Any thoughts on using cucumbers instead of lettuce for your salads? I LOVE cucumbers but I am getting really sick of salads...I really dont like WF dressings...

2 Cups of cucumbers have 29 calories
2 Cups of lettuce have 20 calories

I really dont see much difference other then the fact that I will eat 2 cups of cucumbers as my salad everyday unlike lettuce...

Thanks you your help!

I asked my coach if I HAD to eat the lettuce and she told me yes, b/c of the fiber in it. I am not sure cucumbers have any fiber.

I would ask your coach, but from what I've read, the lettuce is unlimited but definately not manditory. I did not eat salads my first 2 months on the program and it did not cause me ANY issues. As long as you are getting in your 2 cups with lunch and 2 cups wth dinner. If you want MORE than the alotted 4 cups of approved veggies, than it needs to be lettuce.

Hope that helps! I LOVE Cucumbers too! YUM!

First, I can understand why you are tired of lettuce; however, there are a huge variety of lettuces you can get. More and more types are being carried in stores lately. You can mix a wide variety up and they all have different tastes. This will help you out.

I don't think it's really about the calories with IP its the carbs and sugars,

With skin on 2 cups of cukes have 6.55g of carbs and 3.47g of sugar. Whereas iceburg lettuce only has 1.8g of carbs and 2.2g of sugar. This is the reason why lettuce is FREE.

There are so many vegetable recipe on this site that will help you obtain the 4 cups of veggies required. Try for a few days to try the different recipes and hold off on having the lettuce (remember lettuce is free and does not count towards your 4 cups daily veggies).

After a couple days you will wnat to start back up on the lettuce. Good luck!

Lettuce is not mandatory on IP, but it is "free"/unlimited. If you don't want to eat your salads you don't have too - it's generally recommended to help get you through hunger pangs and can help if you have any "backup" issues in the bathroom department. And personally, I am not a fan of the WF dressings as dressings - I use apple cider vinegar with evoo. I do use the Asian & Sesame Ginger dressings (doctored up with soy, srirachi, red curry paste, etc) for stir frys with my miracle noodles, I also found the 1000 Island and Ranch are great in the Big Mac in a Bowl recipe. But none of them I found appealing in my salad on their own. Actually, I've stopped having my daily lunch salad - but I do stuff in extra lettuce in my morning spinach smoothie for a little something extra.

Talk with your coach about this also - as far as the official IP Phase 1 sheet, cucumbers are still considered part of your Select veggies (4 cups/day) - albeit they are on the lighter side along with celery.

I'm not a fan of the WF dressings either. I mix apple cider vinegar with dijon mustard and some italian spices to taste. Sometimes I'll add a little olive oil, but I typically save that for my dinner veggies.

I asked my coach if we can have mustand and she said no...???

Hmmm... here is from the official phase one pdf:


The mustard I use has 5 cal, 0 g. carb, 0 g. fat. and contains vinegar, mustard seed, salt, cayenne pepper, horseradish powder per tsp. I use about 2 tsp. at most. Since hot mustard is listed as ok, I think it's fine. I also use mustard on my turkey patties and turnip fries. Been doing so for 6 months and have lost 63 lbs. BUT... you should ask your coach about it again.

Thanks!

Well, Here's the skinny on yellow mustard (0/0/0 btw), the only reason I could see her saying 'no' on mustard would be the type of vinegar used perhaps? I've used it to help doctor up a few dressings myself, always check the labels too - my husband has some sweet chili mustard in the fridge that is definitely not OP. Honestly, I never asked about mustard specificially and have used it without concern so far since it was 0/0/0 and the ingredients were pretty straight forward.

FRENCH'SŪ CLASSIC YELLOW MUSTARD
Net Wt.: 14oz (396g)

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 tsp (5g) Servings: 79 Calories: 0

Amount Per Serving % DV*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Sat.Fat 0g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholest. 0mg 0%
Sodium 55mg 2%
Total Carb. 1g 0%
Fiber 0g
Sugars <1g 0%
Protein 0g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%
* Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on 2,000 calorie diet.

INGREDIENTS: Distilled Vinegar, Water, No.1 Grade Mustard Seed, Salt, Turmeric, Paprika, Spice, Natural Flavors and Garlic Powder.

I agree regular mustard, we like Frenchs too, is allowed. I put mustard on stuff i never would have thought of before IP lol

Trisha,
Where do you buy horseradish powder? Never heard of it in powder form, but its a great idea.

I do buy mustard powder at the grocery store and can make a hot mustard by adding water to it.

I don't! Those were the ingredients from the spicy mustard I use. I think it is French's brand spicy horseradish mustard. (Sorry, the bottle is at work and I'm at home!)

But yes, powdered horseradish would be awesome! I love me some kick!

All lettuces may not be created equal. I was told that we are allowed unlimited Iceberg or Romaine lettuce. Any other type of lettuce was to be included in the allotted 2 cups of vegetables we are allowed at lunch and supper. I haven't taken the time to look up nutritional values for the other types of lettuce so don't know if there is a difference.