fruits/vegetables

Girl are you crazyyyyyyyyyyy. Fruit is just so good, if prepared right. You mentioned watermelon. Best drink I ever made was water melon and pineapple juice, it's so good. If you can afford it, I would invest in a vitamix blender, or another high quality blender. And drink your fruits and veggies, this is what i do. I can put 5 apples in a blender with some water and drink them. But eating 5???? YUCK

v8 has a drink called v8 fusion that tastes nothing like veges. they have a couple different fruit flavors (like one is blueberry pomagranate). Try those you may be really surprised.

You might consider looking into cookbooks like this: http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348

(It's about "hiding" good food in recipes so kids will eat them... but works for finicky adults, too.)

Veggies are very important - no vitamin or pill can replace them. I also recommend you trying different preparation methods. Some people have found they really only like raw veggies, others prefer them baked, others steamed... you get the picture. Preparation method can make ALL the difference. My mom always hated cooked cauliflower, but loves my mashed potatoes that are half potatoes half cauliflower. She also likes my cauliflower-crust pizza!

I second the smoothie idea.

I use Shakeology, its got the stuff from like 70 vegetables! Dont worry about fruit if u take in ur veggies! Lots of fruit have natural sugar, which is still better than artificial sweetners.

will someone please tell me when they invent a pill or vitamin that would give me the essentials?!

the answer is 'juice plus'. i credit them with helping to cure my son's autism.

"Juice Plus+ is not a vitamin supplement. Multivitamins contain a limited number of specifically selected vitamins and minerals. Often these vitamins are not even derived from natural sources. Unlike multivitamins, Juice Plus+ contains juice powders from 17 fruits, vegetables and grains, and therefore provides a far greater variety of naturally occurring vitamins, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients – even some of the fiber – found in the fruits and vegetables themselves.
Juice Plus+ is made from fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables, and is carefully tested to ensure that no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. The fruits and vegetables are juiced, and the juices are then concentrated into powders using a proprietary drying process that carefully maintains temperatures at levels that preserve as much of the original nutrient quality as possible."

www.JPGail.com

how are you able to buy clean, good for you foods on 20 bucks a week? are you eating boxed products?

If you can splurge and get a really great multi vit. get a whole foods, vegan formula multi. RAW makes a really good one and so does ALIVE!, Garden of life is an AWESOME one !

I'm a believer in tough love. If this rubs you the wrong way, then just ignore it, but I don't believe in sugar coating advice.

Obviously I don't know any of your circumstances or what's going on, but if it were me, I'd be finding any way I could to increase my food budget. $20 a week for two people is a bit extreme. Being able to afford enough *healthy* food is a foundation of good health and affects all other areas of your life. If there are any other expenses you can cut out to increase what you can spend on food, you should consider it. I'm not talking about buying organic and all that stuff - but buying non-processed, *real* food. meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, beans, milk, etc. As it is almost summer, many fruits/veggies will be cheaper than in the winter time. If you shop sales and use cupons you'd be amazed at the deals you can get sometimes.

There comes a point when, as an adult, you have to just suck it up and eat your veggies. It's one thing to not like a few, but to say you don't like anything but spinach is a bit much. Your taste buds can change over time, you just have to keep experiementing with the fruits and veggies till you figure out preparation methods that you don't mind. You may never *love* them but they're important. If you get physically ill when you eat fruits/veggies, then you should see a doctor - both a regular doctor and a mental health professional that deals with eating disorders. (This really isn't meant as an insult - but if you can't eat any fruits or veggies then something is wrong - either physically or mentally.) Your profile says that you're a single mom - do you really want your child to grow up and repeat the same behavior (of never eating any fruits or veggies)?

Haven't tried this myself so this not an endorsement, but I've seen a product called JuiceFestiv. Do a search on it, and it may be something that you are looking for.