I'm trying to keep an open mind about kohlrabi and turnips because they are both beneficial. I tried turnips several weeks ago and they did not make a good first impression. They had a strong taste, and I ate them reluctantly.

Joan wrote saying she had tried kohlrabi for the first time and had liked it cooked with lamb. I couldn't find kohlrabi in my stores until this week. I bought some and cooked it together with chicken, carrots, and onion.

When I first tasted it I thought, "Kohlrabi either tastes just like a turnip or my produce manager doesn't know the difference and sold me turnips of a different color." After one bite, my husband picked out the onions and carrots and left the kohlrabi for me and my son.

I took a bowl of the left over kohlrabi to school one afternoon when I knew I would be working past dinner time. Surprisingly it tasted less like a turnip. Not bad. This morning I mixed the last of the kohlrabi with some mozzarella cheese. It didn't taste like a turnip at all. In fact I rather enjoyed it.

Now the question is - does fresh kohlrabi taste like turnips, but leftover kohlrabi taste good?

OR

Do both kohlrabi and turnips lose their strong taste over time? (If so I can cook them one day and serve them the next.)

OR

Am I getting just getting used to a new taste?

I guess the only way to find out is to buy more turnips and kohlrabi.

I've been irritable for the last 24 hours, and I'm not really sure why. The weather was so warm and muggy that I really didn't enjoy my run yesterday. Students whose grades need a boost at the end of the semester refused to turn in an easy assignment. I wrote out a grocery list, and then left it in the car my son took when he went out with friends. When I finally did get to the grocery store, I had to take in a cart that someone else left in a parking place - again. A friend took a different position on a political issue that is important to me.

My stomach is irritable too. It probably didn't help that I ate a breaded veal cutlet with my son.

I know I've not had enough sleep. We were jolted awake at 1am Monday because our son was having car trouble. I didn't get home from school until 9 pm Tuesday night, and I must work that late again tonight. Last night I played a computer game to relax - bad decision. Computer games are like black holes in my clock. When I stopped playing it was late, and there were still chores to do.

So, now what do I do? First of all, just listing the insignificant things that I have let irritate me has made me laugh at myself. Second, I have juiced a ginger root, and I'm fairly certain ginger & water will settle my stomach. If I manage my time this morning, I can get to bed at a decent hour tonight.

There's a spiritual component to my irritability as well. I've been thinking about the verse "Do not be weary in well doing." I try to be polite to others. I try to eat right for myself and cook right for my family. I try to help my students and my community. Yesterday I felt like I was the only one trying, and I wanted to stop trying, too. Of course I am not the only one. But even if I was, I am not responsible for all the others. I am only responsible for living my life the way God has called me to live.

The produce department at the grocery store has new signs. They are based on the Color Diet, so naturally, they are very colorful and attention grabbing. At the top they say "Eat 5-a-Day for Better Health"

It makes me smile. How would a Type O manage on ONLY 5 fruits and vegetables a day? I eat a minimum of 9-a-day; often 12 or 13. I have a fruit (grapefruit, pineapple, or dried figs) while I'm fixing breakfast and packing lunches for the rest of the family. After they are out the door, I eat my seed and fruit mixture (another 2-3 fruits). I've had 4 fruits before 8:00 AM!!! I have 2-3 cold leftover vegetables with beef for lunch, a snack that almost always includes a fruit or vegetable when I get home from school, and another 2-3 vegetables with dinner.

Even my Type As who are allowed more grain and beans get 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables. I might need to be careful of my serving definitions. If I grill an onion and cook greens or squash with it, I don't measure; I just count it as two vegetables. If I fix a big salad with Romaine and fresh spinach, I count that as two. If I season with garlic or horseradish, I don't count either of them.

I worked for one part of my journalism career in advertising. So I began to think about what kind of posters the D'Adamo clinic could print and donate to produce departments. The four lists of beneficials would certainly be confusing. And listing avoids would be sure to cause conflict. My college son is not happy to find that I don't intend to put oranges or orange juice on my summer shopping list.

If you're a regular reader, you know that my church is doing a study called "40 Days of Purpose." This week's topic was "You were created to become like Christ." It included a word picture of how people change their habits. It had a wonderful spiritual application, but it also reminded me of how I've adapted to the Blood Type Diet.

Imagine you are in a boat, and the auto pilot is set to go straight east. You, however, want to go west. You take the wheel and force it around. However you have to keep the pressure on to work against the auto pilot. This causes stress and tension. You succeed at first, then you get tired, give up, and go back to heading a direction you didn't want to go. The better way is to reprogram the boat's auto pilot, in other words to change your core thinking. That is how you bring about lasting change.

When I first started the Blood Type Diet, I tried to find substitutes for the foods I was used to. I stopped buying wheat crackers and started buying rye crackers. I switched from safflower mayonnaise to canola mayonnaise. I was trying to force the Type O diet into my old eating habits.

It was a good place to start, and I felt better. But I remember the moment I realized that Type Os just weren't suited for sandwiches. For lunch I needed 2 or 3 vegetables and some meat. At that moment I began to adjust my auto pilot.

I can have Ezekiel bread or a kamut cookie for a snack, but I really don't need the grains. A better snack is a dish of walnuts or some carrots dipped in almond butter. Aerobic exercise isn't something I do to keep in shape; it is the way my body best diffuses stress. It has to be as much a part of my day as eating. Each of these was an adjustment to my auto pilot.

I've been on the Blood Type Diet less than a year, and I realize my core thinking is still a mixture of typical American diet, health nut, and Type O. But when I walk in a restaurant looking for something that is beneficial, rather than sighing over what I can't have, I can see that I am changing.

The 40 Days of Purpose study said that God uses the Bible, the Holy Spirit and our circumstances to change our spiritual thinking. I am using this web site, the "Food Beverage & Supplement Lists," and awareness of how foods make me feel to change my dietary thinking.

Jane wrote to remind me that cabbage is neutral for Os.

I think it was one of those Freudian mistakes. I have eaten cabbage lots of ways, never really liking it. Some cole slaw is ok; most I just can't swallow. I once had a stuffed cabbage dish that I liked, but I think it was the spicy meat that made it good, not the cabbage. So when I read in the first edition Blood Type Diet publications that cabbage was an avoid, I thought "HA! I knew there was a reason I didn't like it." I later read that it was neutral. I even have it marked in my "Food, Beverage, & Supplement List", but I still think of it negatively. My husband loves cabbage, but since it is an avoid for As, I seriously doubt I invest much time looking for cabbage recipes. It might be a better choice at barbeque restaurants than pinto beans.

The blog on kale brought in two recipes, both of which I intend to try.

Carla wrote "chop up a few tablespoons of parsley and steam it with the kale until it is a dark green color, still retaining a bit of crunch."

Michaela says, "I briefly stir fry just the leaves in sesame oil with onion & chicken, then I add a bit of plum jam or pureed plums, chili and wheat free soy sauce."

I love spinach & raisins, so kale & plums sounds like it has potential.

Several of you recommended sweet potato fries. I made them the first day my son was home from college. We both thought they were outstanding!

Cassandra said "Try sweet potato hash browns! Grate the sweet potato and fry up in butter and/or olive oil. I have found that they get mushy in my cast iron skillet, but are fine in other pans. Salt 'em, and serve 'em up. Delish with garlic powder on them, too!"



I just can't keep your comments all to myself, so I think I'll share comments on the weekends. I promise never, ever to give last names or locations. If you don't want me to use your first name, just say so.

I read this verse this morning. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. Psalm 103:2-5