Wheat germ was the darling of the health food movement in the 1970s. I recall reading articles where it was described as the perfect food. I ate it every morning with my cereal for breakfast. Then I found out that it was giving me indigestion. Wheat germ is an avoid food for Type Os. In fact it is avoid for everyone except Type AB secretors.

I have a several favorite recipes that call for wheat germ. When I first went on the Blood Type Diet, I just left the wheat germ out. However, that meant that the recipe was lower in both protein and fiber. It also changed the texture of the food just slightly.

One day I was making pancakes that called for wheat germ. I had just ground some flax seed for my own breakfast, and on impulse I substituted ¼ cup ground flax seed for ¼ cup wheat germ. It worked perfectly.

Like wheat germ, flax seed absorbs a lot of liquid, so the texture of the pancakes was normal. Like wheat germ flax seed has a nutty flavor. But unlike wheat germ, flaxseed is beneficial for Os and As.

Since that morning I have substituted equal amounts of ground flax seed every time a recipe called for wheat germ. I have never been disappointed. This morning I made gingerbread. My son will be going back to college this week, and gingerbread was one of his favorites when he was a boy. I not only substituted flax seed for the wheat germ, but I also substituted black strap for the molasses.

Both kids had gingerbread for breakfast. And they both had more gingerbread this afternoon for a snack.