I can understand why food manufacturers lace their products with salt and sugar. Both are addictive. Because I eat natural, unprocessed food most of the time, I feel the difference when I get too much salt or sugar. I don’t like the way too much salt makes me feel. I am thirsty, and the inside of my mouth tingles. I don’t like the way too much sugar makes me feel either. I am sluggish and lazy. That is my logical, healthy, informed self. But once I get started on salty, sweet food look out. Logic, health and wisdom abandon me, and I am as vulnerable as any ordinary gal in a fast food drive through line.

I am in a Book Club in my neighborhood. Last year several of us read a book called True Women, about women pioneers in Texas. We also enjoyed a follow up book called The True Women Cookbook. The club was meeting at my house in January, and I decided to do recipes from the True Women Cookbook along with recipes that have been handed down from my early Texas ancestors.

I moderated the recipes a little so that my husband and I could eat the leftovers. I used neutral flours in the cookies and substituted feta cheese for cheddar. My book reading friends loved the theme, and the food was delicious, if I say so myself.

Though there weren’t any avoid foods (except for coconut), there was still more sugar and salt than I am accustomed to eating. One of the cookies was a no bake recipe that called for making a sauce with sugar, butter and milk (I used almond milk). Another cookie was dusted with powdered sugar. Several of the recipes called for dried fruit and one for honey. The asparagus was topped with both cheese and a crunchy salty topping.

The night before the Book Club I did quite a bit of taste testing – but I told myself, I’ll eat moderately tomorrow. The day of the Book Club I decided to yield and enjoy myself – tomorrow I’ll get back to eating normally. The day after the Book Club the leftovers were too tempting. Sugar and salt were calling my name.

This morning I got up resolved to get back in control. I know that the best thing for my body is to eat my food as close to the way God made it as I can. Concentrated salt and sugar are not the way He intended for me to eat.

I know today will be filled with temptation. There are still a few leftovers in the house, though most of them are going in the freezer after I finish writing this blog. I am drinking lots of fluid. I added l-glutamine to my morning green tea to head off carb cravings. I’ll take more l-glutamine late this afternoon before I start dinner preparation. Writing this blog makes me feel accountable to all of you who are reading it.

As my logical, healthy, informed side begins to reassert itself, I have a renewed sympathy for those around me who are trying for the first time to wean themselves away from processed foods. It takes a while to savor the flavors of grains and vegetables without excessive sugar and salt. I’m eager to get back on track, and I’m glad I have l-glutamine to get me past the moments when the cravings would try to drag me back.

We had a gorgeous day for our trip to top of Pikes Peak on the cog train. Someday I would like to ride the train to the top and walk down, or perhaps even hike up the mountain and ride the train back down. But that would not happen this trip. It does take a day or two to adjust to high altitudes, and we only arrived in Colorado last night.

We had expected the view from the top of the 14,110 foot mountain to be spectacular. What we hadn’t expected was such a lovely ride up the mountain. The aspen were bright yellow, and the streams were sparkling white. We saw a golden eagle soaring on the wind currents.

When we arrived at the summit, the views in every direction were breath taking. We literally felt like we were on the top of the world. I was not surprised to learn that Katharine Lee Bates wrote the words to America the Beautiful after a trip to the top of Pikes Peak in 1893.

The people who run the food service at Pikes Peak have a rule against bringing picnic lunches on the train. They want you to buy their boxed lunches. I had asked in advance if they could prepare me a lunch without bread or potato chips. They said that they could not and were agreeable that people on special diets could bring their own food. I enjoyed my asparagus and salmon while those around me ate boxed lunches.

If I am going to eat an avoid, particularly wheat, I want to make it memorable. Ordinary, everyday wheat, like sandwiches, tortilla chips, rolls, and pizza, are not worth compromising for.

Pikes Peak is famous for something besides the beautiful views – high altitude donuts. A man named Lewis began making donuts to sell to tourists on the mountain in 1889. They are world famous, and I am told that they do not taste the same when they are made in mile high Denver, much less in the flat lands of Texas. I decided that the experience of eating a high altitude donut on top of Pikes Peak was worth it.

I bought one for myself and one of HH. They are cake donuts, so they do not melt in your mouth the way a hot fresh Krispy Kreme does. However, they probably have the best flavor of any donut I have ever eaten.

We have driven to Estes Park and checked into our condominium. We are looking forward to a week’s hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.

When I think back on today in years to come, I will probably not remember the donut. But I will remember the majesty of the mountains, and my heart sings...

“O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!”

We had two delightfully uneventful travel days. No bad weather, no car trouble, no problems with reservations. The worst difficulty was that wifi at the hotel the first night didn’t work, so I am late posting this blog. I am thankful to God for His travel mercies!

We had a Fitness Room in one of our hotels. The equipment was really nice and I got in a much needed workout after a long day sitting in the car. One wall of the room was a ceiling to floor mirror. As I ran on elliptical machine, I watched myself in the mirror. I was confronted again with how I appear to be a combination of Hunter and Gatherer. The top half of me looks like a Hunter. I am sinewy, bony, and angular. But the bottom half of me is just the opposite. I look like a Gatherer. There is just no denying when I'm in running shorts that I'm well padded on my legs and thighs.

I thought I had put this conflict with the GTD out of my mind, but I’m revisiting everything since finding the two polyps. Someone posted a great idea on the Forum about asking their dentist to clarify about Carabelli's cusp and incisor shoveling. I’ve made a note on my calendar to do that at my next dentist appointment.

As we drove through New Mexico, we saw a record number of antelope. HH and I laughed as we remembered an early vacation when DD called them cantaloupe. We sent her a text, and she texted back warning us to stay away from Colorado cantaloupe because of the listeria problems. I guess we can’t order fruit salad as a side dish without checking whether it contains cantaloupe.

We asked at our hotel in Manitou Springs where we could get a meal with meat and vegetables. They recommended the Mason Jar. We were happy with a good and BTD friendly dinner. Today the weather is good, so we are going up Pike’s Peak.

Today I've been packing for vacation. For breakfast I ground flax seed, pumpkin seeds and almonds. I measured rice bran, nutritional yeast, and lecithin into plastic containers. We will eat out one meal a day. For the other meal I have packed canned meat and vegetables. I have sweet potatoes, olive oil, cilantro, prunes and fresh fruit. I've got green tea, natural soda, walnuts and peanuts in the car in case we need snacks.

We are headed for Colorado for a week of hiking, animal watching, and aspen admiring. I can hardly wait for cooler temperatures, not to mention some rest and relaxation. Enough blogging for the moment. HH is ready to load the car.

I have blogged at other times about my journey from totally unhealthy eating, to being a health food nut, to the Blood Type Diet. One of the books that had an impact on my health food stage was Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Nutrition by David Reuben. His father died of colon cancer and he wanted to protect himself from that disease. His research said a high fiber diet was the best way to do that. He introduced me to bran and wheat germ which I ate for years. While his plan kept my bowels moving, the wheat worked against me as a Type O, and eventually led to indigestion.

When I started the BTD in 2003 I had to find alternate fibers to avoid constipation. I knew that colon cancer and colon polyps were also part of my genetic history. I applied Reuben’s high fiber research to the BTD.

I had my first colonoscopy in 2005. While the experience was terrible, the results were excellent. No polyps.

When I had my 2nd colonoscopy this year, I expected good results again. I did not expect two polyps, and I sure didn’t expect one of them to be pre cancerous.

I left the clinic with diet recommendations from the doctor. Since then I have been looking at his recommendations, the Blood Type Diet, the GenoType Diet, and Dr. D’s Cancer Prevention book.

The diet from colon doctor says that while fiber is important for other colon conditions – it doesn’t help polyps. Here is his list of things to do to reduce polyp formation.
* Reduce red meat intake to only 2 times a week or less.
* Eat more fruits and vegetables
* Calcium supplementation 1,200 mg per day
* Selenium
* Don’t smoke
* Be physically active.
* Maintain normal weight
* Take one baby aspirin a day.
* Study results on alcohol are mixed. Some studies show alcohol increases colon cancer, other studies show red wine may reduce cancer risks.

I already do most of what is on list yet my colon health declined. Why?

I eat more fruit & vegetables than I did before the BTD. I take more calcium than is recommended. I get selenium in my multiple vitamin, plus I eat many selenium containing foods. I have never smoked. I exercise 5-6 days a week. My weight is normal for my height, and lower than average for my age. I don’t drink wine, but I eat a lot of black and red grapes.

That leaves red meat intake and aspirin where there are conflicts between the anti-polyp diet and the BTD.

I am not going to take the aspirin. I have seen in myself and in my father what happens when type O’s take Vitamin E and aspirin as preventive measures. It leads to increased bruising and longer clotting times. My Type O blood is already thin enough. I will leave the aspirin for thick blooded Type As.

Red Meat – this is the tough one, because at first glance it seems to be in opposition to the BTD. Food portions in the Little Books – which I always reach for first since they are so easy to use, are: Lean red meat 2-5 ounces 4-6 times per week. Poultry 2-5 ounces 2-3 times per week.

Because red meat makes me feel so good, I had gone toward the high end of the scale eating 4-5 ounces 5-6 times a week. Since getting my lab results on the pre-cancerous polyp, I have made a slight adjustment. I am weighing my beef and eating 3-4 ounces. For lunch and dinner on one day I have fish and poultry. The next day I have fish and beef. Once or twice a week I substitute 3 eggs for a one of those portions. This puts me having beef about 3 times per week.

I looked at the portions in Dr. D’s Cancer Prevention book. There is a slight difference between it and the Little Books. In the Cancer Prevention book, he groups beef and poultry together saying to eat 2-5 ounces 6-9 times a week. My new plan is right in line with that recommendation. The book also contains a two page explanation of Dr. D’s position on beef and cancer. It is worth reading if you have concerns in this area.

Another slight conflict between the Dr. D and anti-polyp diets concerns apples. I used to eat an apple a day. After the GTD came out, I cut back to 1 or 2 apples a week. The Cancer Prevention book says apples are frequent neutrals. I am not eating an apple a day, but I am increasing my apple intake significantly.

I had taken myself off of almost all grain. There are no beneficial grains for Type O except manna bread, and the recommended portions for grains are 1 serving 1-6 times a week. I felt good with 0-1 servings. I am thinking that may be too extreme. I am trying to reincorporate 1 portion of neutral grains 3-5 times a week.

I won’t have another colonoscopy for 5 years. That is a long time to wonder whether my new program will succeed in preventing polyp formation.

Of all the professional hats that I wear, I think my favorite is event photographer. This week I was the official photographer at an elegant fund raising event. My assignment was to show the whole spectrum of supporters having fun. The first part of the assignment was easy because such a variety of people attended. There were high profile people – the mayor, community leaders, and board members. There were also many people who benefit from this particular non-profit organization. The second part of the assignment was also easy because from the silent auction to the four course dinner to the live music and dancing, everyone did indeed have a wonderful time.

Perhaps you are wondering if I will ever get around to the Blood Type Diet in this blog. Just wait, I’m getting there.

I arrived early, and began taking pictures of table decorations and ice sculptures even before the first guests arrived. I got pictures of tuxedoed waiters carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres and ladies in beaded gowns bidding on a weekend get-away. As dinner time drew near, I circulated among the tables taking pictures of people talking.

My employer wisely knew that the guests would not want to be photographed with forks in the air and food in their mouths. She told me to put away the camera when the food was served and return to work when the speeches started. She even found me a seat at one of the tables. The food was delicious and elegantly served.

The salad was mixed greens – not a shred of iceberg lettuce to be found! I ate mine with lemon juice, though the others at the table said the vinaigrette dressing was wonderful. The main course was beef tenderloin. I don’t know what the Type As in the room did, but this Type O was in taste bud heaven. The beef tenderloin was served with two vegetables. Asparagus and spinach topped with feta cheese and sautéed onions & peppers. One of the vegetables I have missed on the BTD is creamed spinach. The spinach and feta combination was even better than my memories of creamed spinach. I’m going make this at home, and soon.

There was a basket of bread, which I easily passed to the guest on my left. But I did not pass on dessert. At each place was a small plate with 5 elegant bite sized desserts. Each was a work of art. Three of them contained wheat, but I enjoyed them without guilt.

Then dinner was over, and I was back at work. Three hours on my feet snapping pictures wasn’t exactly strenuous exercise, but it certainly qualified as a workout.

I’ve been working on some very detailed graphic projects. Spending that much time on the computer makes my shoulders stiff. I’ve also some tough decisions to make. That also makes my muscles tight. I am usually very faithful to exercise, but I let a few days slip by without any intense Type O exercise.

Last night I resolved that no matter what I would get some exercise. It is so dry in South Texas that most of our grass is dormant – at least I hope it is dormant and not completely dead. Usually mowing gives me a good workout once a week, but not this summer. However there was one patch of grass along the driveway that decided to try and go to seed before giving up and turning brown. I cranked up the lawn mower and knocked down the tall seed stalks. Then I put on my swimsuit and headed to the neighborhood pool. I swam laps for 35 minutes.

It was the first time I had been in the lap pool since last year. The water felt good and the exercise felt great. My muscles responded by loosening and relaxing.

The pool is on a hill with views to the south and west. As I swam the sun was setting. Each time I made the turn I could see the colors of the clouds change. It was aesthetically soothing. I got out of the water physically and emotionally refreshed.

Now that the weather is hot, the hiking club is tubing. Today was my first time to go. We are in a serious drought in my part of Texas. While other parts of the country are seeing storms of unprecedented strength, we are already under water restrictions. This does not usually happen until late July or August.

Because of the drought, there is no current in the rivers. Today, the wind was pushing us upstream about as fast as the current was taking us downstream. You probably think that is hyperbole, but it is not. We gradually drifted upstream with the wind, and had to paddle back to our starting point.

God is so good. When I thought I wanted a job, all of the doors were tightly shut. God knew that I would have as much as I could handle with family matters. Now that my parents’ house has sold, my work load is picking up. I am doing a 12 page annual report for a client. I’ve been up until 2 a.m. two nights in a row to meet my deadlines. (If your graphic designer doesn’t treat you as well, perhaps you need a new graphic designer. I just happen to know someone in Texas…)

Because of the late nights, I arrived at the river ready to relax. There were six of us tubing today. We floated around rather lazy like for an hour. Then I was ready for action. My muscles had been sitting in a computer chair for long enough. I told my friends I was going up river. No one volunteered to join me. They were having too much fun drifting and talking, but I had to get moving. I paddled upstream for a half mile or so. I saw a mother mallard with seven ducklings following her to the other side of the river. I saw fluorescent blue dragon flies. The sun was hot, and the water was cool.

By the time I paddled back to where we got in, everyone else was eating lunch. I had the same thing for lunch that I would have had today if I had stayed home. English peas with chicken and hummus. Parsnips with flax oil and cinnamon. If I had eaten at home, I would have said, “That was a good lunch.” But somehow when you eat outdoors after enjoying both total relaxation and a strenuous work out, the food just takes on incredible flavor.

Wow, I wanted to shout. This is a really great lunch!

We arrived safely at Foggy Bottom Farm in northeast Alabama. One of my college roommates and her husband have retired there to raise grass fed beef and range free chickens. What fun we had catching up on news about old friends. We also had fascinating conversations about health and nutrition. These were all the more amusing because Marsha and I remember what the other was like in pre-health days.

Marsha and John were not familiar with the Blood Type Diet. They are both Type A. So I had fun telling them about how I got started on the diet and how it has benefitted my family. They were particularly interested in my not eating wheat. Marsha believes that wheat negatively affects John. I don’t know what they thought about Dr. D’s rating beef as an avoid food for Type A.

John is passionate about the superiority of grass fed beef. When I hear his statistics, it makes me wish I could afford to buy grass fed all the time. I was looking forward to tasting his beef, but their freezer was empty. They plan to butcher a cow later this month.

I did get to try the eggs from their chickens. I don’t know whether it was the eggs or whether it was that Marsha cooked them with fresh basil from the garden, but they were delicious.

I told them that I was on the fence about organic produce. Marsha agreed with me. Their garden is organic. But when she shops at the store she does not buy exclusively organic. She buys organic carrots, because their experience with cattle has showed her the effect of chemicals that leach into the ground. She does not buy organic on thick skinned items like citrus or avocadoes. Her rule of thumb for other produce is that if the organic price is less than double the price of commercial, she buys organic.

We took a lovely walk to a waterfall, and another hike up to the top of the mountain behind their house. Texas is in a devastating drought, and there were hardly any wildflowers this year. The fields in northern Alabama are full of flowers and the sides of the hills are beautifully green.

If you live in Alabama, Georgia, or Tennessee and are interested in buying grass fed beef, Foggy Bottom Farm has a website.

The years I spent as a full time Mom were without a doubt the best years of my life. The one advantage to having one child now employed and the other off at college is that my Honorable Husband and I can travel in the spring and fall. We are off on a trip to Alabama to see friends and wildflowers. Perhaps I should say we hope to see wildflowers if the tornados have left any for us to see. If we have wifi available, I will try to blog as we travel.

Our first stop was to visit HH’s mother. She has passed her 90th birthday and is still able to live in her home. Her greatest difficulty is severe osteoporosis, particularly in her spine. As her vertebrae are slowly compressed, she has increasing pain in her legs and hips. Her doctors tell her that there is not really anything they can do for her. Seeing her condition makes me even more faithful to take calcium/magnesium & horsetail supplements and to be diligent about weight bearing exercise.

HH loves Subway sandwiches; I do not. There is too much bread and too little meat for a Type O. I have the option to “make a sub a salad,” and I certainly like salad, but even the vegetables at Subway don’t agree with me. I wind up with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and spinach. All of the olives, cucumbers, and peppers are avoid.

So when we travel, HH looks for exit signs that say Subway, and I dig around in my box of food and fix myself a bowl. Today I had canned asparagus, canned salmon, and an apple. He was happy, and I was happy.

We ate dinner at a buffet in Brandon, Mississippi called Annie D’s. We both found lots of beneficial food. I don’t think I have ever eaten brisket that was more tender. It was delicious. I also had cooked greens, green beans, and sweet potatoes. He had fish, green beans, rice, and a salad.

We had not planned to have dessert, but we walked by the dessert buffet. He saw Boston cream pie, one of his favorites. I saw coconut cream pie, one of my favorites. It was too hard to resist. Don’t think too many harsh things about me…at least I didn’t eat the pie crust.

I have made an association between memory issues and sleep. It’s an association I can’t prove, because it is anecdotal. And as you know if you have read much about nutrition and health, anecdotal evidence carries no weight. Only scientific double blind studies are considered reliable proof. Perhaps someone has done a study about this that I haven’t read, or perhaps someone needs to do a study. At any rate, all I know is what has happened to me, and I am resolved to get more sleep.

If you have a good memory, you may be chuckling because this is not the first time that I have said I needed more sleep. I have made promises and made excuses many times. But recently I got serious, and the results were so beneficial, that I hope I will never regress.

When my Dad died in 2008, I was the executrix of his estate, and I took on additional responsibility for my Mom. I was also trying to find a job. It was a really busy time. Sometimes I stayed up late in order to complete all of the tasks that had to be completed. Sometimes I stayed up late because after being bombarded with phone calls and e-mails, I just wanted to be alone in a quiet house. In addition to all of the other stress, I was concerned that I couldn’t always mentally juggle all of the things I was dealing with. I forgot names. I got the sequence of events wrong. I made lots of notes to myself so that I wouldn’t make any mistakes. In addition to everything else, there was a nagging fear that I was losing my edge.

By May, the estate paperwork was finished. Mom was settled in a routine. The economy was so bad that gave up on finding a job. I became one of Obama’s underemployed and started my own business. The stress level went down and the amount of sleep went up. Surprise, surprise – my memory came back.

At the end of August, my Mom had a stroke that left her completely helpless and led to her death four months later. As the responsibility increased, my sleep decreased. Little memory lapses also returned. My husband retired during this period, so the only time I could be alone was late at night. It was usually midnight and often after 2 A.M. before I went to bed.

God began to poke at me about my need for rest – particularly with scriptures dealing with a day of rest and a year of rest. Matthew 11:28-29 made me think about how I was behaving. Jesus says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

I also re-read in Live Right 4 Your Type what Dr. D’Adamo has to say about sleep.

So two weeks ago I began to stop whatever I was doing at 10:30. I finished the dishes, shut down the computer, and went to bed. I set my alarm for 8 hours after I actually got into bed. The first surprise was that the alarm woke me up. For most of my life my optimum amount of sleep has been 7 hours. When we would go on vacation, after a couple of nights catching up, I would be wide awake almost exactly 7 hours after I went to sleep. I recognized that if I was still sound asleep after 8 hours that I was seriously sleep deprived. This recognition was the motivation I needed to continue to be self disciplined.

In the past few days, I have noticed two things. First, my memory is much improved. To say that I am encouraged would be an understatement. Second, I am now waking after 7 hours of sleep, but rolling over and sleeping again until the alarm goes off. This indicates that I am gradually getting the rest that I have needed.

When God ordered His people to rest, he knew what he was talking about. I just hope I can remember this.

Christmas Eve was wonderful. My Darling Daughter and I have been cooking for two days. We had turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green beans and cranberries. We made pumpkin pie using ground pecans as a crust. We also made our fruit cake, which even my husband admits is as good as Collin Street Bakery’s, though it is 100% wheat free.

One year DD and I made dressing using flax bread and spelt biscuits. This year, she suggested we try flax bread and grated zucchini. We used all of the traditional seasonings. I liked it, but when our Strong Son went back for a large second helping, I knew it was a true success. DD has switched from soy milk to almond milk, so I made the sweet potato casserole using her almond milk. I didn’t want to top it with marshmallows, but I sprinkled turbinado sugar on top - just a little sweetness and crunch. I think it was the best sweet potato casserole I’ve ever eaten.

We had our dinner at lunch time. The plan was to take a long family walk afterwards, but while we were eating a norther blew in, pelting the house with frigid rain. DD, SS and I went to the neighborhood fitness center and worked out there.

The evening Candlelight Service at Church was beautiful. We sang lots of my favorite Christmas Carols.

This poem came in a Christmas card from one of my friends. I share it as my Christmas greeting to each of you on the BTD and/or GTD.

If you look for me at Christmas,
You won’t need a special star.
I’m no longer just in Bethlehem,
I’m right there where you are.
You may not be aware of Me,
Amid the celebrations.
You’ll have to look beyond the stores,
And all the decorations.
But if you take a moment,
From your list of things to do,
And listen to your heart, you’ll find
I’m waiting there for you.
You’re the one I want to be with,
You’re the reason that I came.
And you’ll find Me in the stillness,
As I’m whispering your name.
Love, Jesus

While DD is home for Christmas break, we are getting all of her routine medical check ups. Monday she had an eye appointment. When she was in elementary school she began to get headaches and eye strain. Most children who wear glasses need them for distance vision. But when I took DD to the eye doctor, it was her close up vision that needed correction. She also had a slight astigmatism. So DD wore glasses all through middle school and high school. I took her in for an eye check up about a year before she left for college, and her vision had not changed from her previous appointment.

I intended to take her in two years later, but I forgot, so she had not had a vision test for 3 1/2 years. She told me at Thanksgiving that her glasses hurt her eyes and that she had stopped wearing them. It was definitely time for an eye exam.

When her eye doctor came out to give me the report, he said that her astigmatism was gone. Both her near and far vision were perfect. She no longer needed glasses at all.

If this was the only good news, it might not have attracted my attention, but I had my eyes checked a month ago. My vision has not changed from my last exam two years ago. At my age, 57, that is welcome news. But the best news is about cataracts.

Eye doctors say they begin to notice cataract formation in patients in their 40s and 50s. Most of those cataracts are small and do not affect vision. After age 60 cataracts increase in size and by late 60s and early 70s they begin to affect vision. In the US, cataracts are reported in 42% of those between the ages of 52 to 64, 60% of those between the ages 65 and 74, and 91% of those between the ages of 75 and 85.

I asked my eye doctor about cataracts. He says that I have no sign of them at all.

Is DD’s improvement in vision is related to the Blood Type Diet?
Are my cataract free eyes related to the Blood Type Diet?
It would be impossible to know for sure. All I really know is that I feel great, I have lots of energy, I am on no prescription medications, and very few of my peers can say the same.

This blog is part confession, part suggestion, and part relaxation of the rules. If you have followed my experiences on the BTD for the past six years, you know that I’m usually looking for ways to make holidays as compliant as possible. Most years I intend to continue that practice. But this year, I find myself wanting to taste again the traditional Christmas foods I grew up with.

If I were going to psychoanalyze myself, I would say that it probably has something to do with the fact that of the last four Christmases, three have involved critical and terminal health issues with my parents. I encounter memories of what happened on particular days in December at every turn. Because of that I find myself craving to reconnect with the joy and delight of Christmas.

I went all out decorating my house this year. My husband tried to discourage me, but I told him that I really needed to do it. He didn’t understand, but he could see my passion, and after I was finished, he admitted that the house looks the best it ever has.

Another part of restoring good memories is food. I’m sure I could fight against the urge to splurge…for a while. But I have a feeling that if I did, there would come a moment in January, when Christmas goodies were all gone, that I would crash and indulge in stress eating. It wouldn’t be as satisfying, and it certainly wouldn’t be as tasty.

So I’m going to relax the rules a little this year. I continue to be almost 100% compliant at home. DD and I are going to do compliant dressing and pies for our family Christmas. But I am being much less stringent at parties and family gatherings. I went to a cookie exchange this week, and I ate cookies - quite a few, in fact. I also ate several kinds of cheese appetizers. We have a party coming up with a Mexican food theme, and while I won’t eat chips, I intend to eat tamales and enchiladas.

There is one level at which I feel a little bit guilty. But for the most part, I think this is a necessary (and temporary) way to set aside the recent past and re-experience more distant memories. I do not want to get caught up in a rut of sadness at this most happy and blessed time of the year. If a little sugar and coconut will help me get past this year with a joyful heart, I think it will be worth it.

If you are like me, I would urge you to face yourself honestly. Identify what is making you sad, confront it, and pray about it. Put limits on how far you will go with Christmas avoids. Saying yes at parties, but a firm NO at home is a good place to start. Saying that the relaxation of rules comes to a screeching halt on December 26 or 27 might be another good limit.

You are here on this website because you recognize that the Blood Type Diet is the best program for your physical needs. But there are deep emotional and spiritual needs that surface at Christmas time - don’t attempt to neglect or deny them.

My Honorable Husband injured his knee in 2005 and got incredible relief with physical therapy. He has no pain with normal activity, but if he walks for very long on a steep incline he has soreness and stiffness for several days. It terrifies him. He thinks he has reinjured the knee and is doomed to surgery. This means that the mountain hiking we both loved to do is severely limited.

Last summer in a chance (or perhaps providential) conversation with a woman in the neighborhood, I found out about a lady’s hiking club. There are about 25 women who hike in nearby state parks every Friday. It took a while to get connected, but on Friday I took my third hike with the group.

These ladies are serious hikers. Most of them are grandmothers, and they hike because they believe that if they stay physically active they will age more gracefully. The first two hikes were steep and aggressive. I met ladies who have hiked in the Alps and on the Appalachian Trail. I was glad in was in good enough shape to keep up.

Most of them are also interested in eating healthy. In so many situations, people give me strange looks when they see what I eat – like a meat and veggie bowl when everyone else is eating sandwiches. Not the hiking club ladies! There are certainly lots of sandwiches, but there are also a lot of salads and trail mix. There are even others who eat veggie bowls like I do. I’m probably the most serious about the Blood Type Diet, but several follow the basic principles.

On Friday we took a guided hike in a protected natural area. The weather was perfect, and the docent filled us with knowledge about truly native plants as well as plants that are encroaching in Central Texas. The walk, fresh air, and good conversation were rejuvenating.

A reader, frustrated by cooking cod and having it turn out too dry, asked how I cooked frozen cod. I have the same problem when I buy thin cod fillets at the grocery store; they often come out dry.

I have the best results with cod loins, which I can only buy at a wholesale store like Sams or Costco. I do not thaw them. I put the frozen cod loins in a glass baking dish, top them with seasoning, and bake them at 350 degrees. I watch through the oven window for the juices that cook out of the cod. When the edges of the juice start to turn golden brown, I test for flakiness. The moment the cod flakes all the way through, I take it out of the oven.

When I’m in a hurry, I use a no-salt seasoning like Mrs. Dash or Spike on cod. When I have more time, I like topping cod with fresh foods – onions, celery, lemon, pineapple, whatever I have in the house.

***Basma added a comment about cooking fish in a pan vs in the oven. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom and read how she cooks fish***

The cod question reminded me that my husband asked me if we ate much tilapia. He had heard a news report about tilapia being dangerous. I spent some time doing internet searches about tilapia safety this morning. I am no expert, so do your own searches, but this is a summary of what I found.

Most tilapia is farm raised in China. The Director of Food Safety at the University of Georgia went to China to inspect fish farms, and found to his horror that they were feeding tilapia human and animal excrement. The fish were given a big dose of antibiotics prior to being prepared for market. This report is evidently several years old.

Some more recent reports indicate that China has made an effort to “clean up” their fish farms. I can’t tell whether this is advertising/marketing talk or whether they have really made significant changes.

Equally alarming is that people buy tilapia thinking that it is a less expensive way to get the good benefits of eating fish. A recommended ratio of Omega 6:Omega 3 is 1:1. The typical American daily intake is estimated at 30:1. Aren’t you glad you are on the BTD and not on a typical American diet?!?

People are being encouraged to increase their Omega 3 intake, and the three best sources of Omega 3 are Flaxseed walnuts and cold water fish. When you look at the ratio, you want the first number to be smaller than 1. That means the fish has more Omega 3 than Omega 6.

Salmon .05:1
Halibut .06:1
Mackerel .55:1
Cod .4:1
Tilapia 11:1

You can see that tilapia is not a good choice for people wanting to increase the Omega 3s in their diet. Unlike other fish, it is low in Omega 3 and high in Omega 6.

I notice that the fat content of farm raised salmon is higher than wild caught salmon. Frankly the farm raised tastes better to me, and it is usually less expensive. I was almost ready to abandon wild caught and start buying farm raised. But in the course of looking up ratios, I learned that because of the grain based food fed to farm raised salmon, the increased fat content is the undesirable Omega 6.

As for me and my house…we will continue to buy cod loins over cod fillets. We will continue to buy wild caught salmon. And we won’t be buying any more tilapia. This blog is making me hungry. It’s time to fix lunch.

My grandparents lived on a ranch, and when I was a girl, I would hear them talk about “going to town.” The nearest town was 5 miles away. That’s where they would go for groceries and the bank. To do any major shopping they had to go to a larger town that was 20 miles from the ranch. I grew up in the city, and I thought the phrase “going to town” sounded so exciting.

Now that my husband and I live out in the country, we use that phrase all the time. He will say to me, “Are you going to town today? If so, I need to go to the hardware store.” We consolidate our errands to save gas.

Yesterday we went to town with a list of nine errands. We crossed off the first two, then went to a new restaurant for lunch. The owner had mailed out coupons for “buy one, get one free” dinners. It was a trendy sandwich shop oriented toward tourists and business lunches. The thing that impressed me was that three of their sandwiches were available in “no bun” versions. This has to stem from low carb and/or BTD pressure in the restaurant industry. I’m glad to see it. I had a sirloin burger that was topped with a fresh vegetable garnish. Instead of fries, I got a fruit cup. It was delicious.

We dropped off a photo order at a client’s (if you need a Christmas gift idea, I have one for you below), then went by the tax office. One thing I love about small towns is walking into the tax office and talking to someone right away. When we lived in the city, I would block out an hour for any errand at the courthouse.

Then we went to vote. I cast my ballot for candidates who promise to pass better health care laws than the current administration and who encourage self sufficiency and entrepreneurship.

Next, I got a flu shot. Every year I weigh the pros and cons. Last year I got the regular flu shot, but not the swine flu. This year it is all rolled into one. In the end, I decided that the possibility of feeling terrible for a week was worse than the risk of the shot. I’m not advocating that for you, it was just the lesser of two evils for me. I may change my mind next year.

Last of all we picked up produce at the grocery store and headed for home. My husband took the dog for a walk while I put things away. He poked his head in the front door and said, “Come see! There are four deer in the neighbor’s yard.” The best thing about going to town is coming home to the country.

Now for the Christmas idea. Part of my photography/graphic design business is converting old 35 mm slides to digital. I can correct faded color and make the slides into a DVD movie. No more slide projector - you watch your pictures on TV. Because I custom scan each slide, now is the time to order for Christmas. There is more information on my website Practical Photography and Publishing

Our Bible Study class had a cook out over the weekend. The men grilled hamburgers and the women brought side dishes. There was so much good food – baked beans, an oriental salad filled with crunchy veggies, lots of fresh fruit, and a spinach salad topped with cranberries and nuts. Of course there were chips and cookies, but it was easy for a Type O to find plenty to eat.

I decided to take carrot salad. It’s good for all blood types, it’s easy, and most people like it. Sometimes when I make it at home, I use oil instead of mayonnaise. It tastes good, but it doesn’t have the same creamy texture. For the cook out, I wanted to make it the more familiar way, but I was nearly out of mayonnaise, so I went to the health food store. The owner saw me looking at the various brands, and suggested I look in the refrigerator for Vegenaise. Sorry, but I would never name a product Vegenaise. It just brings weird images into my mind, like Veggie Tale characters climbing onto sandwiches.

I picked up a jar and liked the ingredients. Grapeseed oil – not good for Hunters, but super beneficial for Gatherers. There are advantages to having a mixed body type – I focused on super beneficial. Brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup – that was good, as was apple cider vinegar instead of regular vinegar. I bought a jar.

I put two cans of diced pineapple (with the juice) in a bowl, added several handfuls of raisins, and let them soak until they were plump. Meanwhile I grated two pounds of carrots. Just as I got ready to put it all together, DD called. She was telling me about a salad she had made with cinnamon and ginger. On impulse I put 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon and a teaspoon of ginger in my carrot salad. Tossed it with some Vegenaise and off we went to the cook out.

The day was beautiful and the conversation was fun. We met two new couples who live in our area. The carrot salad was a hit – I think it’s the best I’ve ever made. If I had been hoping to bring enough home leftovers for Sunday lunch, I would have been disappointed.

We are back at home – thankful for safe travels. We may not live in the majestic mountains, but the Texas Hill Country is a delightful and lovely place to dwell. I have one more story from our trip that applies to the BTD.

On the last day, we were in a restaurant for lunch. One of our friends had a hard time deciding between a fried chicken dinner and chicken & dumplings. He finally decided on the fried chicken, but asked the waitress for a taste of chicken & dumplings “for my grandma’s sake.

He closed his eyes and sighed as he tasted the dumplings. “Mmmm, just like grandma’s.” Then he said, “That is why people on my mother’s side of family were so fat. All roly poly. They ate stuff like that.”

Perhaps when you read that he chose fried chicken, you were a little judgmental. It’s easy for those of us who have been involved with a demanding diet like the BTD to look with disapproval on others who don’t eat as we do.

When I look at our friend, I see how far he has come. He was not taught good eating habits as a child, but like most of us he could get away with eating anything when he was young. When he and my husband met in Viet Nam in their 20s, they were both thin and fit. He gradually put on weight until by the time he was in his 50s he was getting portly. A diagnosis of diabetes got his attention. He changed his diet and began to exercise. Today he looks great and has lots of energy.

Was fried chicken the best choice for a Type O with diabetes? No. If I had been ordering for him, I would have chosen something else. But there were certainly worse choices on the menu – like chicken & dumplings.

I never want to be so rigid that I cannot celebrate when people make meaningful changes to their eating habits that bring them a step closer to the Blood Type Diet – which I consider to be the best way to eat for maximum health.

When we travel, we take our own breakfast food and eat in our room. This has become so much easier in the last year or so, because almost every motel chain now offers a refrigerator in the room at no additional charge. For our remaining two meals, we eat out one and picnic one.

For our trip to Colorado, we are staying at a condominium. We got a great rate at a ski resort. It’s too late for summer vacationers and too early for snow. This means we have a fully equipped kitchen, which makes preparing picnic food somewhat easier. But don’t forget this is vacation, I’m keeping food preparation simple!

I added three new items to the picnic food that I’ve blogged about in the past. Since we have a refrigerator, my husband gets a lot more fresh produce with his turkey sandwich. He has had grapes, apples, nectarines, carrots and green beans. I think he could eat a turkey sandwich every day for six months, but I do try to give him lots of variety with the extras that go with the sandwich.

I bought mozzarella cheese to go in my sushi nori wraps that I eat on picnics. That’s not new. What is new is using the mozzarella in the meat and veggie bowls that I eat when we are in the condo. Tonight I had canned spinach and canned chicken topped by mozzarella. Heated for one minute in the microwave, and it is the closest thing to creamed spinach that I’ve had in years. Delicious. Along with this combination, I had a half can of pumpkin heated with diced apple and grapes. Was this a vegetable dish or a dessert?

I’ve been eating a lot of humus at home. When we arrived in Colorado, I bought a container of humus for picnicking. Last night I had tuna, English peas, and humus. I had a sweet potato as well. I once thought fixing Type O travel food was hard, but I can now fix myself a bowl quicker than I fix my husband’s sandwich.

Tomorrow I’ll look at some of our adventures eating out in Colorado.