Hi, Olympia! About kambucha, (also "kampucha" or "kombucha") I haven't a clue. We have no similar listing for this substance. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, it is the 'manchurian tea mushroom' ~ not an actual mushroom as we understand it, but rather a colony of yeast and bacteria. Kind of like the "tea" version of sourdough starter. It appears to create a kind of acidic, laxative and possibly probiotic substance in the two weeks it sits in the tea, but we haven't tested it and can't comment as to the benefits or detriments of drinking it. What I do know is that kombucha tea may have any of several ingredients including sweetened black tea (traditional) ~ black tea is an avoid for everyone except B secretors and A nonsecretors, even with the tea fungus added to it. Other than that, I guess it will have to be considered "neutral unless you've got health complaints!" just like nearly all of our other "unknowns." :-) Neat question, Olympia ~ thanks!! :-D

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Hello Heidi, Thanks for your info.on vegemite a while ago.I had no trouble giving it up. However, I noticed on a gardening program recently that it is good as a plant supplement, especially for pot plants which can get a bit neglected. Which leads me to reflect on plants and their needs and antipathies, where perhaps the practice of companion planting comes into play?



On another topic, my thyroid supplement has an ingredient called aspartic acid. Is this related to the dreaded aspartame?



Third question on identification of mushrooms: are 'silver dollar' domestic and button mushrooms the same thing? (3-4 cm diameter, with a white rounded cap and usually grown in controlled environs) What are 'field mushrooms'known as by their technical name so that I can identify thjem on the food lists?? In Australia they are the bigger ones, 7-8 cm across, with a flatter top and more luscious flesh. Thanks as always, I've just passed my 3 month anniversary of erfyt,and with very high compliance, can always tell when I have stepped outside the food list, even in a minor way. I like to do this occasionally, just to prove the truth of the system! Cheerio, Jenny





Hey there, Jenny ~ About your thyroid supp: is this free aspartic acid (aspartate)? If so, I would immediately discuss with your doctor the possibility of switching to another type of supplement. Aspartic acid unbound to protein is an excitotoxic amino acid which can trigger a spike in aspartate plasma levels. This has been shown to be hazardous to the brain ~ killing brain cells in areas not protected by the blood/brain barrier. Do have a talk with your physician about this. Aspartate is not aspartame ~ rather, it is one of the ingredients in aspartame, along with methanol and phenylalanine. It does make up its share of the hazard, though.



This UK mycology/sales site's Latin naming of the field mushroom as Agaricus campestris is correct ~ however, look carefully at the photo they provide. It's possible that what you're finding in your markets is actually the portobello (sometimes referred to as Agaricus brunnescens), the largest variant of Agaricus bisporus (the button/silverdollar/domestic mushroom (yes, those three terms refer to the same mushroom) as well as the cremini mushroom). ~ For your reference, field mushroom would have the same rating as portobello in the food lists.



And I'm very pleased to hear how well you're doing!! And you've discovered your body's ability to recognize avoids, as well... great work, and best wishes to you, Jenny! :-D

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Hi Heidi Thanks for the last few columns - you have been very busy! I am actually responding to the question you answered about whiting and hake. The fish issue is indeed difficult and I wonder if our local hake may not be an allowed food instead of an avoid as it is one of the easiest types of fish to find. I know that it might be difficult, but will it not help if we could have the scientific names of the avoid fish? I do eat our cape whiting after I saw that it is allowed. After wondering about what is meant by whitefish on the foodlists, I did some research and came accross a website that I feel can be a great help regarding the fish issue (http://ibs.uel.ac.uk/fishbase/fishgen.htm). I found out on this site that our local "Wit Steenbras" is actually what will be referred to as whitefish and after doing a search on hake, I came accross quite different scientific names than the one you mentioned (Urophycis tenuis). This made me wonder if indeed our hake are an avoid or not! To me it seems as though whiting and hake might be the same fish - can you comment because it will make life a lot easier to know the scientific names of those fish that should be avoided. Thanks a lot and have a wonderfull new year - and a rest which I am sure you need. eurika





Ah, another die-hard fish fan! :-) Thank you for that link, Eurika ~ since it is a UK site, it will prove useful for figuring out UK fish 'market names' and their Latin equivalents.



Remember that the values established for our food lists are the result of tests done on American market-named items. So, to find out the Latin name of the fish we have a value for, first go to the FDA Seafood Name Search and enter our lists' name (which is a "market name") for that fish. You'll find the Latin name appended, which can be used to find the equivalent (pretty much... even Latin names are not consistent in all countries) in the UK fish database you linked, or in other countries' seafood databases.



If you follow this procedure with "whiting," you'll see a great number of hits come up in the FDA search ~ whiting is a very commonly-applied vernacular moniker. Here's where the work comes in: scroll down until you find fish with a market name of whiting. There are several -- but you don't want the European, or Argentinian, or Patagonian, or South African, etc. "whiting." You want the AMERICAN (native or commonest) fish, either Atlantic or Pacific, as the others are listed only because they are registered imports. Merluccius bilinearis is its Latin name, and is the reference against which other fish may be compared.



Whiting is a member of the Gadidae, a huge family of fishes including cod, hake, and pollock. Our "whiting" has a vernacular name, "silver hake," which can further confuse the unwary! :->



In the case of "whiting" and other names which cover a broad range of fish among various countries, it may prove illuminating to do a websearch for photos ~ for comparison with the fish you've got at home there in SA. For instance, HERE is an eastern coastal American site with a nice illustration accompanied by a description of the fish. For comparison with our "hake" (Urophycis tenuis), see THIS photo!.



*Phew!* That's all the space we've got for pescatorial procedures! but I hope this is further help to all of you when comparing your local fishes against the blood type diet listed items!! :-D

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I am type A, Caucasion, female, age 50. I had my gall bladder removed a year and a half ago and I wondered if there are any special considerations in the type A diet that I should be aware of in order to compensate for the lack of a gall bladder. Thank you. Terrie





Hi there, Terri! I think the straight-A diet will be ideal for you, as it is naturally low in cholesterol and fat, so will not call unduly on your bile production. All the gallbladder does is concentrate the bile before release ~ you'll still have bile to digest fats (it's produced in the liver), so it's not a significant loss! but you should eat only very small quantities of fat at one meal, so that the bile released directly from the liver will be adequate for fat digestion. Do maintain your yoga practice, as it is a great healer and balancer. Thanks for writing, dear! :-D

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I have a question concerning secretor status In your book Live right for your type ( in danish - lev efter din blodtype ) you dont mention as many types of food as you do in your book Eat right for your type ( in danish - spis efter din blodtype ). Example: Shrimps. Mentioned in Eat right for your type - iam an A-type, so i should not eat shrimps.But shrimps not mentioned in Live right for your type, so i need to know what to do when food not mentioned in Live right for your type. Look forward to be hearing from you soonest. best regards Susanne





Greetings, Susanne ~ I'm not sure why the Danish book does not list "shrimp," but no matter ~~ just go to the TYPEbase 3 database on the front page of this site, and search for the food you're seeking. Remember to hit the "search" button -- hitting your enter key does not work on that page. Live Right 4 Your Type includes a multitude of foods that were not included in Eat Right -- could you give me a few more examples of the ones you're missing in your edition? thanks, dear! :-)

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Hi, The ER4YBT diet was "suggested" to me by my naturopathic physician a little over a month ago as a result of recently being put in a high risk category for breast cancer. I read the book in one night and, though the Type A diet is very restrictive and many of my favorite foods are on the Avoid lists, I intuitively felt it made a lot of sense and began the diet immediately. My question regards soy. I eat tofu everyday for lunch (I've found some great recipes and have even converted a couple of friends from work to at least some tofu). I lift weights 6 days a week so need a lot of protein. I also drink a soy protein shake every day and put soy protein in my morning oatmeal. Because of my workout routine I need to eat six times a day so two other meals are generally soy cheese and a soy based energy bar. I save my chicken and fish for dinners so my husband and I can eat the same dinner. I've recently read that soy can be bad for you. Dr. D'Adamo does address this in one of his other books, but I'm still concerned. As an A+ can I overdose on soy? If I'm eating too much soy, is there another good source of protein that I can use instead. Thanks for your help. Lonnie



Hi, Lonnie! Sure, you can eat too much of anything ~ simply because too much of one thing means other things aren't making it into the meal plan! :-> It's GREAT you have a knowledgeable naturopath who uses the BTDs in practice. Please discuss the following with him or her, as I'm sure s/he'll agree that a robust cancer prevention strategy cannot rely on one substance alone.



I highly recommend the more recent book, Live Right 4 Your Type in conjunction with the Updates Page, as this book provides portion and frequency guidelines for each food group -- as well as a plethora of lifestyle advice. Also, get familiar with the TYPEbase 3 database for quick food value reference.



For instance, type A secretors are allowed 5-7 servings of beans & legumes per week ~ that's a maximum of one per day. However, their veg/fruit allowances are far higher.



All of the diets have their foundation in vegetables and fruit, with the protein sources taking up a much smaller percentage of the total daily food volume. Those masses of plant life are an integral and extremely important part of the diet's cancer-protection effects. So don't skimp on them in favor of soy or any other protein source.



I wrote a column some time back entitled Meal Planning for the Masses! ~ It sets out guidelines for figuring out what one's ideal daily/weekly diet is, and how to organize same for shopping lists. Have a good look at it ~ I think it can simplify the process of making full use of the food plans. thank you so much for your note, Lonnie ~ don't be a stranger!

:-)

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Why does my nose almost randomly run, just like water? I could be eating a meal or watching tv and then all of a sudden, my nose runs like water. I'm Blood Type A. I've completely switched over to the Blood Type A diet 2 years ago. The results have been short of miraculous. I used to power body build but now I read, go for walks and listen to calming music. My weight was about 220lbs at 37 inch waist. Now I weigh about 158lbs at 29.5 inch waist. My blood pressure was around 160 / 100, now its around 100 / 60. I used to have very dangerously high iron levels, now its optimal. Lots of sinus and throat mucas, now very little. No more white blotches in my nails, no more pink eye or ear infections. I haven't felt this good my entire life. I'm 30 years old now but I've been told I look 25'ish. My close friend is also 30, doesn't eat right for his blood type and looks in his late 30's to early 40's. Adrian





Hey, Adrian! Nice to hear from you! :-) Well, type As certainly have a plentiful talent for mucus production (a wonderful thing for protection against "invaders"), and what is happening now is the result of the healthy, watery mucus very capably washing away any inhaled or ingested irritant. Keep a mini food diary - whenever that faucet starts running, make a note of what you ate in your last meal. Get a picture of the patterns over a month or so, and see if there are certain things usually present in a meal when the waterworks appear. :-) You may find there is a food item or two which is prompting the immune response.



and... WHOO-HOO!!! Grand results, just grand!! Enjoy them to the fullest!!



~~:-D

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