Heidi, the last three days your the final question of your column has gone unanswered, seemingly because your reply was cut off? You were probably told this already by hundreds of people! genie

Hi, Genie ~ No, you're the first, but maybe I can help: Are you using Netscape, on a Mac? If so, do you have a copy of Internet Explorer handy? "Pat" wrote in to say that if you use IE, the column displays perfectly well in its full glorious length ~ even on a Mac. Hope it helps! BTW, the columns have been so long lately, perhaps you're the only person who read far enough down to notice anything missing! LOL! ~:-D

I recently bought the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type", and also submitted my saliva to be tested for secreter/non-secreter status. My friend talked me into buying the book. He photo-copied the diet for O blood types (my type) from his book and sent it to me. This is what got me interested, so I ordered the book. However, the diet in the book is real general compared to the list my friend sent me. His list has more foods listed, is divided into "secreter" and "non-secreter" columns, and Tier One and Tier Two foods. My book just says to assume I am a secreter, since 80% of the population are secreters. No different columns for secreter and non-secreter, no Tier One or Tier Two (as I recall, don't have the book with me now), and certainly much less food listed. Also, there are some discrepencies. For instance, salmon is listed as neutral for type O on my friend's list, and beneficial in my book. I feel cheated by my book, as my friend's is much more detailed and comprehensive. Why the difference? Are there different editions? If so, whose version is correct? Is the secrete/non-secrete not so important as stated in my friend's material, since it is so cavalierly treated in my book? Jerry



:-) Hi, Jerry! Well, your friend photocopied the text from Live Right 4 Your Type, published in 2001. Eat Right 4 Your Type is the book you bought. It was the first, written in 1995 as the introduction to the blood type plans. However, it is a wonderful book, so don't feel cheated!! It's still the best starting point, and I'm glad you won't be without it. I'm also pleased you're interested in secretor status and following the diet at a higher level of compliance. Just pick up a copy of Live Right, it's the one with the dark red cover. We also have a special Updates Page all set up on this website for your reference. Thanks for taking the time to write in, and I hope you enjoy the books!! :-)

Hi, Heidi: Saw in your column today (2/12/03) this response to a Q on corn-free tonic water: "About corn-free tonic water: I haven't found a single brand, and no one has written in with one. I wonder if it exists?? {sigh!} I'll keep looking." FYI, just to let you know, in case any more of your readers write in requesting that info., I know of one (and only one) brand of corn-free tonic water in the states, and it is ONLY available through a store called "Trader Joe's" This store does not have an outlet in my state, so I've never actually seen the product, but it is made by a New Zealand Co. called "Mead" and the tonic water is called (get ready, it's a mouthful): "Brightwater Indian Tonic Water", or maybe "Brightwater Ridge Indian Tonic Water". Again, it is solely available at a health food store called "Trader Joe's" and this store is apparently found in 47 US states. Hope this is helpful to you, in case someone else writes in with that question. It is one near and dear to my heart and I've researched it pretty extensively, so I'm pretty certain that there is no other brand available in the US except the one above. Hope you are well. Peace. Anon.



Well, thank you kindly, dear! what a surprise! ;-) I am very pleased to hear from you, and most grateful for your timely tip on tonic! Don't know if you've seen this, and you might find it silly, but I've found myself running it every morning ~ ever since a friend sent it to me. The minute I saw it, I thought of you and I've no idea why. Anyway, I guess this is opportunity to offer it to you!

Lovely way to start or end the day!

Best wishes! I most sincerely hope you, too, are at peace! :-}

Hello, Im o+ and I was wondering if I could drink a tea that has an orange and blackberry leaf would that be something to avoid. I know I should avoid an orange because of its citrus acid and blackberry because of its lecthin. Please help thank you very much. William



Hey there, William! You're absolutely right. Blackberry is an avoid due to the lectin, and orange also due to its stimulation of polyamine production. Write back & tell me if you wanted to take that tea for a particular ailment, and I'll do my best to hunt up some substitutes for you! :-D

Re: Romano Cheese. The authentic variety is ok for O's because, like good feta, it is made from sheep milk. Also, in response to a recent query about hair loss in women: older women DO, I am sorry to say, suffer hair loss for a variety of reasons, primarily genetic, and also as a reaction to hormones, meds, and stress. (I know about this last one, because I was once so tense that my neck and scalp tightened so nuch that no blood was getting to the hair follicles, and my hair fell out. Really.) The good news is that unless the loss is genetic, the hair will regrow, especially with the improved diet and stress-relieving exercise preached on this great website. Fyi and all that, Blessings of a beautiful autumn day, AMN

:-D Yep, good reasoning on the cheese, AMN. And quite true about hair loss. Lord, I do remember that warm late autumn... Well, I belatedly send the blessings of this crisp, cold winter back atcha! At least it might keep the flu bugs down, eh? and it certainly was a perfect white Christmas! :-D

As recommended by my family physician, I tried the blood type diet (I am Type O). I always thought my diet was alright, calorie wise, but could not loose weight (I only need to loose 10-15 pounds). My diet did consist of mostly proteins, but also a modest amount of dairy and wheat. Well, I did the diet for three days and had diarrhea for three days! When I added the dairy and wheat back, the diarrhea stopped. It seems that every Type O meal I eat, it is followed by diarrhea. What am I doing wrong, or is there a supplement that I am missing? I would really like to make this diet work! Thank you! Deborah

Well, Deborah, I'm sorry you "ran" into that problem! It helps to understand that at the beginning of the diet, the body will go all-out to rid itself of the toxic stuff and mucus in the bowels and throughout the system. Sometimes this manifests itself as an overflowing cold, or joint pain, tiredness or hyperactivity. Diarrhea is not a pleasant thing, but in your case it might well have been part of this cleaning process. I can tell you that dairy and wheat will stop my elimination entirely for a period of days, so I believe the "cure" you took for the diarrhea is actually the problem in disguise. Do work from the portion/frequency tables in Live Right 4 Your Type for all the food groups. The greatest part of the diet is vegetables (and fruit), some starchy and some green and fibrous. Try to get a balanced weekly intake of all of them. I'll note here again, just in case it's helpful, that the veg and fruit frequencies in Live Right should be DAILY, not weekly. Give it another try and fill in with starchy veg or a bit of one of the neutral grains where you'd normally use wheat. A modest amount of dairy is still permitted, and there are some suggestions under the "dairy" category. Take care, and please write again to let me know how the second experiment turns out! I'd really like to follow up on it. :-D

'Tapeworm loved the Blood type O diet.' I'm a type O+ sec. with a real need to put on weight, now that my little friend is gone. I lost over thirty pounds of everything. Do you have any ideas to help with this while staying compliant? Also, are you aware of anyone producing Grass Fed Beef Jerkey that in not smoked? This would be a great way to stay compliant on trips to foreign lands, and handy for those long plane flights. Thanks for all your great work. Paul



OOoof!! Sheesh! poor you!! Well, I do not know offhand of a source for grass fed jerky, but if it's out there, it might very well be found at www.eatwild.com. With a dehydrator, a warm dry climate, or even an oven that can be set on LOW, making jerky at home is a snap. Consult the lovely little book, Jerky, by A.D. Livingston, The Lyons Press (Guilford, CT) ~ it's likely found everywhere online, and possibly at www.lyonspress.com. Great recipes and ideas, and just substitute a bit when called for by the BTD. And for your much needed body re-building, see the notes in the past few columns I've put up here. Search at the bottom of this page using "superslow" ~ you'll find what you're looking for. Best wishes to you, Paul, and my vibrant hope that you'll replace the old "everything" with "primo" BTD-engineered healthiness!! :-D