Taking the 'Guess' Work Out of a Healthier Lifestyle - Author Natalie Guess Talks About Plant and Fruit Based Diet for Kids in Sports!

Author Natalie Guess talks Plant and Fruit Based Diets for Kids in Sports!

Author Natalie Guess talks about the benefits of a plant and fruit-based diet for kids

partaking in sports in her new book, “The Field of Greens: Fueling Up for the Big

Game!” “Field of Greens” is Guess’s second published book, both centered around

encouraging healthier choices at the dinner table. Her new publication currently holds

the #1 spot in two categories for Amazon’s new releases. The VIP Crew caught up with

Mrs. Guess to discuss her recent book release, possibility of other writings, and much

more! (The Field of Greens: Fueling Up for the Big Game)

The VIP Crew: You released your first book last July, “The Biggest, The Oldest, The Strongest, ALL EAT PLANTS.” And just a few weeks ago, the release of your second book, “The Field of Greens: Fueling Up for the Big Game,” garnered #1 spot in two categories. Congratulations!

Guess: Thank you!

The VIP Crew: Did you think you were one and done, or was there a probability of you writing a second book?

Guess: I thought for sure I was one and done. It’s funny because when I dropped the first book, one of the first questions out of everybody’s mouth was, “When are you going to write another one?” I didn’t know if there was going to be another one. I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to do a sports focused one. I didn’t tell anyone just to avoid expectations.

The VIP Crew: I’m sure it wasn’t just pressure; there had to be a feeling for you to get motivated to write another one. What was the catalyst to motivate you?

Guess: My son is 13 and he’s been playing baseball since he was 4 years old. Being around the ballpark year-round and seeing the food that the concession stands have and what a lot of these kids were eating, and these are kids that are still growing, they need to be eating nutritious foods. Not only the food but the Gatorade and Powerade thing kills me on a day with 105-degree heat index. I wanted to put a spin on it in the perspective of athletes. Feeding your body to fuel it right to get the best out of your performance but babying it down obviously because it’s a children’s book.

I think the world is shifting a bit. People are starting to see what’s in the food and highly processed foods, dyes that are in the drinks and foods. It’s something that I have researched for many years. When I tried to talk to people about it, they would look at me like I had 3-heads. It’s hard. It’s very convenient to give your child and yourself the food that you can grab off the shelf. Having a young child and all of his friends are drinking Gatorade and Body Armor, and I say, “No,” or I say, “Yes,” and we dump half and fill the other half with water sufficed for a long time. I think people are opening their eyes and shifting to a healthier lifestyle. I thought it would be a good time to share that message. My books aren’t meant to be life changing, but just a way to plant little seeds about what you should be fueling your body with for peak performance.

The VIP Crew: How difficult was the transition for your son?

Guess: It was very difficult. Its monkey see monkey do. We all want what my friends are eating. It wasn’t easy. We had many tantrums in the beginning. And then when we said, “No,” he understood that the answer was, no. We tried to have alternatives. I put a lot of effort into trying to create things that taste good that were healthy and good choices. I didn’t always win, but I never stopped trying. I think my son understands, although he doesn’t always agree now, as he matures, I think he will get it. It’ll have a impact on him in the long run.

The VIP Crew: Did you feel more comfortable as a writer from book one to book

two?

Guess: I felt a little bit more comfortable for the second one. The first one I had ready for a while before I decided to release it. I kept second guessing myself, “What if people think this is stupid?” Essentially, it didn’t matter what everybody else thought. I was self-publishing, it was something I wanted to do, it was a message I wanted to share, and if nobody bought it… it was fine. I wanted to do it for me. I got a lot of great feedback from it. I think people get what I was trying to say. A lot of people liked the recipes. I got a lot of messages with people saying their son or daughter wanted to make all the recipes in the back of the book. They are super easy and healthy. I really just threw the recipes at the end of the first book and that ended up being the most impactful part of the book. Being plant based, I get asked all of the time, “What do you eat?” I went off the deep end the last 5-6 months incorporating more meat in my diet, more dairy, and it just doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve had to revert back. My husband and my son still eat it occasionally, but for me, it’s not right for me.

The VIP Crew: Living in the south, going plant based had to be a process.

Guess: It was difficult because cheese was probably my favorite thing to eat on the planet. The more I learned how bad it was. And you can find good cheese, but everything in moderation, right. The problem with our Western American diet is, nothing is in moderation. We indulge and overindulge in everything. And I will say this, Percy, I found out last year that I have lupus and my doctor told me, the reason it’s not more prominent, why I don’t have as many ailments or symptoms is because of the way I eat. We kind of fell off after Thanksgiving and the inflammation was building in my body. Cheese was the hardest thing to give up at first, it’s not now. Seafood was the next hardest. I will occasionally eat fish and crawfish, but I had to cut out the chicken, red meat, and dairy. They came out with all the alternatives, Beyond Meat, I would eat a little bit of that, but truly, that’s not good for you either, a lot of processed chemicals. If you’re going to do it every now and then, you might as well indulge in real food.

The VIP Crew: Your new book earned the #1 spot in two separate categories on

Amazon. I’m sure that is an amazing feeling.

Guess: It is! Unexpected but pretty exciting. It is #1 in “Children’s Fitness,” and “Children’s Baseball” books. It’s funny, I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and she was asking me about the first book versus the second book. I said, “I don’t think it’s as exciting to people if you’ve already done it.” I don’t feel like you get the engagement the second time around. So, that’s just interesting.

The VIP Crew: Will there be a third book and any consideration for an adult based book based on veganism and a plant and fruit-based diet?

Guess: Possibly. I actually have a plant-based cookbook in the works. I’ve been working on that for a while; I just got off track with these other pieces, but I’d like to do a plant-based cookbook. It focuses a lot on our eating in the south. I have to research and make, like gumbo and things like that. I’m not sure how soon it will be done, but I am working on it.

The VIP Crew: For the sports parent that reads your book or the kid athlete that reads your book, what would you hope that they take from it?

Guess: I would like them to take away the fact that it’s beneficial to incorporate more fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet or for the kids, in their diet. I never tell anyone to go extreme either way, but get your kid to eat more real food, even just a little bit, replace one item with a fruit or vegetable item, I think it’s a win!