Thank you very much for answering our questions~ I am learning so much! My next question is in reference to how each meal should or could be put together. I have found that for me, and many others that I know, eating meals comprised of 30% fat (good fats - nuts, avacados, olives, etc.), 30% protein, and 40% carbohydrate, regardless of blood type (?) , leads to fairly effortless weight loss, as well as mental clarity and a reduction of cravings which stem from balancing the hormones in the body, insulin in particular. According to the BTD, would this particular way of eating effect all blood types the same? I am a type B and it makes since this works for me since B's are all about balance. What about the other types? Are there any other reccommendations? Health & Happiness, Brandy

Hello, Brandy! There are two dietary schools of thought which present fairly opposite points of view on combining meat, grain and fat in a single meal.

The "food separation" (often called, confusingly, "food combining") proponents maintain that digestion proceeds most efficiently when (1) fruit is eaten alone (or with a fat, if desired), (2) high-protein foods are eaten with vegetables only (fat is allowed), and (3) grains are eaten with vegetables only (fat is allowed). That's the general overview of this system, which can be followed on this simple basis or by a complex protein/carb/fat rating of individual foods, fat food types allowed with fruit as differentiated from those which go with vegetables & meats, etc.

The protocol you outlined, of course, is the one promoted by the "zone" camp, who make exactly the claims you mentioned for their system.

Peter's view is twofold: first, most common foods contain in themselves a proportion of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Second, if one system or the other appeals to you, try it. If it works, use it. Just use it within the value, portion and frequency guidelines in Live Right 4 Your Type or the Blood Type Food, Beverage and Supplement Lists.

Which blood type would benefit from one or the other? In my experience, a two-week trial of one of these systems, followed by a two-week trial of the other, will provide ample personal evidence as to which one works best for that individual. You seem to be quite happy with your choice, which is great! Anecdotally, I have reports from an AB friend who prefers the p/c/f combo as well -- whereas my type A- (nonsecretor) man and I (O+ non) do best on the food separation regimen. It's conceivable there is a blood-type connection here, but I've also heard from Os who swear by zoning, and Bs who prosper with the separation routine.

So, once again, those of you who are wondering if one of these meal-structuring systems would speed your progress, just give it a whirl! A new day, a new way to play. ain't it lovely? ;-D thanks for your message, Brandy, and blessings to all your endeavors! :-D

Hi Heidi THANKS so much for answering and for the advice. I shall try to get some Quercetin in town. I say "try" because there is only a very small health food store that doesn't carry much of anything really. I live 6 hours north of Toronto in a very beautiful area, but the town itself is very small. There is no such thing as Organic meat and vegetables here unfortunately -- I try to convince myself that breathing beautiful fresh chemical free air makes up for that!! We have a very short growing season (June, July, August) but I do grow my own salads and veggies in those months which helps. The other thing is that my husband and I are now retired (early -- offered a "package" we couldn't refuse) so, although comfortable there aren't many $$ to spare at the end of a month, which makes chosing supplements difficult for me. As I mentioned before I am taking Deflect, Fem Balance, O Multi's, Imm Calm, Phytocal, Glucosomine, B100 complex and Vit C - 500mg (since the onset of this cold.) This is costing me around C$160 a month, so I can't really afford to add any more supplements. Do you think that I am spending my dollars wisely, or is there anything (based on your own similar experiences to mine) that you would stop taking in order to add something else?

If you remember a few years back (on the old board) I tried to manage my depression (clinical) without drugs - never did achieve this, still on a low dose of Zoloft, so am thinking this could be causing some of the tiredness - I have tried everything else --- counselling, cathecol, 5htp - you name it - I have stopped taking the medication so many times only to end up back on it that my husband and Dr. both groan when I say I am going to try again - have you heard of anyone else that this has happened to? I feel like a failure when I read in "Live right" that people have cured their depression with the diet, when I cannot. Anyway, I should stop - you are a very busy lady - I would like to hear about the supplements though - I am now going to go and make some of that juice you mentioned! -- I shall have to blow the dust off my juicer. Oh, I noticed that I told you I drink 4 8 oz glasses of water a day - actually it is around 8 I drink, but I shall be adding the sea salt and lemon juice today. Today I ache from coughing and am depressed from not exercising - aren't I a mess - LOL!! love sue

Well, heck, Sue ~~ I think you're doing just great! MUCH better than I used to, when I was coming off one of those soul-eating bronchitis episodes! Chin up, girl ~~ you'll be burning up the pavements in no time.

There's no rush on the quercetin at this juncture -- shop around on the Net for the best price, and pick up a couple of bottles to have on hand in case of future need. If Vitamin Shoppe sells in Canada, theirs would fill the bill. Nothing fancy -- in this case, the cheapest will do the job just as well as the pricey ones.

And you're CERTAINLY not a failure at anything! You're just feeling low, and no wonder. Now ~~ you have just as much right to feel good, and the present is the point of power, right?

Depression can easily be instigated, or deepened, by poor food choices. But you're doing a splendid job in that area, and folks with our blood type have lived in far colder areas than yours throughout the ages, and prospered, long before supermarkets provided year-round veg.

I have a feeling that for you right now, the best approach doesn't involve changing your diet or adding supps. Do you have that book I'm always gushing about -- Meditation as Medicine? Authors, Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa and Cameron Stauth. If not, there's $25 or less VERY well spent (and spent only once). There are three little exercises in it tailor-made for you. I was just paging through it and came upon the quick chart for ailment/chakra/meditation with notes. The note for "depression" is: "Depression is lack of spiritual connection, and anger turned in." Before I upset anybody, this doesn't mean that depressed people don't go to church, or don't believe in God, or aren't "spiritual" -- not at all. He's using diagnostic shorthand to describe a creeping feeling of "is this ALL there is?" And I can say from long personal experience that it is almost commonplace these days to have a quiet, chronic sense of helplessness and subsequent frustration which for any number of reasons isn't "acceptable" to be expressed to others. But expression is necessary to life -- so the anger is "expressed" upon oneself instead.

That book not only offers specific therapies, but is an absolutely great read. Science? Stories? Research? Testimonials? Step-by-steps? It's all there.

Here's my other book suggestion ($18.00 retail, and a TREASURE): The Nature of Personal Reality: Specific, Practical Techniques for Solving Everyday Problems and Enriching the Life You Know ~~ Jane Roberts. It's a "Seth" book. Engrossing, ground-breaking, funny, awe-inspiring and vastly useful. Here's a brief quote on the page (137) I just opened to:







In a situation where no expression of this "natural aggression" is allowed at all, whether by habit or environment, it can create depression instead - whether mild or severe.

Which reminds me: remember the old "tapping" conversation on the BB? I still have the EFT files containing all the text & instructions, so if you'd like that material, just drop me a note. Myra had absolutely wonderful results with it, as did many others.

Sue, only you can know if any of this rings a bell. I'm just bumbling along trying to raise an "Aha!" from you. That AHA moment is waiting for you, and you will discover what you need to know, I'm sure. It's still quite possible that you'd have excellent results from taking pregnenolone, or by doing the thyroid function test.... but I am more and more convinced that our power to heal is a huge force which we're only beginning to understand, and these books most certainly point the way far better than I could. It's truly life-changing stuff, and as I mentioned, you only need to buy them once!

OK, enough from me! Let me know how this goes, and remember I told you what a shining light you are, dear! :-D

Aloha Heidi, Thank you so much for your advice about my dry hands. It's been 2 weeks now and they are getting better. One thing I neglected to mention was I do drink 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day. Probably more than allow, huh? I'm working on drinking more green tea and less coffee. I've heard that you should drink one extra water for every cup of coffee. Is this true? I got the Black Cohosh and I will be starting it this month. I like to only work on one thing at a time, because of my past. Heidi, my wife is a O secretor and we tryed to get her on a brand of quercetin without bromelain because she is allergic to pineapple. I know, sad because we live here in Hawaii. What could she do, instead of bromelain, while she takes the quercetin? She got bad stomach aches taking the quercetin by itself.

I was reading Sue's question and I had a thought for her. Before I started this diet, I was doing mega-mega-vitamins. My thinking at that time was the more the better. Then I read Peter's first book and immediately stopped everything I was taking and ate no more avoid foods. Before this diet, when I was over supplementing, I would get an awful cold once a year for at least a week. Stay in bed type cold, it was bad. I started getting small kind of problems with my health also. I think this is my tinnitus problem, because I read about oral chelation and tried it for three months and everything got worse.

I read all that Sue is doing to keep healthy and I like her applaud you, but could it be you are not needed all the supplements when doing the diet like you are? Just a thought. By the way, I agree with Sue you deserve a hugh salary for the time you give us and the great advice. At least A great big group hug from all of us. And if you are ever headed this way for some R & R, you let us know ahead of time and we will give you that hugh hug Hawaiian style (with a Lei). Here we say Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank You very much) and God Bless, Carl And Julie

Carl, you're such a sweetie! Julie's a very lucky woman!!

If I were she, I'd always take the quercetin with fruit, or with a vegetable soup -- something light, but enough to protect her tum from upset.

Well, that's a little high on the coffee, sure... but slow & steady wins the race. You go ahead and make your changes just the way you're comfortable doing so. Coffee is a diuretic, so drinking extra water is a good idea. However, to make sure the water stays in your tissues (rather than following the coffee right on out), add a tiny pinch of sea salt to each 8-oz glass -- and a squeeze of lemon or lime, if you like. This directs the water more toward the intestine, for absorption. Make it a cocktail! ;-)

I'm very pleased your hands are getting better! Is the tinnitus showing any change? By the way, thanks for kindly offering those observations on supps ~~ it's well worth remembering, and I hope anyone who's juggling bunches of pills without seeing improvements will take your experiences to heart!

And the invitation to Hawaii is deeply appreciated! {sigh!} What a gorgeous place, and such kind people!! thanks again, Carl! :-D

Hi Heidi,In August of 2001 I received a Typhoid vaccination, I was told to get another in two years, I'm due for my second shot in August of this year, which I intend to receive. I recently started to take TFA; since I have had the typhoid vaccine in what dosage would you suggest I take the TFA? I'm in good health so the typhoid vaccination and the TFA are for prevention. I realize that this is extra important to me since I am an A MM, A1 secretor MM to be exact. Also, I do take several of Dr. D'Adamo's suppliments with great success, except for the Deflect, it makes me severely constipated a problem that I NEVER, have. My daughter, (same blood type as me) and my cousin blood type O are have the same problem. All of us are on the diet and all of us have tried the Deflect several different times with the same results. Any suggestions? Thanks for your help Heidi -- Pat

Hi, Pat! As an A1 MM secretor, you'd want to take the TFA in the "therapeutic" dosage recommended - one to two caps twice per day. That Deflect reaction is one I hadn't heard before... I'll tell you one thing: take it with PLENTY of water. It's meant to be dissolved and "spread out."

Take care, Pat ~~ thanks for writing, dear!! :-D

Dear Heidi: I am a type B, but my question is not about myself. It is about an acquaintance of mine with a 7 year old diabetic daughter and a 4 year old daughter who seems to be showing signs that she may become diabetic. It breaks my heart to see the anguish this causes them. My question is, what can I tell her that might pique her interest in the blood type way of eating (she puts great stock in the medical profession and counts on the hope of a cure soon for diabetes)? Are there any others out there who have been able to significantly improve their quality of life in a young child with diabetes? Thank you for your generous help. Sincerely, Wendy

Hello, Wendy -- Well, she'll save her kids and her entire family a load of suffering if WHILE waiting for a medical cure, she does everything she can to help her kids. Medical cures for a variety of diseases are strangely unforthcoming, even though the research has cost millions and gone on for years. If I were a betting woman, I wouldn't risk a cent on the chance of seeing a pharmaceutical "cure" for diabetes in my lifetime. The only rational route is to get educated and take charge of her kids' health.

I assume from their ages that this is type I diabetes? They NEED to be on their best diet and activity plan. Improper diet is the single most prominent cause of adult-onset diabetes, of course, and any insulin-imbalance condition should be promptly addressed through diet first. In juvenile (type I) diabetes, the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas are destroyed, possibly through an autoimmune response. Often, these are type A children of a type O mother, where the fetus was exposed in utero to the antibodies of the mother. No matter what the type or the cause, type I diabetes must be controlled with insulin and a closely monitored diet.

Wendy, if you have the Encyclopedia, read pages 251-253. I don't have a quick reference at hand that you could give her, but within those pages is hope that those girls can avoid the complications of their condition by following the diet and the protocols. An ABO/secretor status plan would provide the "lectin avoidance" which is so essential for them in order to protect other organs from harm and to ensure their diet does not make their day-to-day lives more difficult.

Readers, if you have experience treating young diabetics with the BTD, please do write in and I'll post it here for Wendy! Thanks, everyone -- and Wendy, I hope Peter's work will carry some weight with your friend. :-D