Today is the Christmas luncheon at my husband's office. The company provides turkey and ham. The employees bring all of the side dishes. For years I have baked homemade bread. Before the Blood Type Diet, I made the same whole wheat bread that I made for my family. Now, at home, I bake rye bread, which is better for my Type As. But I don't think that the people at the office would appreciate the rye texture, so I go back to the old wheat recipe when I bake for the party.

This morning as I took the last loaf out of the bread machine I thought of something that I should have noticed long ago. The old recipe has extra gluten. It was about the time that I started baking bread that my indigestion got so much worse, and it was indigestion that eventually led me to the BTD.

Here's the irony - it was a health food store that recommended adding gluten to my recipe!

When I first got my bread machine, I followed the recipe for whole wheat bread. It was not at all appetizing. The flavor was nice, but the loaf was hard and heavy. Friends said to mix half white flour and half whole wheat. I recoiled against that idea. I had been reading for years about the evils of white flour and the benefits of whole grains.

I went to my favorite, independently owned health food store. One of the major organic, health food brands packages pure gluten powder. My friends at the store told me to add two Tablespoons of gluten to my recipe. I did and the results were fantastic - a 100% whole wheat loaf that was light and delicious.

I baked bread often, and I ate a lot of what I baked. All of the ingredients were natural and whole grain. According to conventional wisdom, what better food could I eat?

It was about that time that indigestion changed from a mild, occasional annoyance, to an every day aggravation. I never made the connection. I looked at lots of other foods and factors in my diet and lifestyle, but I never questioned my natural, healthy, delicious bread.

Providentially I found the BTD, learned that wheat is avoid for Type Os and that gluten is one of the culprits that makes it avoid. I started looking for wheat free bread recipes, and the gluten went into the back of the pantry. This morning is the first time I've connected the dots about the role that bad advice about "healthy" gluten played in my finding the BTD.

One more thing…After my blog about feeling like a short order cook, Joe wrote about his 3-Blood Type Family. He said, "In spite of the inconvenience, I think it is much better than eating incorrectly." I couldn't agree more. We are all healthier when we eat right for our types. I would much rather spend a little extra time in the kitchen than a lot of extra time at the doctor's office.