggies - you are going to miss out on a LOT of nutrients that way. The veggies on the selected list pack a much bigger nutritional punch across the board. That's why it makes sense for lettuce to be unlimited outside of the 4 cups of veggies a day - it's essentially "filler" that won't throw your carb or calorie counts off track.
Two Quick Questions
