Hi, My husband and I just started on the diet. We are both type O. At the moment, I only have one question. Would I be able to add xanthum gum to recipes such as spelt bread for our blood type. Thanks, Diane

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Is Xanthan gum okay for O nonsecretors? I have found no references to this on this website or in the books, but I did read that everyone should stay away from guar "and some other gums". Is Xanthan one of the ones to stay away from, or can I have it? I realize I can only have grains 3 times a week, but it sounds like I need something to keep the bread together, and this is what I am finding most people who bake their only bread use. Thank you for your time! Karen



Hello, Diane & Karen! As far as I know, xanthan gum isn't good for anyone. This is one of those "unknowns" that I prefer not to portray as a "neutral" in any case. Just as reference for other folks, the reading Karen did was likely Here is one I wrote including baking suggestions, and if anyone has a scientific turn of mind and would like to translate into BTD-ese the implications of this fact sheet on all gums used in food applications, I would be endlessly grateful!

Scratching through my dusty memories, I seem to recall that ground soaked flaxseed can fill the "gum" bill in low- or no-gluten bread baking. Have you tried that at all? How about homemade sourdough ~ rye is one of our few neutral grains, and makes fabulous sourdough bread. Kamut on its own may be ideal for bread-baking, as it does have some gluten and works beautifully in yeasted pizza crust -- whether whole or with the bran & germ removed.

Try those suggestions, ladies, and keep us posted with your results. I can say with certainty that 100% sprouted grain flour can produce a perfect loaf, since Ezekiel 4:9 bread contains only sprouted grain & beans, water, yeast and salt -- no gums at all. Wonder if www.foodforlife.com will ever give us a peek at their recipe, eh? ;-> hope springs eternal!! ;-D

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dear heidi' i'm really sorry to bother you but i don't know what else to do.i am o non secretor with candida and i find this diet quite helpful.but i am really struggling with a couple of avoids lately,namely wheat and potatoes.i know they are bad for me and don't know what possesses me to eat them,mainly in the evening.i am getting really angry with myself that i have started making myself sick after eating these avoids.i know i shouldn't be doing this but at the same time i don't want to be suffering the side effects of eating these avoids please help me. dee.

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I have been having weight problems for years, and have been doing the weight watchers plan for 16 weeks going up and down weight wise each week, it was quite depressing. I was recently told about the type O diet (my blood type) and have read your book and the small one. (I have however noticed that strawberries are neutral in one and avoid in another. I am having great difficulty weaning myself from wheat bread and potatoes, and am noticing more and more that most of the other products that I use are also on your avoid list, not that I eat them a lot, and I certainly dont want to cut them permanently from my diet, are there supplements that I can purchase to allow myself to keep some of these items in my diet? Regards Lois



Hello, Dee & Lois ~ This diet is a set of guidelines which we know work beautifully together. No supplement can replace doing the diet -- if it could, NAP would carry that one product and they'd be billionaires already! :-) Deflect-O can help somewhat in occasional ingestion of small amounts of avoids, but it cannot transform wheat and potatoes into harmless foods for you.

Dee, it can be very rough at the beginning. The key is to get through that ONE beginning, and console yourself with the knowledge that you'll never have to do it again. Get through it now and make it last! ;-) That's something we all face in our own way, according to our knowledge of ourself and our needs. Once the habit of avoiding certain foods and enjoying others is formed, it takes very little watchfulness to maintain compliance! in fact, avoids begin to lose their appeal. They are indeed poisons, as you've discovered, and have a perceptible addictive quality for some people. Just trust yourself to make that one beginning, get through it, and smile & congratulate yourself on looking back!

Lois, if at some point you decide to stop eating at least the major avoids like wheat, corn and potatoes, you will experience the benefits for yourself. That will count a lot more for you than me sitting here talking. :-) I'm sure that the success you sought with WW but didn't find, is waiting patiently for you in the O diet. Take your time and go gradually if you like. There's no hurry. The more closely you can follow this plan, the more results it will produce for you. :-)

thanks so much for writing to me, ladies, and I hope this will be of some assistance in your journeys!!

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I am Mexican American and my husband is Italian/Panamanian. We have three children - 20, 18, and 10, and we all have 0 Blood. Since I do the cooking I'm hoping to incorporate the beneficial foods into our diets. The whole family loves Mexican food and Italian food and are reluctant to give up enchilladas, tacos, and pasta with meat sauce. My husband drinks one cup of coffee per day and finds that he gets a terrible headache if he doesn't drink his morning coffee. My 20 year old son is having a lot of stomach problems and acne and eats a diet high in breads and dairy products, my 18 year old daughter has Reynaud's Syndrome but is in excellent health otherwise and prefers chicken to beef, my 10 year old has had problems with asthma and I'm about 50 pounds overweight and was just told that my cholesterol has to come down (it is 275). I know I should consider us very fortunate because we all have the same blood type but I'm a little leery of making everybody change their diets cold turkey. Please help! Rosemary



Hi, Rosemary ~ Here are some suggestions. Green tea instead of coffee for husband? It contains a form of caffeine, so he won't experience the painful headaches in withdrawal. Alternately, he can use something that tastes like coffee: replace 1/4 of the coffee with a substitute like Kaffree Roma, Teecchino (both contain barley) or Raja's Cup. In a week, replace 1/2 of the coffee, in two weeks 3/4, and in three weeks use the substitute alone. Spelt flour for the tortillas, spelt and amaranth for the tacos instead of wheat. Rice pasta instead of regular - it tastes great. No need to go cold turkey, just introduce new foods slowly and gradually remove the avoids. Your husband and children will have to make their own decisions as to whether their health improvements are worth the food changes. Respect their decisions, and feel free to make your own. In fact, this is what we all do ~ figure out what we're willing to change in order to protect our health and attain our goals. My best wishes to you, dear! :-)

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Hello, I am currently following the blood type diet..and I am an O..I am quitting smoking and my doctor prescribed Wellbutrin to help with the cravings..will this have any negative impact on the diet..thanks --Eve



Hi, Eve! Hmmm.... Wellbutrin is customarily one of the drugs prescribed for bipolar disorder. Your doctor gave you this to "help with cravings?" Hmmm. OK -- I'm not a doctor, as everyone knows. However, although you didn't ask, I'd like to offer a page on Wellbutrin side effects and some further information on bupropion hydrochloride, the generic name of this compound. I'm not sure what to say about a negative impact on the diet, but I'm not happy about its potential impact on your general health. Just my opinion. be well, dear!!!!! :-)

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My wife is type O. She recently started taking coral calcium which if I understand it correctly will change her chemical makeup to one that is more alkaline. If I understand Dr Dadamo, type O should be more acid than alkaline. Is the coral calcium she is taking a problem? Chris



Hello, Chris! I think you're referring to the muscle tissue comment from Peter -- type Os do better with a more acidic level of pH in the muscle tissue than, for instance, type As. Calcium of any kind is an alkalinizing compound, although I know certain companies are marketing coral calcium with that announcement as if it were peculiar to coral calcium -- which it isn't. "Alkalinization" is also not a cure-all, but it is hyped as such. Anyway, I wrote a brief bit on coral calcium which may be of interest: here's the link. Take care, Chris, and I wish you both the best of health!!

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Thank you for your recent reply to my questions regarding calcium. I will be ordering from your site!! Another question... Since I find that eating low carb is helping me lose weight, and I really feel better, (although it is grains I just love to eat and it is sooooo hard not to eat carbs), how can I get enough protein in my meals if I don't eat dairy products? I feel like I have nothing to eat if I can only eat protein from meats and fish (FISH I HATE all forms) How much harm does a daily cottage cheese serving, or yogurt, or cheese harm the O? I really feel I can't eat anything! IS SOY AN OK FOOD FOR ME AS AN O?

Pennie



Hi there, Pennie ~ Soy is OK for O secretors, not good for O nonsecretors. Just browse through the entries under "soy" in the TYPEbase 3 database for the exact values. Dairy is not at all a good protein source for Os, so you're missing no protein there. The guidelines of these diets are provided for your use -- experiment with dairy if you really cannot feel happy without it, and see what your results are. Then you'll know from personal experience what does and does not work for you in that area. Good health to you, dear! :-)

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Hi Heidi! I am O- and have been overweight since my teenage years. I am 30 yrs old. I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot) at the age of 28. I am trying to follow the plan as much as i can. I have two questions. 1) what is seltzer water, is PERRIER good for type O's ? 2) I dont want to eat always red meat, can I take in protein bars that are sold in health store ? thanks for answering and your site is awesome! Roxanne



Hello, Roxanne ~ Seltzer is just plain carbonated water. Perrier is fine for Os, although not as high in minerals as many you can choose from at www.mineralwaters.org. Protein bars are truly no substitute for the basic flesh protein dietary component in type Os ~ vary it between fish, poultry and meat, add eggs and some beans and nuts, and you'll be going strong! thanks for your Qs! :-D

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I am a Type O woman, with all the typical Type O "symptoms". I spent about 7 years of my life in absolute agony, running from doctor to specialist to doctor...after being diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Stress etc. etc. I was feeling quite desperate! I had cameras in me more times than I could count, but not once did they ever check my food intolerance!!! As I am a fitness instructor, I was carbo loading on pasta, sometimes 2-3 times a day! Big surprise that I was so ill. By chance, I saw the Live Right For Your Blood Type book at a bookshop in London - it CHANGED my life, literally within 24 hours!!! I am back in South Africa now, and I have followed the diet religiously for one year now. I have been pain free for the first time in almost a decade!! (THANK you Doctor D'Adamo!!!) One thing has bothered me though: although I teach 5 very hectic spinning classes every week, and follow a very healthy diet, wheat free, lactose free, oil free...I have gained 8 kilograms, and I'm feeling desperate once again! Could this diet change cause that, and what could I change to lose the weight, or prevent it happening further? Do Type O's need any supplements, enzymes or vitamins that will keep the weight off? Do many people experience this? I recommend this book to every client that comes to me for advise at the gym, and most people who dare to question their eating habits, LOVE the book! This revolutionary change to how I see food has sparked a huge interest in health for me. I will be studying Naturopathic Medicine as from next year, back in the UK, and I believe that this book will be a very large focal point for what I recommend to people, to work out why they are ill! Again, thank you! Lana



Hi, Lana!

In that mysterious weight gain: "oil-free" may be the key culprit. The beneficial oils AID weight loss and contribute significantly to neurochemical balance. Do an experiment: pick up a copy of Live Right 4 Your Type and try the nonsecretor diet. Your grain intake, while wheat-free, may still be well in excess of the optimal amount for your physiology. Additionally, your staple foods may contain one or more of those which are fine for secretors but no good for nonsecretors. Don't worry, that works both ways! and there are some foods which have turned Beneficial for the O-nons among us. ;-)

Type Os, like everyone else, do not require supplementation in order to lose weight or keep it off -- the diet/exercise/stress relief suggestions do that job beautifully alone. Tweak that diet a bit, and see if you can find time for a meditation or hatha yoga practice. A hectic lifestyle and daily feelings of desperation can place us in continual "fight or flight" mode, in which the body will often hang on to every tidbit of fat reserves.

Pretty thrilling to hear you'll be studying naturopathy, in which I cordially wish you the greatest success. Keep In Touch!!! :-)

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Hi Heidi, I just returned from 3 months in Guatemala and I am returning in two months for another 6 months. It is very difficult to eat the O diet there strictly due to lack of available food. I don't have access to cooking facilities and anyway the choice of food in the stores is abysmal due to a variety of interesting socio/political/economical reasons I can't go into here. Vegetable choices are eggplant, peppers, carrots, beets, squash, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and sorry lettuce. There are no greens. Sometimes there is wilted broccoli. I explained how you can prepare beetgreens once--no they don't come with--and they looked at me like I was nuts. Fruits are apples, oranges, grapes, pineapple, papaya and bananas. In the morning I have an egg and sometimes fruit. Many of my other meals have no vegetables at all. Some have chicken or more likely pork. Some meals consist of corn, wheat, cheese and potatoes. I call those the white on white meals. When this happens I keep a can of sardines and apples in my room so I don't go hungry. I do have to eat some wheat, corn and potatoes or I will be so hungry I can't sleep or function. I try to eat as little as possible while visions of Ezekial dance in my head. Needless to say I've lost lots of weight which was a really good thing. Here is my main problem. I was plagued with an upper intestinal parasite--G. Lambdia-- which re-occured even after medication. It thrives on carbos and as you can tell the food is very carbo rich in a not type O friendly kind of way and I know my inability to digest the stuff is the problem. I love what I am doing there and being pretty tough I will stick it out but what can I prepare in advance and take with me to help fight these parasites? Also is eating some yogurt OK especially when I take the kill everything in there western parasite medication? Help!!!!!!!!!! Nina from Antigua P.S I could lose another 10 pounds according to the charts but I can't afford new clothes. My friends have suggested I bottle and sell the amazing organism that has led to my newly svelte appearance. Nina



OK! whew! Well, first off: I strongly suggest NO more medication for the lambdia. That's why it reoccurred, and it will continue to do so every time you take a course of antibiotics because those drugs kill EVERYTHING and leave you to sort it out.

Instead: Take a supply of PolyFlora-O with you, along with Deflect for those nothing-good-to-eat-for-love-or-money days. IF you can bring a supply of fresh garlic and bagged pumpkin seeds and store them where they won't rot, here's a recipe for pesty-killer pesto. One clove of garlic, two tablespoons of seeds and a handful of cilantro (I'm SURE you can find that one there! (please say yes?)) pounded in a mortar. Add some (hopefully olive) oil to make a paste. This will make three or four tablespoons of it ~ just take one tablespoon per day.

Congratulations on doing so well for so long with so little! Great spirit! I'm asking the Clothes Fairy to send you a bit of gold dust for your increasing sveltitude! thanks for writing, and my best wishes for your travels!! :-D

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Dear Heidi, I am a Type O (secretory status unknown). I did very well with the Atkins diet and felt very well without wheat and corn. I am intrigued by your eating plan. It sounds like gluten could well be the source of my GI discomfort and acidity. But I have one nagging question that I need to settle before I adopt this lifestyle. According to Dr. Atkins, most carbohydrates raise blood sugar, causing insulin secretion, which in turn eventually leads to insulin resistance on the cellular level. He does a fairly good job of documenting this phenomenon. How does eating type-appropriate carbohydrates - for example high-sugar beneficial carbohydrates such as figs - affect blood sugar, insulin and cellular resistance? Why are smoked foods not recommended? I am a Type O and most of my favorite fish are smoked. Thank you. Robin



Dr. Atkins is half right. :-) The other half is: what kinds of carbs for which blood type and why? that's the part he does not address, but that is a substantial part of the basis for the design of every ABO plan here -- particularly the information about WHAT attaches to the insulin receptors on cells which results in insulin resistance. Smoked foods are not generally recommended because of concerns over carcinogenic compounds produced in response to (1) the chemicals in commercially-"smoke-flavored" products and/or (2) the substances gathering on wood-smoked food. Type O is, generally speaking, least affected by these concerns ~ but to be responsible purveyors of health-related info, we do mention them and do not recommend smoked foods.

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Heidi, I'm a Type O Non-Secrator, and eating on this diet is extremely difficult. The typical Type O diet doesn't really even apply to me. And I've found something else. The Avocado, which is listed as 'beneficial' for an O Non-Secrator, gives me a lot of trouble. I get really thirsty, get bloated, and and everything seems to get dry (hair, skin). But other foods like Strawberries, Dates, Apricots, Tofu, and a few others are right on the money. I really don't want to eat animal products, because I'm strongly against someone else killing my food. And I'm not about to go out hunting myself. I'm confused, is all. Finding the right balance has been extremely difficult.

I'm a firm believer in the lectin theory. But I don't believe that a Type O needs to eat animals to be healthy. I believe we should all be raw foodists, following the Beneficial and Avoids for our blood type. Comments? Mark



Hey there, Mark ~~ This diet is a tool for your use. If the lectin-related information is the only part of it that you find compelling, use that part. That alone will do some good, whether you decide to use any other parts of this plan or decide to chuck all the rest. If you'd like to read more on vegetarian type Os, enter the term 'vegetarian' into the search field at the bottom of this page and browse through what you find. And of course, if certain foods give you untoward reactions, eliminate them for the time being -- that is what we all do, and it's a common situation when one is changing from a diet flooded with detrimental plant lectins. Good health to you! :-)

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Dear Heidi, Would you be as kind as to explain what is the difference between Essene and Ezekiel Breads? Why for 0 : Ezekiel - is neutral and Essene - is benefitial? Thank you very much for your answer. Sincerely yours, Sergey



Hello, Sergey! Here is your answer! :-)

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I am an Australian so some of the terminology in the book is strange to me. What is Seltzer Water? I have only just started the diet and I feel a little better I am O+ does this make me a sector? I am having some trouble with indigestion and I have also had a bad headache for 2 days, do you have any suggestions. Thank you - Deidre



Greetings, Deidre! A headache for a couple of days is not uncommon. It means your digestive system is relieving itself of toxins. Drink plenty of water, get some mild exercise and sleep a bit extra at night ~ that symptom will soon be gone. Seltzer as we use the term is salt-free fizzy (carbonated) water. Club soda is the same thing, but some brands contains a bit of salt. And... any ABO blood type, whether Rhesus positive or negative, can be a secretor OR a nonsecretor. Read more on secretors and nonsecretors! thanks! :-)

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I'm Type 0 and kelp is very good to lose weight. I need to know how much is recommended per day/week. Should I eat it in dried form? Are there any other recipes beside miso soup or other ways to prepare it? Thank you Sandy



Hey there, Sandy! Kelp and other seaweeds are somewhat helpful for weight loss. However, the particular kind of kelp which I think you're looking for is Fucus vesiculosis. Click the link for more info! :-)

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I am a 28 year old Type-O secretor female. I have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and uterine fibroids. I have also noticed I have problems at times with my short and long term memory (recalling only partial things...like a puzzle with a missing piece or two). My questions are: Will taking Bacopa ('Brahmi') help me with the IBS and memory problems? If so, how much should I take and in what form? Is it good for people who will take long testing exams? Are there certain people who should not take Bacopa ('Brahmi')? Will it decrease stress and anxiety? What foods and/or supplements are good for cognitive functions? Thanks in advance, MH



Hi, MH ~ Peter's Cortiguard product is based on Bacopa monniera and Boerhaavia diffusa. It most certainly does help with stress-related memory loss. For IBS, there are dietary and supplement suggestions in Live Right 4 Your Type and particularly the BTD Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia, which also contains protocols for cognitive improvement and uterine fibroids. IBS is caused by inappropriate foods (particularly wheat, corn and avoid-rated oils) in conjunction with a constant state of stress. Peter uses the product SEACURE in his practice, but as part of a total diet and stress relief plan. So your approach will be most successful if it includes the O-secretor beneficials, along with regular exercise, a daily meditation practice, and the appropriate supplementation.

It took a long time to create these conditions in your body. The good news is, it doesn't take nearly as long to clear them up! so do your best, and be patient for the outcome. You'll be happy with it, I'm sure. :-)

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Dear Heidi, I have had Psoriasis for a number of years, and have been taking Sharks cartilage capsules for the pst 2 months, do you agree with this, or have you any other ideas. I am type O and have followed the O way of life for the past 2 years, and feel really good on it, but my psoriasis is not going away, although it isn't getting any worse. many thanks tony



Ideas on psoriasis? you bet I have! right here! Take care, tony, and write back to tell me how you're doing, OK? :-D

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