Heidi, I enjoy reading your column and appreciate getting answers to some of my questions by reading your answers to other's questions. I am a 43 yr old female, O+ and have been on the diet and exercising for 2 months. It has been a BIG change for me because I previously had a grain(mostly wheat and corn) based diet and a lot of dairy as well. I have been quite strict about avoids, and tried to eat as many beneficials as possible. However, because of financial reasons, I have not been able to buy organic vegetables & fruits and free range beef and fresh fish. I'm doing good to afford frozen fish and regular produce from the grocery store. Thankfully, greens are inexpensive

I have lost about 10 lbs, which makes me very happy, but have a few concerns. I have asthma and allergies and was hoping that I could eventually quit taking the 3 prescriptions I take daily. I tried cutting back a little on my medications after 6 weeks on the diet, and my symptoms got worse, so I went back to normal doses. That was a little discouraging to me, after reading results others have had.

Another question I have is about supplements. I'm not familiar with herbs and haven't taken any, I'm especially worried about calcium since I've stopped drinking milk. I've read about and would love to get the calcium supplement for o's sold on your site, but can't afford to at this time. I guess what I'm wondering is: since I can't get the perfect foods and afford the supplements, how beneficial is it for me to continue on the diet at this time? Am I doing more damage than good by eating more produce (with pesticides) & more beef (with antibiotics & hormones)? Thanks for your help and comments. M.N.

Hi, M.N.! You're doing a wonderful job! New diet, new exercise plan, and you're working to learn more ~ what a great attitude, dear! Your approach will accomplish your goals far more quickly than if you were rich as Croesus but uncommitted to this plan. You absolutely do not have to take supplements -- For calcium, use Peter's Calcium from Almonds list ~ make broth from the bones of roasted chicken, turkey, beef, etc. ~ and pick up a bottle of Gerolsteiner mineral water (or whatever brand you can find locally) once or twice per week.

You are certainly not doing more damage than good by eating more of the foods that are good for you ~ just think, the foods you used to eat are just as heavy with pesticides as the greens, veg, and meat you are eating now. I have a suggestion for getting clean meat at a lower cost than your local retail source: www.eatwild.com has a huge listing of various producers who sell direct and will ship to you. Take a look at it and see if it would meet your needs. There might be someone listed who's near where you are -- in which case, you could drive out and pick up your supply (no shipping cost) and freeze it at home. Investigate greenmarkets or farmer's markets in your area, too: you get a lower price and better food, and the farmer gets all the money ~ no middleman.

Don't be too rushed to get off the meds (I say that, but I totally understand your desire to be rid of them!) ~ as your body heals, the time will come when you don't need the meds. Just let it happen at its own pace, and it WILL happen.

thanks for writing, M.N., and I know you're succeeding right now! :-D

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I'm an "O-." I have been using RevivalSoy products to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Their products deliver the equivalent of 6 cups of soymilk (providing 16 grams of soy protein and 160 milligrams of soy isoflavones. Their new low carb shakes and bars contain "sugar alcohols" as the primary sweeteners. Their literature states that sugar alcohols are categorized as sugar replacers because they replace sugar sweeteners. Sugar alcohols taste very similar to regular sugar, but they are not absorbed very well by the intestines, thus they add very few calories or carbohydrates to products. As an added benefit, they do not produce substantial rises in blood glucose levels (i.e. they are low glycemic index sweeteners). Can I, as an O, safely use these products? Thanks, Claudia

OK: Here is my message to people who are sending questions to my column in order to promote RevivalSoy:

INGREDIENTS of one of their drinks:

Revival® Doctor-formulated Soy Protein Isolate, Fructose, Sucrose, Cocoa, Calcium Phosphate, Maltodextrin, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Artificial Flavor, Carrageenan, Carboxymethylcellulose and Xanthan Gum.

Then they have the nerve to say:

EXCHANGE: 2 very lean meats + 2 1/4 starches

If anyone here thinks soy isolate and a whacking load of corn-based sweeteners and gums and carrageenan and chemicals is somehow OK for ANYONE, let alone type Os (!!), let ALONE as an "exchange" for two meats and two "starches," then all I can say is, I wish you well ~ but these products are not BTD-friendly. I could say lots more, but I am driving on. *phew.* Thanks for listening! :-D

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The diet recommends the use of "seltzer water". Is this the same as club soda or tonic water? If not, is seltzer water commonly sold in grocery stores? Brenda

Hello, Brenda ~ Seltzer commonly refers to salt-free club soda. Seltzer, club soda, doesn't really matter for purposes of the diet; both are found everywhere, so they're easy to find. Tonic water is seltzer with quinine and a bit of sweetener -- but I have not found a single brand of tonic water without corn-based sweetener, so watch those labels (and write in to tell me if you find something WITHOUT that corny stuff! :-)). And here I'll put in a plug for the King Of Fizzy: high-solids mineral water! Study 'em up and pick a favorite at www.mineralwaters.org ! :-)

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Hi Heidi I have just started the diet a few weeks ago and LR4YT has become my bible! In such a short time I no longer suffer from bloating, gas or constipation. I also have no cravings at all for sweets. However, I do still suffer from fatigue. I still need almost 10 hours sleep to recharge my batteries fully and if I don't get this then feel really tired in the early to late afternoon. What can I do to feel more energised in the afternoons? I am a type o (secretor status unknown). I already take a vit B supplement but it doesn't really help. I have completely eliminated wheat, potatoes, corn and beans from my diet. I still have one cup of coffee a day (usually during the afternoon which helps to wake me up somewhat!). Any ideas? Thanks for your great work. Shalinee from down under...

Hummm, hmmm... This could be due to a number of things, but I'll list 'em all ~ just pick and choose among them depending on your circumstances.

Try using green tea instead of coffee in the afternoon ~ it's a great mental brightener, and beneficial for most folks (without the shakiness coffee can produce, along with its other deleterious effects).

Do you get plenty of calcium? If you're unsure, see the calcium part of my reply to M.N., above. A calcium deficiency can certainly produce lagging energy.

There are rhythms of energy through the day, and we all experience "up" and "down" parts of the cycles at various times. Mid-to-late afternoon is a natural time for a nap ~ unfortunately, most work schedules don't accommodate natural energy slumps.

It's possible you need *less* sleep than you're getting, as more than six or seven hours at a stretch is actually harder on the body than two sleep periods of two to five hours separated by an hour or two awake. So, let's say you sleep from ten to two, get up for an hour, then sleep again from three to five (or six). Or, eleven to five with a two-hour nap in the early evening. Play with this and see if it helps you.

It's quite common to experience sleep changes in your early phase of the diet. They usually resolve themselves within a month or two, so it may simply be a matter of time. Hang in there, and see how you're doing in a while - let me know, too, OK? :-D

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Dear 'on the diet' I am blood type o+, 33yrs old female. I have had history of low blood sugar. For a number of yrs i have experienced alot of distress regarding food that i ate. After eating certain food i would feel worse that before! I eliminated wheat and realised that this was giving me reactions to my adrenal grands that make me feel so so so stressed. Yesterday i realised that this is also occuring whenever i eat grains. Even rice and especiall modified maize starch, which sends adrenals and my stress response crazy ( Just like hypoglacemic reactions). I have noticed that this is especially so lik yesterday when i accidently ate rice and something with modified maize starch in it. I spend a long time trying to relieve these symptoms of stress and it took another day to do so. I have read the live right book and it helps alot. I understand that grains are not good for type o. But i would like to ask for any advise around this reaction that i suffer from. I am a very sensitive person which may be be the reason why my body reacts so strongly. If you have any insights into this that you feel would be helpful to me i would very much appreciate this. Also any advise for what i can do to counteract this reaction, that is very stressful and help to remedy this situation, would be helpful. Yours sincerly, May you be happy. Sarah

Thanks for your kind wishes, Sarah! This is a simple problem to solve: no corn for you. It's a serious avoid. Anything with "corn" or "maize" is to be shunned like horrors. If you stay away from it, I promise those reactions will soon be just bad memories! take care, dear!! :-)

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Can a "patch" worn on the arm containing "FUCUS VESICULOSUS and GARCINIA CAMBOGIA" be harmful or beneficial to curb appetite for O's? PLEASE ADVISE ASAP. THANKS!! Pennie

Hi, Pennie ~ A patch, eh? What will they think of next to market to people desirous of weight loss? I opine that it will do nothing to curb your appetite, but will certainly lighten your wallet. Truly, you'll have much better results (and more expendable funds) following the diet, taking l-glutamine for cravings until they subside with time on the diet, use encapsulated fucus, and skip the garcinia altogether ~ Peter tested it some time back, with no significant results.

I hope this helps, dear! :-)

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HELLO, I am a type O positive and have been using this diet for the past few months. I have trouble sticking closely to the diet even though I have some troublesome health issues like an auto-immune thyroid problem and seem to be developing "asthma". Cake and cookies lure me as well as other wheat based snacks, especially at other people's houses. I'm good about the dairy and pretty good about the corn products, although eating mexican food is a weakness too. Do you have any advice on increasing will-power? Also, do you have a recipe for ghee? I'd like to make it at home. Thanks so much, Marian

Hi, Marian ~ Will power is a result of desire, although most folks think of it as soldiering through some painful process. What looks like will power from the outside is often well-founded and pleasurable commitment based on experience, on the inside. The contrast between having asthma attacks and not having them motivates many people to choose the good foods over the old standbys. Seeing the weight come off, or the cholesterol drop, or the thyroid meds stepped down... or the skin improve, or the arthritis disappear... one's values change, and the world changes with them. The tempting treat literally becomes "that poison that makes my joints swell and burn." So, each of us finds a way to handle hunger that doesn't involve eating poisons. Planning ahead, bringing a snack, offering a dish or two for the potluck, etc. ~ your preferred lifestyle will guide you as to what measures to take!

About the ghee, I *can* help you there! :-D Take one pound of butter (my favorite is organic cultured sweet-cream), melt it in a deep pan over medium-low heat (NO stirring at all, in this process), then raise the heat to medium-high and keep it at a medium/high simmer until the foam subsides. Skim off the thick stuff that comes to the top with a slotted spoon. When that's gone, dip a strip of paper into it and light it (over the sink). If the paper sputters, the ghee's not done yet. Test it again in a few minutes. When the paper burns without sputtering, take the ghee off the heat to cool for ten minutes ~ then pour it into a heavy glass jar with a close-fitting top (leave it loosely closed until cool), and let it cool completely. That's it! Some folks like to strain it through cheesecloth, but I've not found it necessary. And everyone has their own tips & tricks, so you'll probably come up with some of your own, as well. Enjoy! It's lovely stuff! :-D

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