Pashan, I hope you and your daughter are doing well. Three years ago, when my son was 16, he broke his jaw and had to have it wired shut for 6 weeks also. He was very tall and slim. It is so hard to find a variety of liquid food for that period of time! He practically lived on Carnation Instant Breakfast. In fact that was the main product that his doctor recommended. He also blended lots of foods in the blender. He ate often because it was so hard to eat very much at one time. The school allowed him to bring canned nutritional supplement drinks and store them in the fridge in the teacher's lounge. In-between classes, if he was hungry, he would grab a drink real quick. He also would order milkshakes at the local drive-in, but he had to tell them not to make them too thick. It was a very trying time and he was frustrated quite often, but we made it through the 6 weeks and he lost very little weight. What he did lose, he gained right back as soon as he could eat again.

I looked at the Innova, Ziwi, and Pitcairn(sp) information. Since I do not have cats, I did not look there. the two websites simply say what every other dog food manufacturer says---we do it better, use better ingredients and are safer than any other manufacturer. (They both use grains, BTW) There is nothing abou poisoning by products or any other threat. the Pitcairns web site is best summed up by this paragraph---- "ANHC was founded by Richard Pitcairn, DVM, in 1986 as a clinical and teaching center for the understanding and use of homeopathic medicine in the treatment of disease. We also emphasize the use of excellent nutrition using home-prepared & raw foods." No telling what stories they tell to convince people of the horrors of using pmanufactured foods.

Are compact fluorescents available in your area? Sometimes those can work if you find the highest wattage the lamp can handle in a bright white (daylight--more of the blue spectrum). Depending on how many bulbs your lamp has, and how close you put them to the bulbs, you could do a pretty decent setup with compact fluorescents. I don't know that you'll get tons of growth, but it is a good supplement when days are short. The LED lights seem trickier, and just from what I've read are more expensive up front. But I'm no expert. This article explains it pretty well without getting too technical. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-plants-cfl-lights-43203.html

Just read this short summary & thought of this thread. Basic & aimed primarily @ weight loss, but still helpful, IMPO... The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Going Low-Carb Ditching carbs to lose weight really sucks, but it works, which is why so many people have joined the low-carb craze. If you're cutting carbs to lose a few, just be careful not to make these three mistakes. Going Completely Carb-Free Think of your body as a car and its fuel is carbs. A car won't run without gas, and your body can't function without carbs. Your brain runs on glucose, which comes from carbs, so without it you'll feel tired, foggy-headed, slow-moving, and cranky. Plus, ditching carbs altogether will only make your cravings that much stronger, so when faced with a delivery of office pizza, who could blame you for devouring four slices in a row? Eating mostly protein and going completely carb-free just isn't a diet you can sustain. Certified dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, RD, CD, of Whole Health Nutrition says you want to make sure you're eating at least 120 to 130 grams of carbs a day - about 30 to 40 percent of your diet.Not Eating the Right Carbs Not all carbs are created equal, so you don't want to slurp down a soda with your Instagram-worthy salad and grab a chocolate chip cookie afterward. Skip the refined and overly processed carbs like white bread, pasta, bagels, and sugary beverages and baked goods, and fuel up on carbs that are also high in fiber - they'll add to the fullness factor. Leslie recommends one-half to one cup of whole grains like quinoa or oatmeal and one to two pieces of fruit each day. That will keep your carbs low enough to lose weight and allow your body to have the energy to function. Plus, they also offer valuable vitamins and minerals your body needs to have a strong immune system.Not Watching Portions Low-carb doesn't automatically mean low-calorie, and just because you're not eating spaghetti, rolls, or rice doesn't mean you're not overeating other foods! Watching your portion sizes is still very important when it comes to weight loss, so be sure to monitor how many calories your meals and snacks add up to." HTH