I’m dog-sitting for the next few weeks, while my Mom’s friend has knee replacement surgery. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, so she brought Robbie over today to get him settled in. She gave him his dinner here and then left while he was eating, so he wouldn’t run outside while the door was open. He’s part terrier so we need to be careful he doesn’t run away- this is NOT a dog that can be outside without a leash!

When he was done eating, Robbie started making these pathetic little sad-doggy noises. So I put on my sandals, grabbed my water bottle, cell phone, house key, and his leash, and off we went outside. We took a nice walk around the block, stopping to let him “water” just about every tree we passed. When we got back home, I gave him some water in a bowl and then we explored the whole house, letting him see that his “Mommy” wasn’t here. Since then, he’s been quite happy, dozing on the living room floor while I was able to start my own dinner and get some computer time.

It’s a hot day, and I probably wouldn’t have gone outside at all if Robbie hadn’t needed the distraction. The walk definitely did me some good. I was careful not to walk too fast and I had my water bottle with me, and I kept the walk short because I didn’t have any way to give him water while we were out. With my fibromyalgia, it’s important that I pace myself; exercising too much, too suddenly, can throw me into a flare-up. It’s a delicate balance for me to increase my exercise without hurting myself.

I think Robbie is the perfect walking buddy for me. He’s so tiny that he can’t walk too far anyway. I’d hoped to get in daily walks with him when I dog-sat him for a week in January, but one or more of the kids ended up taking him for walks and I didn’t often join them. Now, Leah and Hannah are away at camp and Jack has a cast on his left arm. I can’t let him take Robbie for a walk independently because he only has one hand to hold the leash; he doesn’t have a second hand to clean up dog-poop if necessary. This means that I’ll need to join Robbie on his walks, even if Jack’s the one holding the leash.

So much for trying to blog at least monthly!

My daughter Lily was born on April 5th, 2010, and blogging became a distant memory.

I still do the Blood Type O diet for the most part, and I feed the kids the same way. Not easy when every kids' menu everywhere has wheat, dairy, or corn on it. I usually order them a regular entree and they share it. Fortunately, they love salmon, which is pretty easily found in most restaurants that I can eat in.

No promises to blog regularly this time. I'll do what I can!

I’ve been doing a different kind of exercise for the past two months that has had unexpectedly good results.

Last spring, a friend in the neighborhood had guests from up north who wanted to experience life in Texas. They did tourist things like the Alamo and the LBJ Library. But they also did some activities that are ordinary in Texas, but not so common in other states. One of the things they did was attend a line dancing class at a local community center. My friend was so enthusiastic about it that three of us decided we wanted to give the class a try.

The class is taught as an exercise class, but the group also performs at local events – like fireman’s picnics, Lion’s Club barbeques, and retirement centers.

The first thing that surprised me was that this really was good physical exercise. I’m in pretty good shape, but after an hour of dancing my heart rate is up and I’m breathing faster than normal. It is also great for balance, something my Physical Therapist son encourages me to work on.

The second thing was the realization that this was going to be good mental exercise as well. In an hour we do eight to ten dances. Each one has a unique pattern of steps. The first month I felt lost most of the time. I began to wonder if it would ever make sense. Gradually the steps became easier, and I found that when the music started my feet remembered the pattern.

We don’t do the same dances every week. I have no idea how many are in the total repertoire. The teacher has a stack of CDs that she brings each week. Some dances we repeat often. Others are dances the group has done in the past and everyone knows the steps except the new members. We stumble along feeling clueless. The others tell us not to worry, that we will eventually get it.

I read comments on the Forum from time to time from people who have trouble disciplining themselves to exercise. Check with your local community center. Perhaps there is a dancing class that reflects your local culture. You can have fun and exercise at the same time.

I’m not ready to join the performance group yet, but I see the potential that one day I might buy a pair of boots and give it a whirl.

The farmers' market just opened up near me, and yesterday we went for the first time this season. It’s such a wonderful place to shop; so much more lively than buying produce in a supermarket. One of the farmers saw us and greeted us with “Hey- it’s the potato boy!” when she saw Jack- then apologized for the potatoes not being in season yet. He did pick out some nice cucumbers to snack on. At another vendor, he got very excited when he saw the kale. I ended up buying TWO huge bunches of kale- one curly and one straight- because he didn’t know which kind would make better chips.

Yesterday was one of those hectic days, so I didn’t get a chance to do much of anything with the produce until today. I’d dumped the veggies on the table in the air-conditioned kitchen before going out for other errands, and didn’t even get them into the fridge until last night. When I went to inspect and clean it today, I saw that the carrots were already getting soggy. Those have been soaking in a bowl of water for hours- they should be nice and crispy again by tonight. I’ve already separated out the greens from the carrots, washed the greens, and put them away, tossing the inedible stems. I did the same for the golden and red beets, although the beets were in good enough shape to go right into the fridge without needing to be soaked or anything.

I washed one of the 4 heads of lettuce when I realized I’d bought WAY too many greens! Last year, I’d under bought the first week, and it was unpleasant having to revert to supermarket produce a few days after eating the farmers’ market stuff. So my natural inclination was to buy more to begin with; the way I’d shopped at the market by the end of last summer. But Leah and Hannah are at camp, and I’m the only one eating the lettuce this week. I’d mentally planned on having extras for company, but forgot that we weren’t making salad for 30. There were a total of 4 adults and 3 children, including me and Jack. We didn’t go through much more lettuce than I would have eaten on my own for lunch.

I’m a little bummed that my fridge is so full right now, and the lettuce might wilt faster because it’s squished in there. But I know that it will crisp up again when I soak it, so the food won’t go to waste. I’ll see how much is left by next Sunday and I’ll be sure to shop appropriately next week.

I washed the kale while preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then ripped into bite-sized pieces and put them through my salad spinner. I put the spun leaves into a large foil pan, added olive oil and sea salt, and roasted them until they looked dry and crisp. I filled two large foil pans and put them both in the oven at once. I checked on them every 5 or 10 minutes, stirring as needed.

When they were mostly done, and had shrunk a lot, I combined them into one pan so I could cook the rest of the bunch of kale. I’m sure they would have cooked faster if I’d left them more spread out, but I find it easier to have fewer slower-cooking batches, rather than many small batches that cook quickly. When the second batch was one, I combined all the kale chips into one pan to cool. I plan to put them in a plastic bag tonight, but for now I want to keep them convenient for snacking.

I’ve also seen recipes for kale chips that use a low oven for several hours or overnight, basically drying the kale rather than toasting it. I’ve never tried that method. I’ve also seen recipes that add various spices or nutritional yeast along with the oil before toasting or drying, but my kids are happy with just sea salt and olive oil.

Today I cooked up the curly kale, but I don’t have the energy or time to start on the straight kale. That will be a project for another day.

La Fórmula del Dr. D'Adamo; Intrinsa, tiene una historia interesante.

Sus conceptos básicos

Intrinsa fue diseñada tanto para apoyo digestivo e intestinal como para la salud del colon.

Fué desarrollada por el Dr. D'Adamo para uso en su clínica, Intrinsa es el resultado de casi cinco años de trabajo, mezclando dos nutrientes sinérgicos, el ácido butírico y el ácido caprílico, con componentes nutricéuticos creando una fórmula superior que protege y apoya la salud del sistema digestivo en su totalidad.

El Ácido butírico es un ácido graso de cadena corta, que apoya la salud y la curación de las células del intestino grueso y delgado y sirve a los procesos naturales del metabolismo de energía aeróbica. Ácidos grasos de cadena corta tienen la capacidad protectora de impedir la proliferación de células malignas en el colon y ayudan a mantener sanos niveles tanto de lípidos como de azúcar en la sangre.

El ácido caprílico es un ácido graso de cadena media que es absorbido desde el intestino y transportado por los lípidos en la sangre. El Ácido caprílico se sabe que tiene propiedades antifúngicas. Es amplia la evidencia que también sugiere que algunos de los ácidos grasos de cadena media, saturados derivados naturalmente, también poseen propiedades antimicrobianas y antiparasitarias.

El desafío — Y la solución

Por todos sus beneficios potenciales para la salud cuando se toman solos, los ácidos grasos de cadena media como lo es el ácido caprílico pueden tener dificultades al penetrar la pared de membrana celular grasa, donde se requiere de más. Hasta ahora, el reto con estos dos ácidos grasos esenciales ha sido fundir exitosamente sus propiedades manteniendo la habilidad única de cada componente. Con Intrinsa, el Dr. D'Adamo utilizó con éxito la combinación de nutriente precisa para que el ácido caprílico trabaje sinérgicamente con el ácido butírico — un ácido graso de cadena corta, por lo que ambos pueden penetrar el tejido tanto muscular y articular como de senos paranasales con mayor facilidad.

Por tal motivo de gran orgullo a esta fórmula con su fusión exitosa de nutrientes se le ha denominado: Dual Fatty Acid Complex (DFAC) para distinguir sus propiedades realmente únicas.

La ciencia más reciente: Fibra y proteína

Imaginemos una persona nueva siguiendo la dieta del tipo de sangre o genotipo: Un tipo A que comienza a ingerir más fibra por primera vez en años, o un tipo O que introduce más fuentes de proteína de alta calidad en su sistema. Algunos organismos pueden experimentar un período de adaptación.

La Fascinante nueva investigación acerca de los ácidos grasos esenciales sugiere que la formula única Intrinsa DFAC puede ser propicia para estas dos personas.

De mayor interés en la investigación son las propiedades facilitadoras de los ácidos grasos de cadena corta y de cadena media tanto de la fibra como de la proteína. Parece que los ácidos grasos esenciales como el ácido butírico y ácido caprílico facilitan el tiempo de tránsito a través del sistema y ayudan a metabolizar tanto a las proteínas como a las fibras.

La conexión del alerce (The Larch Connection)

La fórmula del Dr. D'Adamo arabinogalactano ARA 6 consistente en alerce grado puro comestible pulverizado coadyuva además a mejorar la función de Intrinsa . Cuando se combina con los beneficios de Intrinsa DFAC , el alerce ARA6 mejora la salud gastrointestinal incrementando la micro flora intestinal, ofreciendo sus propiedades de fortalecimiento inmune.

El Alerce arabinogalactano ARA6 incrementa la microflora intestinal; tanto los Lactobacillus, como la producción de ácidos grasos de cadena corta, y minimiza la absorción y producción de amoniaco, fibra dietética que sin duda mejorar nuestra salud gastrointestinal.

Reacciones Adversas A Los Aditivos Alimentarios
Si usted tuviera que adivinar cuantos aditivos se usan comúnmente en los alimentos que se consumen. Se agregan conservadores, acondicionadores, saborizantes, colorantes, edulcorantes y otros a los alimentos que consumimos a diario.
Aditivos Alimentarios Que Frecuentemente Se Consideran Causantes de Reacciones Adversas

ASPARTAME conocido por su nombre comercial, Nutrasweet, este edulcorante bajo en calorías se encuentra en varios alimentos y bebidas en lugar de azúcar.
Estudios recientes sugieren que el aspartame puede causar angioedema, o inflamación de los parpados, labios, manos o pies en personas sensibles.
BENZOATOS Los benzoatos se usan como un conservador de alimentos y en el procesamiento de varios alimentos, incluyendo bananas, pastel, cereal, chocolate, aderezos, grasas, orozuz, margarina, mayonesa, leche en polvo, aceites, papas en polvo y levadura seca.
BHA/BHT El BHA (hidroxianisol butilado) y el BHT (hidroxitolueno butilado) son antioxidantes o agentes que previenen la absorción de oxi¬geno.
El BHA y el BHT se usan principalmente en alimentos que contienen grasas y aceites, principalmente en cereales y otros productos de grano. El BHA y el BHT pueden causar urticaria y otras reacciones en la piel de personas sensibles.
TINTES FD&C La Ley de Alimentos, Medicamentos y Cosméticos de 1938 dio lugar al termino FD&C (tinte y colorante de alimentos). Esta ley aprueba una variedad de tintes usados en alimentos y bebidas. Son identificados con etiquetas por color y numero, tales como FD&C Amarillo No. 5 (Tartrazina) o FD&C Rojo No. 3.
GMS Glutamato Mono sódico es mejor conocido por su papel en la cocina china, japonesa, y del Sudeste asiático, por lo cual las reacciones al GMS se llaman a veces "Síndrome del restaurante chino". El GMS no se usa únicamente en comidas orientales, sino en varios productos y restaurantes como un aumentador del sabor en una variedad de alimentos.
Las reacciones a este agente incluyen, dolor de cabeza, nausea, diarrea, sudoración, opresión en el pecho y sensación de quemazón a lo largo de la parte posterior del cuello. Tales reacciones aparentemente requieren del consumo de grandes cantidades de GMS. Se ha reportado que los asmáticos que han consumido GMS tienen ataques más graves de asma.
NITRATOS/NITRITOS Estos dos agentes se usan ampliamente como conservadores, aunque también sirven como aumentadores del sabor y colorantes. Los Nitratos y nitritos se encuentran principalmente en alimentos procesados tales como hot dogs, mortadela y salami. Los nitratos y nitritos pueden causar dolores de cabeza y probablemente urticaria en algunos pacientes.
PARABENOS Los parabenos son conservadores usados en alimentos y fármacos. Entre los ejemplos de estos agentes se incluyen metil, etil, propil, butil parabenos y benzoato de sodio. Cuando son ingeridos por personas sensibles, los parabenos han demostrado que causan dermatitis graves o enrojecimiento, inflamación, comezón y dolor de la piel.
SULFITOS También llamados SO 2, los agentes de sulfitos tales como el bióxido de sulfuro, sulfito de sodio o de potasio, bisulfito, y metabisulfito se usan para conservar alimentos e higienizar envases para bebidas fermentadas. Los sulfitos pueden encontrarse en varios alimentos, incluyendo productos horneados, tés, condimentos y escabeches, mariscos y pescados procesados, mermeladas y jaleas , fruta seca, jugos de frutas, verduras enlatadas y deshidratadas, papas congeladas y deshidratadas y mezclas de sopas. También se encuentran en bebidas, como cerveza, vino, vinos con sabor y sidra fermentada.
Los sulfitos pueden causar reacciones tales como opresión en el pecho, urticaria, retortijones, diarrea, disminución de la presión arterial, sensación de cabeza ligera, debilidad y aceleración del pulso. Los sulfitos también pueden desencadenar ataques de asma en asmáticos sensibles a estos. Hasta hace poco tiempo, los niveles más altos de sulfitos se encontraban en los autoservicios de ensaladas en los restaurantes. Pero en 1986, la Administracion de Alimentos y Fármacos (FDA) prohibió su uso en frutas y verduras para ser vendidos o servidos crudos a causa del índice creciente de incidencias de reacciones al sulfito. La FDA en 1987 también ordeno que los alimentos empaquetados deberán etiquetarse cuando contengan más de 10 partes por millón de cualquier agente de sulfito, para que las personas sensibles al sulfito puedan identificarlos y evitarlos.
Manejo de la Sensibilidad a los Aditivos de Alimentos
El mejor modo de manejar la sensibilidad a los aditivos de alimentos es conocer los alimentos que los contengan y evitar los que le ocasionen problemas. Su reporte SWAMI le puede apoyar a identificar los aditivos en los alimentos responsables de sus síntomas y eliminarlos de su dieta, dentro de lo posible ya que promueve el consumo no de alimentos procesados sino de aquello fresco que puede uno preparar en su casa. También incluye de manera esplendida, un recetario de alimentos que pueden formar parte de sus comidas cotidianas.

Ya sabemos que nuestro código epigenético es reversible y depende de cada uno de nosotros tomar el compromiso de encausar nuestra epigenética ya que es sin lugar a duda sinónimo de la huella de nuestro albedrío. Tenemos el poder de transformar nuestro destino genético y el de nuestros descendientes, educando a nuestros hijos a través del estilo de vida. SWAMI nos lleva de la mano, paso a paso para lograrlo. Escriban a bloodtypediet@gmail.com con sus dudas y preguntas, ellos les indicaran el camino a seguir.

A todos los que me contactan con sus testimoniales alentadores y con sus comentarios positivos, nuevamente mil gracias, no dejo de publicarlos en nuestro grupo de facebook denominado Genotipo, Grupos sanguíneos y Alimentación.

Today I finally found some macadamia butter, with no cashews (why did they start adding cashews to all nut butters?). I was very excited to try it until I realized I had no crackers without rice in them (rice and I no longer get along). Time to get creative.

I'd never tried Ants On A Log, celery sticks typically spread with peanut butter and topped with raisins. It always sounded weird, but I had celery sticks I had prepared while my breakfast cooked, so I decided to try it. So spread some macadamia butter on celery sticks and then top with raisins and/or dried cranberries. It was delightfully good... It's got crunch, it's got creaminess, it's got sweetness. More satisfyingthan a twix bar (not that I have those bright in my memory, I didn't fall that far off the wagon!).

I'm sure it would be good with almond butter and other dried fruits like goji berries or dried blueberries.

Sometime I must make crackers out of almonds or amaranth or quinoa...but celery is nice too.

I had two really happy blogs planned in my head - - until yesterday’s Supreme Court decision upholding Obamacare as Constitutional. This will be short: You are now more responsible for your own healthcare than ever before.

If you are old like me (I’m a year away from 60) – Medicare will not be there for you. Medicare funding is being stripped to pay for Medicaid. If you are overweight, better lose it now…you will not get the hip or knee replacement you are going to need. If your blood sugar is high, better get it down…diabetics are high risk, and will have their health care rationed. Same for high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

If you are young – your health care costs will skyrocket, though that may be hidden by artificial low fees at the doctor's office. It's the new taxes that go into effect after the elections that are frightening. I am also concerned about rationed care for babies born with disabilities. A friend had a Downs baby several years ago who was born with a hole in his heart. The surgery to repair his heart was covered by insurance. It will not be long before surgery will be denied in cases like this.

I am sick (pardon the pun) of hearing about how wonderful and inexpensive health care is in Europe. Read the news! Europe is bankrupt. They are all jockeying for position to have the United States and China bail out their economies. Now the US is headed for bankruptcy as well.

The only bright spot I find in all of this is that I have been serious about managing my own health since I was 23. When I started the BTD in 2003 (and as a Type O eliminated wheat and most dairy from my diet) I conquered inflammation and felt better than ever. My BMI is excellent. I am high energy. I do not take any prescription medications.

If you are not serious about your health care, better start. Otherwise you will find yourself in a “dying room” like they have in Chinese orphanages.

You can do this! I believe that God designed our bodies to heal themselves if they are given healthy food and appropriate exercise. Be suspicious of any “one size fits all” plan for eating. You need a health regimen that is appropriate for you as an individual and for your blood type.

I am happy to report at the end of my second week of true compliance and determination, that I have lost 5 pounds. Granted, I have a good deal more to lose, so this is just a small portion of the goal, but I am thrilled nonetheless. I could lose 50-70 pounds to be my healthy weight (depending on muscle mass from martial arts training, which I intend to also resume in earnest in the fall).

I smiled when I learned the dates of the next IfHI conference, just a few days before my 1 Year Reveal Day... That's the day I will do a full report including before and after photos. Fine timing, I think. I won't have my black belt yet, which is sad, but I'll be closer to it, and I will be the example of health that I know I should be. I didn't go to the last conference mainly because I couldn't afford it, but also because I was too embarrassed by my obvious lack of compliance.

In the past two weeks I've only had sugar twice, once because a stevia sweetened drink also had sugar and I didn't read the ingredients (I needed some green tea caffeine to drive home late, so I grabbed it too fast). The other was when I took my boys to the mall and they got See's Chocolate. I got myself one piece of dark chocolate covered candied ginger, and didn't like how sweet it was. Tastes sure can change with compliance!

I'm a bit up in the air on exactly "what" I am, as a blood test for secretor type said I am a secretor. So I am redoing the salivary secretor test, as I've read in a few places that it is more accurate, but perhaps the first result needs confirmed. For now I am just doing what works...which is mainly an O non-secretor blood type diet. I know the difference it made to switch from secretor to non-secretor, although genotype diet would make many of the same changes for me that that switch did, as I'd probably be a hunter, which is very similar to O-nonsecretor.

When I got the blood result and the clinic said that's what they go by, I happily jumped into some hunter and secretor foods that I couldn't have before. I came back to just enjoying my O-nonnie diet however. If my salivary test says I'm a secretor then I'll change up a few things, but I missed pinto beans more than I loved garbanzo beans, so I guess you could say I'm happy either way. Sometimes when you've tried a few things, you can follow your gut instinct to know what is right... when genotype diet gave me a bunch of dairy, I knew that wouldn't sit right. Then I got the SWAMI and it knew that fact as well, whatever secretor or genotype I come out as, I still get little to no dairy, just a limited amount of sheep milk cheeses.

So I've been every type an O can be, and in the end I'm just me. A more enlightened and healthy me, but still an individual. You can bet I'll be waiting excitedly for the "final result" to come in, though.