From NEWSTART to an Alaska Cruise: In the Wrong Order?
by Dean, NEWSTART Alumni
We had some time to “kill” after the completion of our Newstart program at the Weimar Center and before we were due to arrive at our new post in Thailand. We thought it would be a nice to visit Alaska, so we booked a 7-day cruise out of Seattle.
We traveled on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and if you are trying to follow the Newstart diet and also want to cruise, I think NCL is probably the most vegan-friendly cruise line. This is because they promote “free-style” cruising. This means you aren’t assigned to a table with a set menu, but you can go have buffet meals three times a day and can go at a time that suits you (as long as the buffet is open).
Many of our friends and relatives had a good laugh about that and all said we should have gone on the cruise FIRST, so that we could enjoy all the delicacies they served at three buffet meals each day! We wondered how it was going to work out, but we determined to do our best to stick with the Newstart lifestyle we had just learned.
Shortly after we boarded our ship, we went to the exercise gym and weighed ourselves. Our weight was about the same as when we left Newstart. We discovered that they had an early morning exercise session that was free, so we tried to attend as often as we could. We noticed that some of the stretching exercises were identical to those we did at Newstart, but some were a little more challenging, but we found that the mezzanine deck with its outdoor circuit was ideal for going on daily walks. We tried to exercise a minimum of 1 hour daily, and we frequently did more than one hour.
Now for dining during our cruise. We found there were plenty of fresh vegetables for salads and we started each meal with a good raw salad. We found lemon slices and squeezed them over our salad in lieu of salad dressings. There was fairly good granola available and cooked oatmeal each morning. We discovered little boxes of unsweetened “Mini-Wheat” cereal and were pleased that it was one of the most healthful cereals we have tried to date. If we were going on another cruise we would probably bring along some soy milk, because we didn’t find any on board. Therefore we used a little fruit juice to moisten our cereal at breakfast.
We also found fresh fruit and dried fruit at each meal, as well as walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds. There was excellent multi-grain bread at the bakery bar. At lunch we usually found some good vegetable dishes that were either boiled or lightly sauteed that we enjoyed.
About the only food bar we did not patronize much was the desert bar. Even though they had diabetic deserts, they usually contained eggs. But we could always find fresh fruit or fruit salad for desert.
The morning we reached Seattle at the end of our voyage, we got up and weighed ourselves before breakfast. I was pleased to discover that I had lost another 4 pounds during the voyage, despite the cruise director’s predictions that people on average gain a pound a day during a cruise. If that is true, then technically I lost 11 pounds!
So did we do Newstart and the cruise in the wrong order? Actually, we were lucky and did them in the right order. If we had gone on the cruise first, we would likely have eaten many of the dishes that were not the best for our health, but by going to Newstart first, we were able to select food that we knew was healthy and we ate well!
There were vegetarian Indian dishes available at each meal, but the curries looked like they were very well oiled, so we resisted the urge to eat one of our favorite kinds of food. As for hot drinks, there was a variety of fruit infusions and Splenda for sweetener available around the clock.
For your interest, here is a list of some of the foods we found to eat each day. It is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good sampling of some of the healthy options we found.
Dried Fruit:
* apricots
* prunes
* raisins
Fresh Fruit:
* apples
* cantaloupe
* grapes
* pineapple
* watermelon
Raw Vegetables:
* avocados
* bean sprouts
* bell peppers
* broccoli
* carrots
* celery
* cucumbers
* greens
* lettuce
* onion tops
* radishes
* tomatoes
Boiled Vegetables:
* broccoli
* cauliflower
* carrots
* corn on the cob
* green beans
* kidney beans
* peas
Nuts/Grains:
* multi-grain bread
* almonds
* artichoke sushi
* brown rice
* whole wheat roti (Indian bread)
* roasted brown beans
* sunflower seeds
* walnuts
Can I use my Time Share points for this cruise?
Most timeshares offer cruises. Check with your travel department and they will tell you how many points are required to book a cruise. I have cruised many times with Norwegian and their menu is at the top of our list and why we continue to go back to their cruise line, year after year. The buffets are the better way to stay healthy on a cruise because you pick what you want to eat with out the temptation of standard dining with a limited menu. But also remember that you can ask for what you want to eat at the standard dining. You are not limited to the standard menu. Your waiter will remember your desires and assist you with tailoring your meal for that evening.
Norwegian does have soy milk on board, you have to ask for it. Or let them know ahead of time that you prefer soy milk. We also take our powdered form of soy milk (just add water) with us when cruising. Available at health food stores. Or you can simply take your own and they will be happy to store it in the kitchen for you.
What a great review. The good new is that most cruise ships have anytime dining or you can eat in the buffet when ever you want. My mom and I sailed with Celebrity in Alaska and didn’t gain a pound. We ate in the dining room every night, and the buffet in the morning and lunch. I agree about the nice fresh fruit and oatmeal. THe thing we enjoyed is that the dining room has 2 menus, a set menu but also a new menu every night. Everything come in very small portions and we had many vegetarian and vegan dishes. Glad you made it to the free stretch class in the morning. I only made it to 1 on our cruise. It’s too bad that the people who over indulge in the deep fried foods give cruising a bad name. It’s a great safe way to travel and see places. Glad you had a wonderful time.