apples aren't that bad except for the fact that you feel like the brackets are going to rip off the whole time. Pita chips can knock brackets off really easy, I've done it twice. Rubber bands are a bitch at first but just ease yourself in. The ultimate post-tightening meal is store bought muscle milk (none of that powder shit, I'm talking the bottles they have at convenience stores) and ben and jerrys. popcorn kinda sucks, broccoli kinda sucks. Brush/floss your gums well or they will get inflamed and start trying to overtake your teeth (or at least they did for me). that's basically all.