just started

Hi, Denise, and welcome! We are happy to answer any and all questions you may have.
1. Raw dairy products are those that have not undergone pasturization. It is thought that this better preserves the nutritional value and health benefits of milk. Since extra care must be taken with them, they are available from specialized providers. The following is a link to help you find a source: http://www.realmilk.com/where03.html. In the meantime, organic is a good alternative.
2. Ricotta is definitely a good alternative to cottage cheese.
3. The issue of non-fat half-and-half is a little like that covered in a previous response regarding non-dairy creamer, as it is basically half that, half non-fat milk. As I mentioned earlier, if it is just a Tbsp a day, no worries. If it gets to be more than that, you start racking up the corn syrup and it is just better to eventually go with skim or almond or rice milk.
4. The issue with low-cal juice depends on the sweetener source, and how much you drink. The program encourages you to stay away from artificial sweeteners as much as possible. Watering down a sweetened juice is always a good idea. Perhaps you can gradually move away from the artificial product by sqeezing fresh lemons in the water and adding a better sweetener such as Stevia, xylitol, or monkfruit – I do this, and it really tastes fantastic.
5. Finally, the menu planner is based on items that have more nutritional value than most foods people eat, but are often less calorically dense – therefore, it looks like a lot, but is actually less than what you probably ate when you gained weight. The idea is to help you feel full even while “right-sizing” your intake. If you find you physically cannot finish the food provided in the Menu Planner, focus on at least finishing the fruits and vegetables. Do be cautious about cutting your food intake back too much, as this can result in later weight gain.
I hope this information helps. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Regarding non-caloric sweeteners: Stevia is something that this program recommends. Other sound options include xylitol and monkfruit extract.

The SWG bread is Sprouted Whole Grain bread. It took me a while to find it too.

Hi I just signed up this afternoon, but won’t start until I buy all the food. I would like to know what SWG is. Thanks

I just signed up too….my question is the menu’s like someone else had asked. Are you suppose to eat all the items in the breakfast, lunch….etc.? Doesn’t seem like they go together.

Regarding sugar – it is not ideal, but neither is suffering through a diet. I went through something like this, and just gradually cut back the amount of sugar so I barely felt it – took a few good months, but it was possible. When I wanted to cut back more, I started to “cut” the sugar with non-caloric sweeteners. Fortunately, today there are better options such as monkfruit (Nectress) and xylitol. Having said all that, if you only have one cup of coffee per day, that teaspoon of sugar will NOT wreck your potential for success.

Health-oriented markets, including large chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joes, have nearly all of these products. The exceptions are raw dairy products, which are special-ordered http://www.realmilk.com/where03.html.

Hello, i just signed up tonight, but am also overwhelmed by the menus that came up for me. I understand you want us to try different foods we may not have, but it would be good if you could include some “regular” menus that most of us can relate to while we slowly try other foods. It’s a little discouraging when you’re just starting out. I was also confused about whether all the foods listed in my daily menus is what I’m supposed to be eating for that meal (ie, for breakfast it lists 4-5 different things), some of the recipes didn’t sound like they go together very well, and/or sounds like a lot of food. Lastly, I tried to download the MP3 program I purchased onto my IPad, but it doesn’t work on “safari” – is there something else I can do to get them on my IPad?