Hello, Heidi!! How are you? How was your trip? I am gald to know that you take time for your self, you deserve it!!! I was reading your site today when I saw a question about Quorn. Because I have no idea what is that I went to the "Search Topics" and typed "QUORN". Then I went to "Type O Round #3" For my surprise I end up in a site that talks about "Trophology". I found that very interesting. The site is: www.hps-online.com. It is not the first time that I heard that, however I have no deep information about it. I surfed more in the site and found out about the 7 days to clean your colon, by fasting...etc. My question is: What do you think about it? Do you think the way that they talk about and sell the "program" is efficient? Do you know how a type O+ can clean the colon or the body the way they show? Do we really have all that "stuff" inside of us? It's GOOD to have you back!! Bcha.

I'm fine, Bcha ~ I hope you're doing well, too! The "trophology" link you found is in reference to the food separation part of that column.

In regard to colon cleansing, the Blood Type Diets do a great job on their own, over time. If you're interested in pursuing a quicker "cleanse," you might try my suggestions here. They're fine for type O secretors. Remember to use plenty of water and fresh vegetable juice -- particularly carrot/celery/beet/greens, and add tomato, sweet red pepper, onion, garlic or other veg to that mix as you like. It will do a nice job of clearing the colon of any old stuff lingering about. A gallbladder flush is a good idea as well.

Enjoy your research, and let me know what you decide! :-)

---

Dear Heidi I need help for my friend's problem. He is a Blood Grp A. He is in his sixties and he is having problem of not being able to hold his urine back in the mid morning. He has this uncontrollable urge to pee and had to let go immediately he thinks about it. Sometimes it gets so bad that he pee in his pants. He had consulted an urilogist and hve taken medicine but to no avail. He was told that this was a common problem I read that Dr D'Adamo recommended Nettle Root for prostrate problem but was not able to find any in South East Asia. Would nettle leave or Saw Palmetto do the job? Hope you can help. Shirley

Hello, Shirley! Did his urologist say he has benign prostatitis? Has he been checked for prostate cancer? Also, where there is nettle leaf there is nettle root -- this is a weed that grows everywhere. Keep looking and if you have found fresh nettles available, ask that source to get you some nettle root.

If the cause is prostate inflammation, a good anti-inflammatory like Quercetin will help. I can't tell if he has a bladder infection -- if so, cranberry is the best thing to take regularly, but I don't know if it is available to you there. Does he follow the blood type diet? If not, there are many possible irritants and disease-abetting agents in what he is eating every day. That is the first step in any case.

Saw Palmetto is certainly a good idea for him, but it is only one part of the entire picture. He should be getting plenty of water with a squeeze of lemon juice, lots of fresh dark red and blue fruits & berries, and fresh dark green vegetables. Write again and give me more detail, if possible, OK? thanks, Shirley!

---

Heidi, I know As can't have seltzer or club soda but is sparkling mineral water acceptable? I thought I read somewhere that you said that Gerolsteiner was okay but I thought the bubbly part was the reason that As can't drink seltzer or club soda, since they have low gastrin...Can you please clarify this. Thanks. Maddy

Hi, Maddy! Sparkling mineral water is OK to buy. To make it acceptable for As, just let the bottle go flat. Open it and leave it open until the bubblies have dissipated. :-D

---

Why is diet soda (i.e. diet Coke) not allowed? I realize it's not good for you, but in small amounts (1/day) is it really bad for your health? Thank you! Julie

Hey there, Julie!

Why is it not allowed? Well, it provides no nutrition, and it contains an abundance of health-harming ingredients.

This is a huge and vastly-researched subject, so I'll just give you a quick start for your own research. Let's begin with aspartame:





This particular quote is from http://www.nspforum.com/faq/index.cgi?read=846 - but if you go to www.alltheweb.com/advanced and search for the phrase "diet soda," and add the qualifiers "aspartame," "disease," "kidney," "liver" you'll come up with a whole lot of reading material.

Go through it all and decide if the diet soda is something you want to put into your body -- in the end, the decision is of course your own. Best wishes, dear! :-D

---

Heidi, Hello again from Cindi, I have been having the most miserable two weeks of my life. Well, actually, things have been worse, but it sounds good right now to say the worst.....

Anyway, I had a couple blisters from needing new work shoes, I am a waitress, Type O unkown secretor status, Ive been spitting, but results are not back yet. Anyway, after a couple of blister ridden days at work, I developed a rash that I thought similar to poison oak on my right foot, actually on the top of my toes, not the big toe, and it was weepy like poison oak, and it itched and hurt.

Anyhow, I went to the clinic, which is rare for me and the doctor never came withing two feet of me and called it an unidentified infection, prescribed some cream, "Floucinonide Cream" USP, 0.05%, which didnt do a darn thing to help.

Anyway, it spread to my other foot and it hurt so bad, i cried, literally. One night at 3 am i went to the pool and put them in just to stop the burning. So My boss lets me wear some sandal type shoes with cotton socks until it gets better, but now the rash is almost gone and the underside of my toes have these huge blisters from the botton up the sides and it is a yellowish clear sticky liquid that comes out, and the skin is so dry and cracked and still is driving me crazy.

I get to my two days off and it feels better, but then i have to go back to work and put those socks and shoes on and it gets worse again. Any ideas for me to do here. Cindi

Oh, Cindi! What a lousy time you're having!! :-(

Here is what I'd do: morning & night, wash your feet carefully with soap and water, then soak them for ten minutes in very warm water (hot as you can stand) and 1/4 cup of plain, cheap white vinegar or 1/4 cup Epsom salts (in fact I'd do vinegar one day, Epsom salts the next). Rinse and pat very thoroughly dry. The skin needs to breathe and heal, so go barefoot as much as possible. Make sure all socks, stockings, footwear etc. are very clean with no trace of detergent left - wipe out any shoes or sandals thoroughly with plain vinegar. Avoid creams & lotions for now. If the healing/itching is absolutely unbearable, the only emollient to use is a little plain olive oil dabbed on with a cotton ball or piece of gauze. Your feet will have that wonderful "salad dressing" smell, LOL! but they'll get better. ;-) I'm looking forward to hearing your secretor results, and hopefully we'll be able to figure out a better plan for you so that this infection can be cleared up and you can move on! Take care, dear!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, Welcome back. Hope you had a wonderful vacation. Did you go someplace sunny with blue skies? Wanted to give you an update on my daughter. The cough is gone. Yeah!! And it decreased significantly after starting her on the Polyflora A. Thank you very much. She truly seems more robust. She wouldn't up the Heallix though. Seems she would rather snort it than drink it. Thank you Heidi for everything. Best, Nina

Rained a little, shined a little, beautiful on all counts! ;-)

That is just spectacular news about your daughter -- HOO-rah!! I'm really pleased the solution to that nasty cough was as simple as PolyFlora plus Heallix. ~:-D

---

Hi Heidi, I have a question and a recipe. I was flossing and a small piece of tooth, that I suspect now was cracked, came out. It was on one with a filling. Seems the filling was close to the edge of the tooth and the thinness made it susceptible over time to fracture. But good news, there is no decay underneath!! I'm an A nonnie so we are more at risk for cavities so doubly pleased! I have a temporary fill and I am chewing on the left side for the time being. So I figure it is now time to get all of my old amalgam fillings (the 3 of them) taken out and the composite kind put in. Does anyone know a good dentist in the LA area, even down in San Diego, that does this routinely? Also, Heidi do you have any recommendations for what a nonnie should do prior to this kind of procedure? I know that Dr. D (Do you think he would mind being called that? Don't feel comfortable calling him Peter - yet.) recommends antibiotics before invasive dental surgery for nonnies. But would this be considered invasive (ie, bloody)?

Now to the good stuff - the recipe. Caroline (O) asked for some good stir fry mixes. Here goes:

Oriental Stir Fry Sauce Great Over Stir-Fried Veggies and Meat!

1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Ume-Su umeboshi plum brine (see below for source)
2 Tbls. grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic crushed
2 Tbls. molasses
2 tsp. Chinese sesame oil
2 Tbls. arrowroot starch

Combine the first 7 ingredients. Place the arrowroot into a bowl; whisk the liquid mixture into it. Set aside, but keep the whisk handy, as you will need to whisk the sauce again just before you pour it into the saute. Add this sauce to a wok, full of vegetables about 2/3 of the way through cooking. Make sure you stir your veggies so that the sauce coats them. Enjoy!!

You can find the Ume-Sue online at: http://www.qualitynaturalfoods.com/shopnew/vinegar.html The ingredients are: yuuki grown Japanese plums (ume), yuuki grown red shiso (perila) leaves and sea salt. Mirin is also a nice addition to stir frys and sweet/sour sauces. Can be found at same website above. Ingredients: sweet rice, rice koji and shochu (distilled from rice sake).

Heidi, the Mirin is made by using a double fermentation and distillation process. Any cause for concern for any of us? Thanks again for your keen mind and eye, and generous spirit. Nina

Hey there! Here's a fact page on mercury amalgam and some tips on supplementation. "Invasive/bloody" wouldn't apply here (more relevant to periodontal work, root canals, tooth-pulling) but if you want to be on the extra-safe side, you could do the course of antibiotics (YUCK, YUCK!! :-() but take PolyFLora at the therapeutic dosage before, during & after the antibiotics. Personally, I'd go with Heallix both taken internally and rinsing three times per day -- before, during & after the dental work.

Here's one helpful resource for finding a good holistic dentist: Mercury Free Dentists - California, USA. A web search with "mercury-free dentist" that must include "california" brought that one up. Also check "holistic dentist," amalgam-free dentist," "mercury removal [must include dentist, californa]. And READERS, please write in if you have a recommendation for a great dentist for Nina! :-)

About mirin -- I don't see a problem using those tiny amounts, and it sounds like a great recipe -- enjoy!! :-D

---

Interesting discussions coming out of our nonnie list. Here is the latest. If a nonnie wants to cook with flour and grains/starches are such an issue for us, how about if we use pea flour (neutral for all) which is in the veggies category? Or is it like soy flour, which goes into the grains/starches section once it is processed into a flour? As I am writing this I have a sneaking suspicion it is the latter. Many have tried and many have failed. You can't blame us though. I hope it is alright that I have posted your cherry pastry recipe word for word and credited to you in our recipe files for nonnies on Yahoo Groups. Thanks for all of your inspiration and good humor. Nina

{{smile}} Leave it to nonnies to jump right into the pastry side of things! :-)

Here's the skinny on non-grain flours: soy flour is soy. It BE a bean, whether whole or tofu'd or tempeh'd or flour'ed. Green pea flour is fine, yes -- and for portion/frequency purposes it's technically a bean (and member of that maddening ol' Fabaceaea family) rather than a green veg.

Have fun with it all, friends! :-D

---

Hey Heidi! Seedy B without a question but a comment! About today's (11 june) comment about culturing/fermenting... You state that culturing requires only salt and time, but it should be noted that it actually only requires bacteria (and maybe time). Salt is added to prevent certain bacteria from surviving (in the case of sauerkraut, for example) or for taste (in the case of sour pickles). However, it is not necessary (saltless sauerkraut). And, to answer your question, sauerkraut is considered a condiment my some, thus a cultured condiment. Also, to answer the poster's question, i would surmise that since the bacterial reactions involved in culturing (or yeast reactions of fermenting) convert carbohydrates to various end results (short chain fatty acids, water, carbon dioxide, various other compounds), there is no reason to postulate that the lectins could be "cultured away," though there may be a very mild denaturation of the proteins by the acid content, but i don't imagine this would occur to a very high degree. Just thought i would share as i've done much research about culturing. :^) matt.

Great note, Matt! Thanks for offering your expertise ~ very much appreciated! :-D

---

Hiya ^Heidi^! Two pieces of info and two questions.



Info 1. Someone in the UK asked about nutritional yeast. The brand readily available here is Engevita from Marigold & is in a large maroon couloured tub. it is pure inactive yeast flakes with nothing else, and tastes delicious even on its own! I sometimes mix it with ghee & use it as a spread.



Info 2. Today a lady asked about distilled water and had herself a reverse osmosis filter system which was not getting out all the microbes. Over here there is a company called Fresh Water Filter Company who make a range of fitted filters alleged to filter out 99.99% of bacteria & particles plus the usual suspects of heavy metals, organics etc, while leaving in calcium & the other good minerals. I have no idea of their credentials but they were recommended to me by a practitioner. Their website is www.freshwaterfilter.com, they may be able to point your reader in the direction of a US supplier.



Question 1. I notice sucanat is an an avoid for all but Os as it flocculates serum etc. Looking on their website http://www.wholesomesweeteners.com/manufact/sucanat.htm they say sucanat is just dried sugarcane syrup. It seems odd that sugar (neutral) plus molasses (benficial) could produce such a reaction, but if it is tested it must be true. We do not have sucanat over here, but we have something called rapadura (see this link for a description http://www.celtic-seasalt.com/rapadurasugar.html) which was recommended to me by a BTD practitioner. Does it seem any different to sucanat to you?



Question 2. You have set me thinking. A while back you told someone you hoped they were eating both oats & amaranth as they were both beneficial but for different reasons. So I started wondering: what are the reasons why the 4 A-benefical grains, amaranth, buckwheat, oats & rye are beneficial to A secretors? What is the special property of each? Thanks ^Heidi^. Love & gratitude for all your help. Sarah



Hallo, Sarah -- ta for the tips!



About sucanat -- in this country, that product was originally (before the company was sold) dried cane juice, and the test on serum shows flocculation in As and Bs, and metabolic inhibition for ABs (probably the same for O nonsecretors, as it's avoid for us as well, although no specific reason is given). Sugar plus molasses is a different thing -- that is actually what brown sugar is: white sugar with molasses added. Your rapadura is actually identical to the original sucanat, so I'd expect the serum tests to be identical, but technically it's an unknown. If I wanted sweetness, I'd use vegetable glycerine or a fruit concentrate (or one of the listed, allowed sugar forms according to type), especially if I desired weight loss or was trying to resolve some other health issue.



About the differences in why these various grains are beneficial, we're getting to a place where I'm a very new student. Without overreaching my knowledge or my vocabulary for this area (mighty minimal at the moment), not to mention boring everyone with a real long extrapolation, here's the basic concept {deep breath}: There are beneficial lectins which switch things "on" in the body when they're "off," and others which switch other things "off" when they're "on." Note the scientific term, Things. ;-) These Things might be runaway inflammatory processes, or insulin receptors stuck "shut" with wheat germ agglutinin, or baddies trying to attach to juicy new cells, or baddies trying to float away from old "associations" or stuff that's trying to corral them. (Next lecture: I define and describe "stuff.") Are you lost yet? :-D Each of the grains you mentioned has not one, but many active substances/lectins which do one or more happy acts upon the molecules of your bod, and the action of each particular substance is targeted positionally upon certain molecules in the substance of the cell (of the body, or of baddies) upon which they are acting. Some substances do one thing in the presence of one molecule, and another in the presence of a different (and/or helper) molecule. This is only one of the principles upon which the beneficial status can be understood, and I'm sorry to say I don't have a list of the mechanisms by which those processes are performed by each substance in those grains. Oats are known for reducing cholesterol and possibly blood pressure, but you knew that already. Amaranth has usefulness both in cancer treatment & prevention and in glycemic disorders, depending on where, when, how, with what and on whom it's used. You'll notice that it, along with buckwheat and rye, are great for As and avoids for Bs... that's a clue that blood-group-like antigenic elements are involved. Many beneficials for As are rated as such because they do some sort of boosting-the-immune-response job -- whether making the system more responsive to foreign invaders, or helping to sort the good stuff from the evil.



Unfortunately, that's the short answer (at least the shortest I could come up with). When I'm better schooled in it all, I'm sure I'll have a three-sentence answer ... hope you're still checking in here when I finally reach that point!
;-) thanks, Sarah, great questions! :-D

---

Heidi, a question about my type A son, Andrew, who is 20, 6'4", 235 lbs. Andrew is a heavyweight wrestler at the University of Virginia and needs to gain another 15 lbs or so - the heavyweights can go up to 285. Andrew has a hard time gaining weight - he burns it so fast, although he has a lot of muscle, and of course the diet regimen provided by the school focuses on red meat, etc. Andrew has even been tempted (over our strenuous objections) to try creatine. His summer job requires a lot of walking, and the routine at school is 2 hours of weightlifting (which he will continue through the summer)and two hours of wrestling practice daily, which burns calories fast. Do you have some advice on a diet I can start him on over the summer that would help him to gain (and keep) weight on? With luck he will be so used to it by the start of the school year that he can stick to it at the training table. Are there good protein shakes I can make for him? And can you provide some authoritative words about creatine? Thanks for all your help. Kim



Hi there, Kim! That's a nice big boy you've got there! :-)



Peter offered some research findings in his column, Creatine and Type A, of which I'll mention just two, along with his opinion on this practice:















I can't seem to find the weight classes for college wrestling, so I'll just ask: he's 50 pounds under the heavyweight limit. How far is he above the lower limit? Is everything over 200 "heavyweight" in college? If so, I'm not going to ask if he would consider dropping down, since that's a lot of loss in a short period of time. Besides, his coach would probably hate me. :-) If it's only 5 or 10 pounds, it's an option to consider, since three months of the A diet with hard workouts would certainly get rid of any hidden fat while maintaining excellent mass and, most important, good health -- and could sneak him under the mark with even better performance to show for it. All this is OK as long as he doesn't end up struggling to stay at a too-low weight for him.



The kinds of smoothie or protein drinks I suggest for As are based almost always on fresh, whole foods. Fruit smoothies with nut butters, nutritional yeast and molasses -- or tofu and fruit -- or fresh vegetable juice with a bit of flax oil, soaked ground flax, and more nutritional yeast. He can certainly add organic rice or soy protein powder to any of them. Use beneficial and neutral fruits & veg. All kinds of bean dishes, like black bean or black-eyed pea hummus (blend the cooked beans with olive oil, lemon, salt and garlic till it forms a fluffy paste) as well as tempeh (sliced & stir-fried with veg) and nuts & seeds, provide wonderful proteins for As. They're very lucky folks in my opinion, since their metabolisms require far less animal protein to get the results we Os eat steaks for. Adding red meat will toxify him, lowering his stamina and adding fat, not muscle.



Best wishes to you and your son, and I hope this is of some help, dear! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, seven months ago I asked you about bloating problem and fluctuating of my weight although eating strictly according BTD (O-nonsec)no avoids. I tought that I did not get any answer but I see only now that I did not notice that I could chek an answer by inserting my name(very stupid of me!). So thak you so much!!! sinsce I was not in a position to try your advice (see my other question about chronic Cystitis)Only now I started to try it. I discover already that I do not react good with kamut even though not an avoid. Almonds make my elimination difficult. I also see that the more I eat fish and meet(organic only)the less I bloat and I am back to my normal weight! I I assum that it is because of activation of alkaline fosfatase by eating more meet/fish resulting in a better methabolics. I still have to test the fruits fresh/dry. what if it appears that I do have still some bloating because of fruits, does it mean that I have to avoid fruit? If I look to food lists I see also les portions of fruit for non-secretors! What is the essential reason for that (carbohydrates mybe)?. Thanks a lot! Lisya



Hey there, Lisya! If there are any OK foods which you find you don't do well on, feel free to eliminate them. Kamut does have some gluten in it, which may be the trouble, but any food which troubles you, just set it aside for now. Once you are healed, you'll probably find you can eat them all without difficulty.



Eating more fish and meat is obviously good for you. Balance it with plenty of vegetables, and two or three servings of fruit in the day once you've tested them. We O-nons are recommended to eat more meats, fish, eggs and vegetables than secretors, so I think the fruit category is somewhat reduced to make room for all the rest! There may be a basic metabolic reason: we do better on less sweet foods in general, and the types of sugars found in fruits may be less desirable for us than for secretors and other types. Do keep me posted, Lisya, and I'm pleased you found the answer to your previous question! (next one is below!) :-D

---

hallo heidi, I am O non-sec. I suffer from chronical urinary tract infection. Six months ago it became realy worse of all times. the doctor gave two weeks of high dosis of treatment(antibiotics). I still was feeling bad. He said I should go on taking medication for three months. You will feel better was the answer. After one month I called him and I explained that I do not see any change and sugested to test my urine, he gave me another madicine with a lower dosis(they call it maintenace dosis). No change! It was a stressful and difficult time. One day I was angry and want back and claimed a good chek of my situation. It appeard that the bacteria were resistent to al medication I was using. After so many months of using antibiotics I am exosted, my skin is full of piples my maigrains came back. Everything I builded up with BTD was reduced to zero (I did not have the encyclopedia yet so I did not use the protocols). Now I am using the suplements recomended on anti bacterial, chronic illnes recovery and detoxification protocols. I am drinking a lot and also using the basis pack 'O'. I feel a bit better with the infection but I am not there yet(I just started). Would you recomend me to take heallix? I do not see my self returning to antibiotics so I must find another way to get better. It is now two months that I stopped with the antibiotics but the eachy pimples keep coming?? I am maigrain free again for the fist time after stopping the antibiotics, so it is great. Do you have any other advice to overcome the infection? Sometimes I get waves of anger that I was poisining my self 6 months for a usless result. Angry that there is so much arogancy, carelesness, and blindness in the medical care.Heidi, I want to thank you and all others, words can not express what I realy feel. Love from Holland, Lisya



Absolutely, do begin taking Heallix and stay away from antibiotic drugs. It will work very well for you. You can drink it, put it on your skin, even douche with it. You'll feel the difference right away, but it will take some time to heal from the effects of the antibiotics. Just feel the improvements, and calmly go along as best you can. :-)



I would eliminate all grains and sweeteners, except for vegetable glycerine, right now. Stick closely to the diet, don't continue to eat anything which gives you a bad reaction right now, and be very gentle with yourself. You know just what to do now, and I'm SO SORRY you were treated with such ignorance. The only thing to do is to accept it as a lesson learned, and hope that someday in future, this blood type paradigm will spread to the point that others will not have to endure what you went through. Take good care, dear! Love to you, too!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I'm looking for as comprehesnive an approach as possible for my son, age 24, who has been plagued with severe, painful digestive or intestinal problems for a number of years. I'd tell you what he "has," medically, if I knew! But he's never been satisfied with his diagnoses. He's had every test under the sun, moon and stars, and these have ruled a few things out rather than come to a conclusion. He's had cramping, pain, apparent inflamation, etc. with the feeling shifting around. He feels as if his stomach is "eating itself." If he allows himself to become hungry, the pain intensifies. He has resorted to stuffing himself with greasy pizza just before bed to make sure there is something in his stomach and he won't get the pain. Not an ideal solution, to say the least! He is an A secretor. He is mostly a vegetarian, but has recently (only in the last year or two) added some chicken. He likes tofu, grains and vegies, but probably doesn't get nearly enough of the vegies. He has a great weakness for sweets--cookies, candy, ice cream. He makes efforts at times to reform, but isn't convinced that it really makes a difference. It probably doesn't, if his reforms are partial and temporary. I've mentioned wild blueberries. But he's run down overall, and I want to give him a suggested regimen that will give him enough boost to create hope, and thus spur him to greater adherence to the regimen! I'll search the encyclopedia, and would also like any suggestions you may have. I know he is not digesting well, as I can tell from his breath--and he is also extremely thin. I know this is just one thing and he needs to build up overall, but I bet he's way low in B12. And probiotics. Any thoughts on the MOST important place for him to start? I say I want a comprehensive program, but really, I also need to prioritize, because it will take some doing to talk him into a fuller assault. I'd like to know the one or two most vital steps he can take, to start off. Thanks SO much for your thoughtful, intelligent, caring column. Cyndi



Hi there, Cyndi! Your son's certainly gone through a lot. Let me say that it's quite typical to get "all the tests" and have them all be inconclusive. Allopathic medicine is like a guy out there looking for buried treasure with a metal detector; even if he's standing right over a leather bag full of diamonds, he ain't gonna find it.



I'll try to explain what I'd suggest to him, but the whole plan would be to (1) remove the dairy and sweets, (2) get vegetables and fruits into him in the most palatable way possible, (3) support the healing of his stomach and gut, which are coming apart under the strains, and (4) reduce his cortisol levels, which are way too high, and are implicated both in his digestive difficulties and his lack of muscle tone.



You'll have to refine all this on the basis of your knowledge of him, but here's what I suggest: get rid of dairy and refined sugar (they are each contributing to the bad digestion, as evidenced by his breath), and start taking PolyFlora-A morning & evening, Methyl12 Plus in the morning, and Cortiguard in the late afternoon. Just do that, and nothing else, for two or three weeks. Next, start having a glass of carrot/celery juice every other day with a tablespoon of ARA6 added, and a fruit smoothie every other day with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and some nutbutter. It's sweet, salty, tasty and filling -- and it will help his bowels clear toxins rather quickly, and start modulating his glycemic response away from the need for refined sugar and toward an appetite for fruits and sweet vegetables. Then, I'd see about encouraging oatmeal cereal or muffins, buckwheat pancakes, and Ezekial bread as breakfast alternatives, along with blueberries (or some other beneficial fruit). Most As do better if they get a serving of whole grain daily.



If he likes that kind of breakfast, then lunch could be fish or chicken with cooked vegetables, dinner could be a big salad with steamed & raw veg, nuts and tofu, and he could have the smoothie or juice as a snack. He'll be most comfortable with filling protein foods that keep his cravings at bay.



90% of food choice is based on habit. That's the difficult thing to deal with, but if he is willing to give this a good, two month try, I think he'll see excellent results. Please write in and let me know his progress, OK? :-D

---

Hi, Heidi, I have been following the discussion about cold sores-herpes since I likewise sometimes have outbreaks, especially during the cold winter months or stressful events. Particularly, I was interested in the comment about calcium deficiency. Although I have taken varying levels of calcium over the last 20 years, I have not noticed any correlation between calcium intake and frequency of cold sores. However I have noticed a possible correlation between secretor status and cold sores. In my family, so far I have data to determine, cold sores appear to be a problem only for secretors. However, this is a very small sample, so I would ask you and your readers for their experience as well. Is there a real correlation between secretor status and cold sores? I really appreciate your column and the insights that I get from it. Sincerely, Susan



Many thanks, Susan! That's an interesting point you raise about secretors & cold sores -- anyone out there have a comment? :-D

---

I'm just thanking you for your continuing advice on cold sore avoidance, Heidi, and I'm continuing to enjoy and learn so much more from your columns. Please pass a message on to Bcha from Brazil who is struggling with shin splints. You grow out of them when you're in your twenties and running backwards is a great help. Thanks so much /Gwyneth/



You're most welcome, Gwyneth! It's really a joy to bring so many people's wit & wisdom together here. :-D

---

Dear Heidi, thanks for your reply regarding my ulcer and endomentriosis. I'd like to ask just a few other things if I may. I've looked for Bladderwrack capsules and the Health Food Shops only do liquid tincture - is this ok to take? Re: Polyflora - O - as I'm based in the UK is there any supplier that will provide this to me in this country? Secretor Status - I looked on your website on how to obtain one - I've done a search but nothing comes on how to get one done in the UK? Will I have to order it from you? I've also done a search for a UK BTD Practitioner - again nothing came up - is this correct? Also Heidi, if you could tell me about the following foods - as I can't eat Potatoes or Corn - is Potatoe Starch and Maize Starch out of the diet - as these are 2 items that are on many foods. I've looked for Quinoa flour, Essene Bread and Canola Oil everywhere - can you suggest where I could get some in the UK? I really appreciate all your help. Thx. Josie.

Hi, Josie! The problem with bladderwrack tinctures is that they don't contain the active stuff (the fucose). That's because fucose isn't soluble in alcohol. If you can find a water-based preparation, that would be effective, but a tincture wouldn't be. Check with www.stacktheme.com for bladderwrack capsules in the UK. They will also help you with the PolyFlora and the secretor test! :-)

There are a number of UK practitioners listed in the Registry -- here's how you find them: Go to the Practitioner Registry search form and type in UK. Now -- very important -- underneath you'll see three pulldown menus. Use the "Search By" menu, and choose "Country" from that menu. Now, all the UK practitioners will come up. Whatever kind of search you're doing, whether it's by city, or name, or country -- choose that selection from the "Search By" pulldown menu.

Yes, potatoes & corn in all their forms, whether flour or starch or whatever, are avoids... sorry about that! :-} The experts on sourcing BTD-compliant foods can be found at http://groups.msn.com/er4ytUK/_homepage.msnw?pgmarket=en-gb -- it's a message board full of very knowledgeable and helpful people! Thanks for writing, Josie!

---

Dear Heidi, I have a supplement question. At various times, I have tried taking a multivitamin supplement (in the higher range of doses, e.g. at least 30mg for the B vitamins) and after a while of taking them I start to get a really physical jitteriness and anxiousness. I'm quite sure that it comes from the supplements as, as soon as I stop taking them, the reactions stop. I was wondering if you had any idea why this would be occuring- I thought the opposite effect was supposed to happen! I am an O type and probably follow the diet about 70% of the time. Thanks for your help! Caroline

Hi, Caroline ~~ I'd have to see exactly what's in the supps you were taking, and talk about what time you were taking them and what your diet consists of. B vitamins over-energize some people and get in the way of sleep if they take them too late in the day. Feelings of anxiousness, though... that sounds like something is stimulating adrenaline, so again I'd need an ingredient list and an idea of your usual diet in order to help. Please let me know, OK? thanks!! :-D

---

As a type O I drink a lot of pineapple juice and recently purchased a Trader Joe's brand that has added calcium lactate. My digestive system (already very sensitive) has been acting up recently and I"m wondering if there's a connection with the calcium lactate. Is that like adding milk solids to pineapple juice in which case a no-no for an O like me? PLease help and thanks for your wonderful column. I learn something new every day! Carolyn

Hello, Carolyn ~ It's not a dairy product, but it's not an ideal calcium form for you either (Type As do well with it). Have you tried juicing your own pineapple, fresh? It's like night & day, compared to the bottled juices. In this case, I'd leave that brand alone for a week, and see if your digestive discomforts subside. Substitute blueberry or black cherry juice for a while -- both very alkaline fruits, and soothing for the tummy. :-)

---

Hey there again! I've given you a nice long break from me-self here in VA. First, about the migrains, come to find out that sleep (too much or not enough) plays a large role in causing them. That's not to say that diet has nothing to do with it, only that sleep has something to do with it. Had a great check-up with the neurologist today (yeah). Maybe backing of some of the headache medicine. Now for my question so you can get on with your life...what's a girl to do if she doesn't have access to good organic foods? Even if I did have access, price might be somewhat of a concern. Oh yeah, just to give everyone out there some hope...I haven't even complied all that well and am back down to what I weighed one year ago. Mind you that's not a huge loss, but considering that I haven't really tried all that hard I can only imagine how it would be if I did! I found the bit that you told about buying more whole foods and doing more of your own preperation and such. I'm just at a quandry as to what to do about the organic thing. Would it be just as well to come as close as you can? For instance buying frozen veggies instead of canned. One blessing is I have family who hunts venison and I'm a B so my freezer full of venison is just great!!! Okay, I blew it again. I promised to keep it short and didn't. But, darn it you're just so nice, caring, and easy to talk to, it's like having yet another friend on line. But I really will let you go. Thanks for helping me out so much. Tell all out there to hang in there. Alicia

Aw, Alicia, what a sweetie! ;-) Congratulations on your neurology visit, and your effortless weight loss! good going!! ;-) Generally speaking, the next best thing to organic produce is fresh local produce, like from a farmer's market, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture group), or from neighbors as the crops come in. Fresh produce is preferable to frozen, but what we really all do is Do Our Best. That's plenty good enough! Just keep an eye out for ways to boost your fresh veg & fruit quotient, and know that you're doing just fine -- your doctor's visit and the mirror are pretty good indicators. :-) thanks for your note, dear! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, Back with some A-non questions. I'm not sure yet exactly what my treatment will be for the lung cancer, but there is a good chance it will be surgery, or perhaps some chemo and/or radiation as well. Is the surgery protocol for preparation or for recovery? Also, I'm, badly underweight and really need to gain ASAP ---15 pounds would be great, 10 would be satisfactory---but I'm at a loss how to do that with all the foods I'm allergic to. Can't have dairy, egg, soy, gluten, yeast, and don't do great on most non-gluten grains either. And then there is the limitation on fats for my A diet. I get as far as thinking about a smoothie with almond butter, water and berries. I suppose I could add back some maple syrup or molasses to my diet? although generally I have been off sugars of all kinds (except for glycerine, of course!) due to tendency to candida and hypoglycemia. If you have any ideas on this weight thing, I would be EXTREMELY interested to hear them. Also, I have been on the anti-viral protocol (minus the Asian ginseng caps, which I couldn't find)because I keep getting these muscle aches that come and go for several months now, with a couple of colds in between. The Encyclopedia says 2 weeks but I think I saw in a post that you said one week for that protocol? I've been on it for maybe a week and a half (and also have a cold)and still aching! Also, what is the pulmonary support protocol for? On a less pressing topic, you suggested olives in brine to avoid the vinegar/citric acid in some olives, but the TypeBase says all olives are avoid for A-nons. Is this wrong? Bye til next time! Thank you, thank you, thank you! JoanV

Hi, Joan! The surgery protocol should be started two weeks before, and continued two weeks after, the surgery. Yoga and meditation would be great aids to your healing and weight gain, and the smoothie sounds good to me! Your immune system is fighting hard on a number of fronts right now, so it's not surprising your cold is lingering. The pulmonary support protocol is to strengthen the lungs. Olives are indeed an avoid for A-nons. Bless you dear, and keep writing! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, First off, thanks so much for your answer to my questions regarding the ER4YBaby book. Most helpful! I mentioned then that I was waiting for my secretor test. Well, I got a call from NAP to tell me that I can't get a secretor test because New York state has a law that will not allow these tests to be mailed in from out of state! So what's a New Yorker to do? I do have a friend in New Jersey, but we see each other so seldom, it could be months before I get my test. I saw in your column today that you live in NYC as well--any suggestions as to other ways/places to test my secretor status? Thanks again for the extremely helpful column, Mary

Hello, Mary! Bloody maddening inconvenience, isn't it? :-( If your friend in NJ can receive the test for you and send it to you when she gets it, you can mail it back to the lab direct from your location. We used to have a system of "buddies" who received tests and passed them on to people in New York and Canada, and our friend Françoise Ouellet still performs this service for Canadians, but I haven't anyone to recommend to you for a NY mailing. Just see if your friend can forward it on to you, and if you think it may take too much time, drop me another note and I'll see what I can do. Thanks for writing, Mary! :-D

---

What multivitamin supplements do you recommand for children? I have a 3-yr-old and a 5-yr-old O positive kids. All those supplements available from the Blood Type Store seem to be for adults. Do you think they'll consider children's chewable supplements? Thanks. Carol

Hi there, Carol! They should be fine on the PolyVites, but I'd give them only one cap daily rather than two twice per day. I think chewables are a fantastic idea! Mention it to NAP by email! NAP-customerservice@worldnet.att.net They may know of something similar to recommend, or they may have something like this in the works. Hope all's well with you, dear! :-D

---

Aloha Heidi, My dry hands are looking good, thanks to you. Still adding a squeeze of lemon to my 75oz. a day, but after reading the past few posts, it sounds like I can continue adding sea salt. I thought it was only for a couple of weeks so I stopped. I was taking a "B complex" from rice once a week and I now am taking one a day. Seems to be helping. One cup of green tea first thing in the morning, before my thermos (24oz.) of coffee. It's Coconut cream flavored, Yum Yum. I am planning to stop for at least a month for my tinnitus, but I feel the need to finish the flavored coffee.:-) I, like Philcan, have tried almost all the natural theropies on the www.ata.org web sight and others, tring to heal this tinnitus. I tried Black Cohosh for two weeks with no results(probably not enough time). I don't plan to have this for 10 years, because I will keep tring until I find a cure. It's been under 3 years for me and I believe this diet is the answer even if it takes years. I spent years messing my body up, so whats a few more years fixing it. My question today is; what about getting a mineral count done to see where I'm at? I couldn't find the test on your page. Is it not available anymore? Can I get an accurate test from a regular doctor(MD)or would you recommend a ND instead. I've never done this test before, so I'm concerned to get it right the first time. I also haven't seen a Doctor in many many years. I feel so much better on this diet I don't think I'll ever need one, fingers crossed. :-) Thanks again for all that you do Heidi and God bless, Carl & Julie

Hey there, Carl! Well, I don't see Mineral Check, either, so they may be developing a new test instead. In the meantime, I'd see an ND or experienced nutritionist for the mineral test. Just call around and ask what you can have done. Some do hair analysis, which is revealing but not as reliable as Acu-Cell analysis (a blood test). It's nice not feeling like a fixture at the doctor's office, eh? Take good care, and blessings to you both! :-D

---

Thank you Heidi for your quick response to my question on distilled water systems vs. reverse osmosis systems. It is my understanding that both the reverse osmosis system and the distilled water system remove trace minerals, and although spring water does not, the bacteria in many spring waters can be extremely high and can contain the same, if not higher levels than city water. Is it absolutely necessary to have trace minerals in our water? Doesn't the food we eat and the supplements we take contain enough minerals to keep us healthy so that we can drink bacteria free water? I live in the Ft. Lauderdale, Fl area where unfortunately, the city water in most areas contain high levels of bacteria. In the last 6 months I have read numerous articles on the benefits of distilled water including an article from Dr. Mayo from the Mayo clinic who discusses his beliefs on water and its relationship to cancers. He highly recommends distilled water for drinking and cooking. If I am taking the time to buy organic foods and follow this wonderful, blessed diet, I want to make sure I'm drinking and cooking with contaminent free water. But... I don't want to lose minerals that may be as important. See my dilema????? Thank you again for any advice you may have and for your wonderful column that has become so much a part of my day. Anne

Hello, Anne! Well, you're in a difficult situation there. I see no problem with using distilled water for everything except drinking and watering plants (they die). If you go with a distilled water system, I'd seriously look into either getting good spring water delivered (Poland Spring, Great Bear or another national brand with excellent quality control) -- or buying liquid mineral drops to put in your drinking water. They're available at health food stores. A constant intake of distilled water would create an imbalance in your body's electrolyte levels, and does have the effect of reducing the mineral absorption level from your foods. So there are some options for you! Best of health to you, Anne, and I'm sorry you have to deal with such problems!! :-D

---

A comment in followup to Maddy's question to you concerning iron/ferritin levels: I also get measured in the "Low 12.x" range and often am refused as a blood donor. I found that taking liquid Floradix (mentioned in BTD), one dose of 2 tsp most days (half the recommended amount of two doses per day), will raise my iron/feritin levels enough to donate blood. I'm an A secretor -- that's all I know about my blood specifics -- not quite the same as Maddy's. BTW, I tried eating liver once a week for a month to raise it, and it did NOT work -- still low 12.x readings. I do use the Floradix pills when I'm away from home -- the liquid requires refrigeration and has a short shelf life after opening. Also, several years ago, my doctor recommended another product (SlowFE), a "crude iron preparation" (acc to ER4YT) and it gave me diarrhea almost immediately. I don't have this problem with Floradix, liquid or pills. Thanks for listening. Dorothy

Dorothy, thanks so much for that note! A welcome reminder, and it's good to hear from you! :-D

---

URGENT - Need a response ASAP Heidi, I also sent this same message to Dr. Handwerger. But I love to get your input as well. I greatly enjoy your enthusiasm and uplifting spirit.



My 4.5-year-old son (type O positive) has recently been diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea due to enlarged tonsils. The ENT doctor suggested tonsillectomy. As parents, we try to avoid surgeries as much as possible unless the surgeries are absolutely necessary. My son is very skinny with both his weight and height under 5th percentile. He experiences frequent nightmares and night terrors and preschool teacher often complains his temper and attention problems. Only recently after the diagnosis, I'm trying very hard to avoid giving him wheat, corn, potato and dairy products. What's your view on tonsillectomy? Is there any non-surgical approach to his problems such as special diet or supplements for his enlarged tonsils? He is starting kindergarten in fall. If we're going with the surgical approach, we need to schedule the surgery right away in order to get him in before school starts. So ... PLEASE respond ASAP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Carol



Hello, Carol! Well, you've been around the BTD for years, so you have a good handle on what your son would do best on. Truly, he is an O who must closely follow the diet, without exception. His is clearly a case in which wheat, corn, potato and dairy should be eliminated absolutely, and a strict diet of lots of animal protein, beneficial vegetables, eggs, fruit and nuts & oils is the only one for him. Be sure that he gets challenging exercise every day, and that he has the opportunity to spend time doing what he wants to do, daily. This is vitally important for his mental well-being.



He's also in dire need of B vitamins. He should have a fruit smoothie daily, based on black cherries, blueberries, or some other combination of beneficials and/or neutrals, with some nutbutter, a hard-boiled egg, two tablespoons of nutritional yeast (no dairy -- a guaranteed brand is KAL), a tablespoon of flax oil, the contents of three Phytocal-O capsules and two teaspoons of acerola cherry powder in each one.



Most important supplement? I'd order two bottles of Heallix immediately. You'll need distilled water to administer it. He should have it in the morning (before any food) and at night before sleeping. Take a firm hand with this. He needs it in order to save his body organs from surgical excision.



This little guy sounds like a nonsecretor to me. Have you gotten a saliva or blood (Lewis) test for him?



OK, that's a start. I have more to say about the probiotic side of things, but at his age the foods and Heallix should get him on the right path without further supps. Get to work with it, and please keep me posted CONSTANTLY if possible! I'm very concerned to help you all get him through this without surgery. Take care, dear!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, I read your column every day and i noticed a few questions on cold sores-herpes and i wanted to share what worked for me.I wanted to share with you how i got the cold sores and how i finally found relief. April of 2000 I had some poor dental work regarding the fitting of a crown. I got herpes in my gums above the crown. I sought help from a holistic dentist and he removed the offending crown and basically redid all my fillings in my mouth over a 3 month period. I got the herpes in my gums every 3 months after and my eyes would water and my ears would hurt and then the cold sores appeared either on my lips or in or around my nose. Everytime i would be stressed or tired the same thing would happen over and over again.



In July of 2002 i read that cold sores-herpes were the signs of severe calcium deficiency. I bought a calcium supplement that was made from food at the health food store. From that day on i have never had a cold sore again. I had them every 3 months for 2 years, so i know this is really working for me. Its been almost a year and havent had any yet. Six weeks ago i had an accident and i couldnt walk for 3 weeks and i thought for sure my body wouldnt be able to stand the stress and i would have gotten the herpes and cold sores, but i didnt. Also i am healing much faster than i should be and i wonder if the calcium i am taking is helping me heal. Maybe this cure won't help everyone, but it sure helped me. I was so greatful to find it that i hope it can help anyone else who suffers like i used to. Thanks Heidi for the time and space to write and i enjoy your column very much!! :-) Arlene AB+



Arlene! Wow! How great to hear from you! Thank you so much for posting this -- there are many interested parties reading it, I can tell you! I'm really pleased you found the resolution to your problem, and grateful you shared it here -- don't be a stranger, OK? blessings, dear!! :-D

---

Thanks for your column, I read it daily. How can I find out my MM or MN status and what does this mean? Drea



Hi, Drea -- Many specialized labs do this kind of typing, but as I mentioned in recent columns, the SouthWest Medical Center's laboratories in Arizona do them routinely. The MN blood type (three variations: MM, MN and NN) indicate susceptibility to certain cancers, and ability to effectively process fats and cholesterol. The full explanation can be found in the book Live Right 4 Your Type. Thanks for writing, and welcome!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, First may I offer a sincere thank you to both you and Karen, for your insights into my dificulties with weight loss, tiredness and withdrawal from grains - it is extremely moving to know that there are people willing to offer help and advice, even though you don't know them, thank you so much. I am on my forteenth day without grain (except for two occassions when I used a little rice flour to thicken a sauce). I am over the 'fifth day hump' that I wrote about and am feeling somewhat better although I know that my energy levels could improve a lot from where I am - don't know how I know, I just know! I really did feel that I was withdrawing/detoxifying from something so it was reassuring to hear from Karen who experienced similar things. However, I also think that I might have a thyroid imbalance, as you suggested Heidi, which may contribute to the tiredness and the fact that my weight is stubbornly refusing to shift (I've lost a pound in the last fortnight, after no weight loss for six weeks).



I pre-empted your advice on thyroid testing, in that after browsing your site I came across the post to someone in Donegal in which you mentioned the temperature test for thyroid imbalance, so did it and found that each morning my temperature was between 97.4 and 97.6 F - on the low side. You also mentioned some supplements that you took, including a glandular from an American store [am I allowed to mention it - Vitamin Shoppe] that does not distribute to the U.K. I would appreciate some advice on what to do, re. supplementation, for as well as being on a low income as previously mentioned, I am a bit anxious about taking a glandular formula because of the scares that we have had here about BSE (mad-cow disease). I don't know which company to trust on this one as none of my local health food shops sells anything with 'glands' (sounds disgusting!) in.



The other thing I am bothered about is whether I will have to take supplements for this indefinitely. Thyroid problems seem to run in my family and a few members are on medication, one for an underactive thyroid and two for overactive. I would really like it if my body could heal itself with a little temporary help.



And..while I'm here, I may as well ask about something else I am bothered about...I cannot abide fish. Absolutely hate the smell, look, taste, everything about it - the most I can manage is tinned tuna, which I eat twice a week. Have tried salmon a couple of times but it makes me want to throw up. I have to trust my body's wisdom (or foolishness?) and accept that fish is not right for me for some reason! My question is, what do I do about protein consumption in light of the fact that I am not getting beneficial fish? Should I eat more meat? I don't like egg either, except disguised in pancakes (which I'm not having anymore because of the grain thing) and vegetable fritters (my poor old mum had a tough old time feeding me when I was a kid!!!)



With regard to protein, in the last week I have consumed beef six times, lamb twice, chicken three times, tinned tuna twice and tinned salmon once (yuk), one egg and one portion of beans. With everything, lots of veggies and some fruit, nuts, linseeds and olive oil every day. Thank you for being so supportive - I am hopeful that I will be able to once again experience the surge in energy I felt after about a fortnight on the diet. It feels like I experience the 'day ticket' to massively improved health, now I have to do the work ;-D Cheers, Rachel (O)



Rachel, I have to say that your beautiful, sunny attitude toward these matters will stand you in good stead. The belief in healing is a powerful influence upon the body. I am quite sure you will find the best road and travel it smilingly toward resolution of everything which is troubling you now. Good on you, dear!



I have two suggestions on the "glandular" front. ;-D First, you might find an acupuncturist who does nutrition therapy. OR who is adept in traditional Chinese medicine. Imported Chinese supplements containing the necessary glandulars may be more confidence-inspiring than generic supps, so look into that avenue. Only one or two visits would be necessary, and many holistic practitioners are quite responsive to patients' budget strictures. Well worth a phone call to acus in your locality.



Second, let's get cooking! ;-) Organic sweetbreads (pancreas & thymus), liver, kidneys, heart and brain (yep, brain). They'll be certified BSE-free. Raw is better, but cooked is better than none at all. A good butcher who carries organic meats is a must, Rachel. You need him or her to be your best friend, no kidding! One way or the other, we'll make sure your thyroid is supported in its function. Your basal temperature readings are not nearly as low as mine were (95.7-96.2), and I've made a full recovery in short time with the simple cheapo generic supp. This morning, for instance, I was at 98.1.

;-)



Your aversion to fish may be cultural, learned, a result of inadequate but treatable fat digestion.... or because you're one of those folks whose genetic heritage was entirely inland from the get-go! :-) Can't tell from here. Don't sweat the fish (she said colloquially) -- but for the next two weeks, try to load up on the red meat. Don't bother with fowl or fish, but get two solid servings of the red stuff daily. And boost the B vitamins, with nutritional yeast (KAL brand, is it available there? - if not, choose carefully, many contain dairy), and get your calcium.



All right, that's enough from me for now. I don't know about you, but I'm well pleased with that pound that came off! Keep posting, and we'll work this out with help from any & all of the brilliant folks who read here every day. Take care, dear -- we most certainly care about you! and keep smiling!! :-D

---

Hello Heidi, I am a type B and I need selenium and vitamin E due to mercury toxicity. The vitamin E I use (and have used for several years, from dr Donsbach) is made from wheat germ oil. Wheat germ oil is an avoid for me - does this mean that I should not take this supplement? If not - are there other vitamin E-supplements that are not made from wheat germ oil? To the woman hus suffered from depression: Dr Bach flower remedies are wonderful! The best thing is to consult a Bach therapist so you get the right flowers for you - there are different flowers for different types of depression.And the flower remedies does not interfere with other medicines you may take, just wait for 5 minutes. Heidi, thanks a lot for your help. Anita



Thanks for that note on flower essences, Anita!



Yes, I would definitely say that Bs should avoid wheat germ oil. Vitamin E is present in many, many foods. I suggest asking at your local HFS or supp shop (since brands vary from place to place) for non-wheat vitamin E. I'm sure you'll find a number of brands, since wheat avoidance gains momentum in the alternate health market daily. Best wishes to you, dear, and let me know what you find! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I just wanted to drop a quick note to thank you and Maia for the tremendous contribution on the problem of Rosacea. I am a rosacea sufferer - it is really clearing up with the absence of grains, dairy and sugars from my diet - but I had no idea about the brewer's yeast. I presume this has no deleterious affect on candida/yeast problems? I am sure that I am deficient in B vitamins - and so am thrilled with this discovery. Thank you so much and bless you both! Suzanna



Hi, Suzanna ~~ Nutritional yeast has no adverse effect on candida at all. It is NOT live yeast, and not to be confused with the popular name for candidiasis, "yeast infection." I'm very glad you're benefiting from the information from Maia -- quite a gal, ain't she? :-D

---

Hi Heidi - This is just a note about my last message where I mentioned pomelos. Pomelos is the Afrikaans name for Grapefruit. Sorry for the confusion. I should have said grapefruit and not Pomelos. Eurika



No problem, Eurika! Thanks for letting me know ~~ hey, I learned something about Afrikaans today! many thanks, dear! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, I'm new to the diet for Type A and have a few questions. What is considered sugar in the raw? Turbinado, Florida Crystals, etc? I use Splenda in my morning cup of coffee, is it ok? String cheese is listed as ok for A's in the book but not on-line. Mozzarella is ok, so is string ok? What about the Mexican cheeses like Queso Blanco, Queso Quesadilla? Is a secretor test all that is needed if you know that you are a Type A+ and what excactly does the + mean? My hubby is an A-, so it will make it easier for us to follow the diet. We find it impossible to eat out because of any kind of pepper being a NO on the diet and any restaurant uses black pepper in their seasoning. We are also having difficulty in findingacceptable cereals for the diet. On the ingredients of Kasha cereal, wheat is listed. If we eat the corn or rice cereals, we get almost no fiber. If we buy or sprout our own wheat berries would they be acceptable for making bread, etc.? Would organic brown rice vinegar in small quanities be acceptable. Being new to this diet I'm sure I will have lot's more questions that I will post now and then. Your column is something I look forward to each day, you're a great help to all of us trying to eat the way our bodies were mean't to according to Dr. D'Adamo's testing. Thanks a bunch! Deb



Hi, Deb! Welcome!! If your string cheese contains only OK ingredients according to your food list, it's fine for you. That goes for every cheese you encounter, unless its type is listed by name in the A food list.



All regular white or brown sugar is neutral for you, and "sugar in the raw" is an advertising phrase for turbinado sugar. Sucanat is an avoid. For Splenda, go to the bottom of this page -- enter splenda in the search box -- and you'll come up with the columns written on that one. I don't recommend splenda for anyone!



The + and - are Rhesus types. That info's in your book. Also, check out the TYPEbase 4 database in the middle of the homepage (www.dadamo.com). You can enter any one-word food item's name, and get the latest values that way! :-)



There is plenty of fiber in whole grain cereals like whole oats, and adding a tablespoon of fresh-ground flaxseed to your cereal in the morning will provide a bunch of fiber -- along with all the vegetables, beans and seeds/nuts in the A diet.



Sprouted wheat is fine, but home-baking bread from sprouted grains is a little uncertain as to the product! ;-) Whole spelt, rye, and kamut are definitely great bread flours! Whole wheat is a type A avoid... again, take a peek at TYPEbase 4. ;-) Then, use that database to search for vinegar. Rice vinegar is listed along with others.



Hope this is helpful, dear! Enjoy the new diet, and pop in if you've any questions we might help with! :-D

---

Hi Heidi! An additional note from brewer's yeast research: important also to watch the magnesium intake. I'd been skimping on my pumpkin seeds, a great source of magnesium. Apparently vitamin B6 needs magnesium as a co-factor for most of what it does in the body. Magnesium is a very common deficiency -- and here's the exciting part, magnesium deficiency results in higher than normal histamine levels. Which would likely make allergies, asthma, rosacea & any inflammation worse, (and also ulcers I think, because I think I remember reading about a connection between ulcers & allergies/histimine levels in the Encyclopedia. But I can't remember where.) Important for heart palpitations too. (o:!! Maia

Thanks, Maia! That's something I like about KAL nutritional yeast ~ it contains magnesium as well. Stay bright & shiny, dear!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, I have been good on my nonsecretor diet for about a month now and I surprisingly made it through my period without craving and eating a chocolate bar. ( I even have some left in the house - and I didn't even eat one !!) It was surprising because with eating everything I was supposed to I didn't even have a strong craving, only a thought every once in a while, which I solved by eating a few figs and walnuts. Once I made a pan of brownies substituting all o.k. ingredients. I only ate a couple and put the rest in the freezer. The great thing is that my period came and went painlessly and I didn't miss a day of working out in the gym because of it. I am usually down for a couple of days during my period. So chalk up another plus for the diet. Do you know what beet sugar is?? I have seen it as an ingredient in a couple of things lately and if it is what it sounds like it is, then it should be beneficial for me . Could it be true??? Thanks. Suzanna B nonsecretor



Hey there! Congratulations on the pain-free, energetic cycle!!! :-D



Beet sugar (get ready for this one) comes from sugar beets. LOL! Isn't that all you wanted to know? :-D

OK, well, sugar beets are distinct from red beets (or "beetroot"), the item that is beneficial for you. Sugar beets are grown only to make sugar from. We have no rating for that plant, but if you'd like to read more, here's a page All About Sugar Beets with a tiny picture showing the complete plant for comparison. They are a member of the Chenopodiaceae (or 'goosefoot') family, along with beetroot, mangel, chard and pigweed. I doubt there's much to choose between cane sugar and beet sugar, since processing involves removing every vestige of the plant save the concentrated sucrose -- so in sum, I'd call it neutral for all types for whom white sugar is neutral. :-) good question, dear! and keep enjoying your new all-the-month freedom!! :-D

---

You asked if anyone had more information about the potato/pregnant women item. The research did not say it was ONLY potatoes and it wasn't referring to the potato itself...it's those blemishes or scarring that was the problem. They said any vegetable with that sort of tissue damage shouldn't be eaten and that they should peel the scar tissue away completely before preparing/cooking/eating the vegetable. Reigan



Hmmmm..... So it is the scarred area which is somehow connected to diabetes? Thanks for that, Reigan -- and anyone else with more info, please post away!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, Thanks to your advice, I am starting to notice the difference with my health, my dry eyes are improving alot more, my skin looks a bit better (I'm prone to pimples, especially on my back)and my energy has improved, although I'm not fully there yet, but these small improvements are exciting. I always thought that my pimples were caused from eating to much fat, but when i did start to cut out the fat they didn't improve much, so could it be that too many grains would cause pimples.

I was just wondering if dried meats(jerky)and dried fruits and fruit leathers lose their nutritional value when dried. And are 'sulfured' fruits ok, I'm guesssing they're not. I suggest for anyone looking for different snacks to eat, particularly non-secretors, should buy a food dehydrator, I just bought one and can't wait to get stuck into it. I noticed days ago you mentioned that occassionally you make a kamut pastry with cherry filling, this sounds nice, could you please tell me the recipe for this. Thanks in advance. Chantelle



Oh yes, too many (or the wrong) grains can clog you up right fast. Good fats won't disturb your skin -- it is the transfats in fried foods and hydrogenated oils, avoid oils, etc., that will give anyone trouble. Good fats are NECESSARY for healthy skin, brain, and eyes!

Meats and fruits dried at home lose only their moisture -- all else remains in that light, portable and storable little package! :-) Sulphuring is to be avoided -- always check any commercial dried products for sulphurs. A home dehydrator is a SUPERB IDEA FOR EVERYONE!! Sliced dried foods go perfectly into a freezer bag, and freeze without event (a good thing to know if that's your preferred storage space). They also thaw in seconds -- rehydrate with pure water, or eat as-is.

My cherry pastry? Sure, I'd be glad to tell you. As a side note, I can say that I'm a decent cook. I can make a tasty, nutritious and BTD-compliant meal for anyone and everyone, simple or fancy as the case requires -- but I sweat and strain over it. However, for some neurological reason, I'm a whiz at pastry, cookies, cakes, all the delicate sugary stuff. My mom noticed this very early in my life, and set me to baking as a youngster. I should now say, "AIN'T IT A SHAME I'M AN O NON, OF ALL THINGS???" except that it occurred to me that I am in a peculiarly privileged position to sort these particular matters for all comers. Folks, if I can eat it, you can eat it, and I know the tricks & tweaks to make it all come true for you rara avis Bs and ABs, too. That part is simple. All we need to recall is the portion/frequency guidelines and "eat pastry responsibly!!" LOL!! ~:-D



Down to business. This is essentially one kamut pie crust , which I place on a cookie sheet. The 1 & 1/2 cups or so of the fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (no extra liquid, just the fruit -- at room temp) should first be tossed with a drizzled tablespoon of vegetable glycerine and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Then, cover only one half of the pastry with the fruit, leaving a 1-inch margin on the outside. REALLY cover it -- no dough visible between the fruit bits, and a double layer is fine if you're working with very finely sliced soft fruit like peaches, ripe pears, bananas or ripe plums. Cluster berries closely together, make a mat of them. Fold the other half of the pastry over the fruit side, and seal & crimp the edges. Glaze as noted in the recipe, and prick the top in several places with a fork. Bake for... oh, half an hour or so at 375-400 F, just till the crust is beautiful. (How's that for a technical term? It's hard for me to recall exact measurements and times, I'm one of those annoying "until it looks/feels/tastes right" people... :-}) Don't let it burn at all. You're not looking to cook the filling, just the crust -- when the crust is done, the filling is done.

For those of us following Ayurvedic practice of no-cooked-fruit-at-all, just make 1/2 the pastry recipe, bake in a small glass or ceramic baking dish, tart or quiche plate or ramekin (whatever shape you wish, but something that will produce a turned-up edge for you) for 20 minutes (once again, just until beautiful), then remove and dress with the fruit and any other B or N toppings you'd like.

And you Bs & ABs, no I've not forgot ye! Use a mix of 1/2 whole and 1/2 white spelt instead -- all else is as noted above! :-D

Thanks for your message, Chantelle! I hope your wintering there in Oz is pleasant and full of happy new food discoveries!! :-D

---

Hello Heidi, This is a response to Amber's message posted on the site 6/20/03 regarding doing the yoga pose "Downward Dog" during her menstrual period to alleviate heavy flow. I am not a yoga teacher, but am fairly sure that this is considered an inverted pose and, in the reading I've done about yoga for women, all inverted poses are advised against during menstruation. Amber, you may want to check with your yoga teacher on this pose. She, or he, might be able to suggest other poses that will help without causing other problems. Have a great day! Kathryn

Good catch, Kathryn ~ thanks! :-)

---

News reports this week in Australia show that many pregnant women who eat potatoes have babies born with diabetes.It would be interesting to get hold of the report and find out the blood groups of the women who did,and the ones who didn't. I have been on the diet for about 2 years now and my arthritis has gone. Thanks John.

I have heard another variation of that report recently -- Do you recall anything about the Australian articles? Who did the research, for instance?

Anyone else see this, or have a reference for that particular report??

John, thanks for your note -- and I'm THRILLED your arthritis has gone bye-bye! :-D Don't be a stranger, pop in now & again!! :-D

---

Hi, I'm a type O and I was wondering if pilates would fit in with an O's exercise plan? I find no mention of this exercise for any of the blood types. Thanks, Tina

Pilates is fine for all types. It's not particularly strenuous -- more along the lines of a calisthenic routine using bodyweight or light resistance if done as a floor exercise/stretch without the machine. Enjoy! :-D

---

I am a type A. I love soy milk but I notice that on the brand that I am using the label states that it has a filler that type A's are supposed to avoid. Could you recommend a product that does not have preservatives and fillers by brand name so that I know what to look for. I have looked at all the labels in my local store and all have preservatives---thanks. "rene"

Most of the major organic brands offer one variety containing only soy, water and salt. Westbrae and Eden are two which come to mind, and there are a few others. They can be found (and ordered online) with a quick web search -- and both are organic, with no preservatives. Talk to the manager at your store, and ask about getting some organic, plain soy milk in there! :-)

---

Hi, I have bought your books but can't find out if B's can eat Chickpeas - can't see any listing. Can you please help. Thank you, Sarah

Hello, Sarah ~ They're also called "garbanzo beans."

As it says at the bottom of this page, if you ever want to look up a food value, use TYPEbase 3 (linked on www.dadamo.com in the middle of the page). Both chickpea and garbanzo will pop up there. :-)

---

Good morning Heidi, Thanks for your response regarding my question. I haven't a clue why I forgot to include my blood type but anyway, I am an "O" secretor. The vega testing showed that I should avoid all grains(including amaranth, spelt, millet, etc.) except rice, it also showed that I should avoid corn, all treenuts, all seeds, eggs, sugar, beef, all milk products, turkey, coffee, bananas, tomatoes, yeast, chocolate, MSG (I am allergic to anyway), peanuts, and soy. It indicated that I was OK with pork, potatoes, lentils, fructose, goat's milk products, all other vegetables and fruits.

I have been following the blood type diet for about 2 years now and have never had a better composition than I do now. I am battling some thyroid problems at the moment but for the most part am feeling very good.

I don't like the fact of having to eliminate some items from my diet that are considered highly beneficial if I don't have to and I certainly don't want to be including avoids for type O's back into my diet. The practitioner who did my testing stated that the blood type diet is a very good one however it is very generalized and I should tailor it to meet my own specific vega testing results. What is your opinion on this? It seems that if I do adopt this philosophy, I will be on an even more limited diet in terms of what I can eat. I would appreciate any feedback you could give me on this. Thanks and have a great day! Sara D

Hi, Sara! Thanks for writing again! I would reiterate the note at the top of the June 20 column regarding these tests in general, but I'd also say that since you've paid for the testing, it would do no harm to avoid those foods she's told you to eliminate for now. Give it a good solid try. There are plenty of foods left without resorting to any avoids. Before you do, though, I'd also suggest going in a month or so and getting the test again -- perhaps with a different practitioner. See how the results compare.

I was indeed surprised that your practitioner was able to test for all 90 or so vegetables in the food list, thus coming up with tomatoes as the only vegetable to be avoided. Granted, there are remarkably few avoids among veggies for O secretors, but I didn't expect that she would have been able to test them all.

Your general success with the O diet leads me to believe that you may need only a bit of tweaking here and there on B vitamins, water intake, exercise and portion/frequency control in order to resolve the thyroid difficulties. You might also consider adding the Medical Mediations for thyroid in Meditation as Medicine by Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa and Cameron Stauth. Remarkably powerful practice, and takes only a few minutes per day.

Best wishes, and please do keep me posted! I'd love to hear more, as you go along!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I wrote a few weeks ago about the smell of cancer. I went last week and had a mole biopsied, and sure enough it was stage 1 melanoma. Another kind reader suggested another cause, I think it was diabetes. I am still going to have my blood tested for that, but do you have any suggestions for an A type with melanoma? this is the second time it has been found on me. Also you mentioned you might be able to find a bt diet practitioner in my area? I live near Kansas City, Missouri side. I would love to go to someone knowledgeable in the diet. Thanks so much, Judith

Hello, Judith! OK: There are five protocols found in the Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia under "Cancer, Melanoma." Each protocol has several ingredients. If any of the ingredients are repeated, just take that ingredient according to the protocol with the highest dosage. Read the article carefully. While melanoma is conventionally associated with solar injury to the skin, most melanomas occur on skin not exposed to the sun. There is a well-established theory that one should always have the eyes exposed if going out in the sun -- no sunglasses! -- and of course, avoid burning at all costs.

Also, go to the Minnesota Wellness Directory Cancer Page, and read the whole thing through. Then go back to the top, and make notes on any products or procedures which apply with melanoma or cancer in general. Take special notice of Cansema -- a topical ointment with so-far-spectacular results in melanoma. It comes with a money-back guarantee, so I think it's well worth getting hold of it ASAP.

In the Practitioner Registry on our main page, I found two Missouri docs in St. Louis, one in Monett, and one in Wentzville. Pop over to the Registry and search for "MO" by typing it in, then using the pulldown just below it ("search by")to choose "state."

This doesn't sound like much, but it may be all you need, Judith! I think you're going to be fine!! Keep us posted, and give me your views on the resources I mentioned. Take good care, dear -- I'm thinking of you!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, Please give my thanks to Nina for her June 8th note regarding the protein powder. I just read it since my server has been down for over a week! Please add me to her nonnnie list. I had a question for you regarding pepper (the spice, not the vegetable). I know that all pepper is avoid for A and O (except the red for O's). However, I seem to remember reading something several weeks ago on your column regarding fresh ground peppercorns being acceptable. Did I get that right? I haven't used pepper in months, but would include it again if it were okay fresh ground. Thanks again for everything! Phyllis in Dallas (A non)

Hi, Phyllis ~ Nina will see your note! ;-) For your pepper question, see the TYPEbase 3 database linked in the center of the homepage (www.dadamo.com) -- search for the term 'pepper,' and look for the item "Pepper (peppercorn/redflakes). That's the one which applies to the peppercorn, which if fresh-ground has those values -- on the other hand, the item "Pepper (black/white)" refers to the already-ground, commercial tinned or bottled or paper-packed variety. It's avoid for all As and ABs, and neutral for all Bs and Os. :-}

---

Dear Heidi, I know I'm not you.....but sometimes I almost have to chew off my arm to keep from trying to offer up advice! Anyway, if you don't mind, I have a couple of bits to say to 2 people in today's column:

To Doreen (O nonnie): If you are not already using bio-compatable hormones for HRT, you might see if your doctor could switch you to them. Or call Women's International Pharmacy (an 800 number in Arizona) and ask that they send you a list of doctors in your area who can prescribe things like progesterone and estriol or Tri-Est. Also, it sounds like you are on Synthroid...... Maybe changing to Armour or NaturThroid (both natural forms, not synthetic forms of thyroid) might be better. Also, hate to say it.....but sounds like you may have an issue with mercury toxicity. It's a real pain in the rear to deal with, but if you are eating correctly for a lengthy period of time with no benefit, it may be worth checking in to.

To Craig (O nonnie in England): On the addiction to tea problem.....Try going to one of the good homeopaths in the UK. I studied homeopathy a bit, and sounds like "thuja" might help you - also on the sweets cravings. I'm not a doctor though, so maybe seeing one is better than taking my advice. I'll really try not to do this, Heidi - guess it's just one of those O-type compulsions....... a bientot, Abby (and I understand COMPLETELY if you do not want to print this.....just could not help myself...)

Keep those choppers away from that arm, and offer away!! All readers are ENCOURAGED to post experiences and advice whenever they are moved to do so... that means you, too! much appreciated, dear!! ~:-D

---

Hi, Heidi : Do you know an American website : www.thehungersite.com? Each e-mail address can go into it and click once to give 1.1 cups of staple food to people in starvation. It also links to 4 similar websites : Animal Rescue site, Rainforest site, Women Health site and Childhealth Site. The same and simple procedure. The clicks will give strength to the sponsor who donate the food etc. Not blood type specific, but bear in mind the less fortunate and extend our friendship. ~ lily ~

I hadn't seen that one ~~ a great blessing. thanks, lily! :-D

---

Some Reader-to-Reader posts and this & that. Still weathering the tail-end of the unforeseen storm here. :-) enjoy!



Oh -- and a note to Sara D: your post noted you're a "blood type (secretor)," but didn't give the ABO type. Please do! thanks!! ;-)



For everyone asking about various testing forms (ELISA, vega, etc.), and why your test results differ from the food list recommendations: Those tests are far less reliable than the BTD lists in terms of hard data, and results will vary between practitioners, even between the first time you do it and two weeks later. It's up to you, of course, but we never advise anyone to start eating avoids because the XYZQ test said it was OK for them. Be safe, OK?



Another note: I do get mail occasionally from type As who are on acid reflux drugs of some kind, who ask if their "high stomach acid" means they can eat the avoid meats for type A. Nope. The poor digestion they are experiencing is due to LOW stomach acid, leading to inability to digest the inappropriate diet they've chosen (food & secretions sit in the stomach and bubble, bubble), resulting in reflux and concomitant complaints. Although the adjustment from meat-heavy fare to fish, fowl and plant proteins is difficult for the emotions, it is wondrous for the tummy (and everything else). A wee reminder, and hope it's timely! :-)

---

just a short note to thank Abby for her kind advice about taking veg gly and other stuff with me from England. i´m already in Madrid but have to go back to collect some stuff so I´ll stock up then. it´s lovely here but they sneak pork into everthing, even green salads. they have museums dedicated to the stuff! take care, Olympia.

---

Hi Heidi, I agree with your tip to Josie about using the type O PolyFLORA from North American Pharmacal. It is great stuff for digestive discomfort. Being type O also I find eating walnuts is very soothing to the gut. Hope this helps a bit! Stay well, Pat

---

Hi Heidi, Please ask Nina to try & add my name to the nonnie list again. My email server was temporary down. Sorry for the inconvenience. Your column is a highlight to my day! Blessings, Nancy

---

Hi Heidi, thanks for the advice about grains and sugars. I'm trying it out and will let you know how it goes. As far as stir fry sauces, I'm definitely talking about homemade! Anything pretty much goes really in terms of ingredients--I'm just wondering about ways to get around the ever present cornstarch and white/rice/cider vinegar in recipes. Thanks a lot! Caroline



Caroline, use arrowroot instead of cornstarch -- just dissolve it well in a little water before adding to the heat. Lemon juice (full strength or dilute) works nicely in most recipes calling for vinegar. ;-)



Still calling for recipes from the cooks out there! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, here's a good tip for Melinda who had trouble with jawns clenching at night. This really helps: http://www.dr-johnston.com/NTI.html http://www.nti-tss.com/ It is a God's send for all us suffering from bruxism - not to mention migraines ;-) AND it is FDA-approved! Smiles from ingrid in sweden



RE: REQUEST FOR VEG GLY IN SWEDEN (for Marie!)



Marie, what you can do right now is try looking in shops which sell massage oils. Vegetable glycerine is a major item there. Also, when doing a web search, be very careful of the spelling, as a single letter off will give you no results at all. Best wishes, and enjoy the summer! :-D



Ingrid is indeed reading ;-) no small feat as I am constructing a much bigger veg garden ;-) so I can grow MORE, and Marie should contact www.crearome.se they sell veg glycerin for cosmetics which is safe to eat and use. I still don't use it in my morning tea - I FAIL to see why honey is an avoid for a O nonnie :-(( but when I run out ( it is only a teaspoonful each morning) I shall reconsider :-) perhaps.....LOL! All the best from ingrid in sweden

---

For mucus buildup, my hfs recommended Fenugreek. She asked me if I had a problem with dizziness, and I said that I could hardly swing on the swingset with my son, or watch him play video games. She asked if my head felt heavy, and I told her when I bent over it felt 100 lbs in weight. She asked if I had a recent sinus infection, and I had one almost a year earlier. She told me the antibiotics clear up the infection to allow to breathe, but it just packs the mucus in our sinuses, and it never goes away. Fenugreek releases this mucus buildup and I feel so much better.



Also, with a heavy flow - I had good luck this month with a yoga pose - "downward dog". Start out on your knees, then raise to all fours and hold for a minute or two. I did it at the start of the cycle and repeated several times a day. Thanks for all your help! Amber

---

Hi Heidi, I have two short? questions. First is a question about yeast. Do brewer's yeast and debittered brewer's yeast have the same nutritional value and how do they compare with 'nutritional yeast flakes'? I have started taking the debittered brewers but is it as healthy for me as one of the other ones? Secondly I have a question about compliancy as I am a bit confused as to how the term is used. Does 100% compliancy mean that the person is eating only beneficials? Does 80% compliancy mean the the person eats 80% beneficials and 20% neutrals? When people talk about not being totally compliant does that mean they are eating some avoids? I would really like some clarification on this as I could find nothing under compliancy on OTD search. Well it looks as if these 2 questions grew into several. I got carried away! Would really appreciate your help. Sharon



:-) "Nutritional yeast" tends to be purpose-grown and fortified, whilst "brewers' yeast" is the plain item, often the byproduct of brewing. Compare your brand's nutrient list with a nutritional yeast product like KAL to get the specifics on how your product compares with nut-y.



"Compliance" is a vexed subject in some ways. Unless the speaker indicates whether avoids are being eaten, one can't know by the use of the term compliance. There were many incomplete discussions of it on the old message boards, with no actual consensus reached. Some say 20% avoids is 80% compliance, and others hold that '% compliant' = '% beneficial minus % avoid' -- with the neutrals excluded from the equation.



I think of it as a sliding scale rather than an account of proportionate bennies, neutrals & avoids. Low compliance (it's still compliance) would be following the diet haphazardly or casually, but still making a gesture at following it. Medium would connote eating a range of neutrals and beneficials in any proportion, and some avoids to a lesser extent. High compliance implies a firm and often strict commitment to avoiding all avoids, and to maximizing beneficials in the diet. Perhaps I should factor in the type-specific activity level as well. But you get the idea, I think. :-D

I'd like to offer Nina W. help since I'm also a A+ Secretor. I found that since I'm older (47) I seem to be waking up more but I haven't been exercising as I should with my arthritis flaring up.

I found that if I did aerobics (light, like Walk Away the Pounds)even tae boe beginner which isn't very strenuous.. 3 or 4 times a week, I slept better and deeper. Maybe Nina isn't doing enough to make her body tired but she's mentally tired from stress. I don't understand one part in her post. It seems like she gave up the probiotic. I was wondering if she was still taking it? Yes, we A's are chemical sensitive, can be annoying, really. At least she can give up dairy. I haven't found a good substitute for the calcium. I can't take supplements because they trigger a migraine for some reason. I haven't tried the NAP brand yet. I'm thinking about it. Well good luck Nina I hear ya!

-- Diana

---

Hello Heidi, This is in response to the 6/15 post from Nina W. who has trouble sleeping and has been taking Cortigard. I am an A nonnie, age 65, and have tried to take Cortigard, but I find it affects me in the same way--light-headedness, nearly to the point of passing out, weak knees, and cognitive disfunction.

As for sleep problems, I refer back to the mention of a book that I read about circadian rhythms (based on research to help people with jet lag and other body/time adjustments) which states that the optimum time for the body to have coffee is between 4 and 6 p.m. It seems that it is less likely to keep you awake if you drink it then than if you drink it in the morning. (Oh, the wisdom of our bodies!) I switched my one-cup-a-day to late afternoon and it helped my sleeping tremendously. Also, that cup is a treat that I look forward to every day.

Being a morning person, I find my energy flagging a bit in the late afternoon, and it perks me up without disturbing my sleep at all. Friends of mine have had the same experience. When I am particularly stressed and start the monkeymind wakefulness in the middle of the night (a pretty rare occasion for me), I take a capsule of Kava Kava. I consider it neutral, since I haven't seen that it's been tested, and it calms my mind enough to sleep peacefully with no side effects. I know it's gotten some bad press lately in Europe, but more and more research is being done on its only problem (large, continuous doses of Kava are hard on the liver) and more and more doctors are supporting it for occasional or short term use (several times a day for no more than 2 months).

I also endorse chamomile tea; it is calming and promotes easy rest. You're doing such a great job! Thank you for your efforts on behalf of us all! Sarah C.

Many thanks for sharing your experiences here, ladies! Most appreciated, and I hope Nina W. finds an effective strategy betwixt & between them! :-D

---

In the "O" diet, it states that you should avoid wheat in the diet. However, in the pasta section it says that you should avoid the semolina pasta and that pastas made from buckwheat, rice and Jerusalem artichoke are better tolerated. Every store that carries the Jerusalem artichoke pasta has semolina listed as its first ingredient, with Jerusalem artichoke powder farther down the ingredient list. Is that standard, or have I just not found the right place to purchase it? I have found spelt flour pasta, which I enjoy. I would like to try the artichoke pasta, but I have been reluctant to buy the ones I have found, due to the semolina flour content. Advise???? Thanks, TMLF

Hello, Terry ~~ Your answer is here! ;-) Just scroll down to the artichoke pasta question. Rice or wild rice pastas fill the bill admirably ~~ enjoy, dear! :-D

---

Heidi, Your comments about gallbladder flush were timely for me. I have been taking Chinese Bitters for about 10 days now as part of the preparation for the liver and gallbladder flush. I was beginning to have doubts about doing it. I wasn’t sure if it was worth doing as a type O. It was good to see your words of encouragement knowing you, a type O, have done it several times. I am curious about what to expect from the process and what results I might see. How will I know it was successful, useful, and needs to be repeated in the future? One more issue I have wondered about for a while. I am confused about yucca. Yucca as a vegetable is an avoid for Os, but in the supplement section of the Blood Type Encyclopedia yucca is shown to be used in the anti-inflammation protocol, where yucca apparently comes from Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) concentrated yucca saponins. I can find a variety of different yuccas available from different herb websites, Yucca schidigera, Yucca glauca, Yucca filimentosa, etc. Are these different things? Do you know which yucca is OK to use? Thanks, Don

Hey there, Don! Good to see you're prepping for the gallbladder flush. I believe it's worth it for (1) anyone with difficulty digesting the GOOD fats in the diets, including those with diagnosed gallstones who are facing surgery (2) most nonsecretors now & again, due to our comparatively lower efficiency with fats, and (3) as a once- or twice-yearly clean-out for anyone who'd like to do it. I suggest that folks doing it for the first time should complete three or four of them over the course of a month or two, just to do a thorough job. It's difficult to say what to expect in terms of the experience, but the usual benefits are better digestion, clearer skin, and more energy.

On the yucca question: the concentrated saponins are apparently fine, whereas the whole plant is not, so I couldn't recommend one cultivar or another as being OK for Os.

Please keep me posted on how the flush goes for you, OK? I'm looking forward to your report.... best wishes!! :-D

---

Just a quick note about the international editions of Eat right for your type as Dr. D'adamo had a link to this page today. It says that the rights for the swedish edition was sold on the Frankfurt book exhibition. Actually the book is printed and available in the stores now (since a while). It is called "At ratt for din blodgrupp" and the publisher is "Andersson Forlag". Their homepage where you also can order the book is www.anderssonforlag.se. Thanks/Marie

Much appreciated, Marie! We'll edit the page to show the book's availability in Swedish. Thanks so much! :-)

---

Hi Heidi, Thanks for all the advice you've given me, I'm sure you help alot of people. Just wanted to say that I have specifically taken your advice and have cut down to three grains per week. Today is my fifth day without any grains and I'm really craving them - but I think I'm doing well considering I don't think I've ever had a grain free day before now. My energy levels have yet to improve and I still have that brain fog, today I also woke up with a headache - is all this normal? I have also done a bit of excercising every day. Another question - approximately two months after I started the diet I started to get a little bit shaky if I was hungry for a while, but its barely noticeable - is this a slight case of hypoglycemia and is there a reason for this or is it just coincidence. Thanks in advance. P.S hope you enjoyed your break!!!! Chantelle

:-) I enjoyed it very much, thank you kindly! :-)

You think you're doing well? I think you're doing fabulously! ;-) Your cravings, energy levels, brain fog, slight hypoglycemia feelings and morning headache are all quite normal, and to be expected. It's the perceptible part of the body's withdrawal from dependence on grains and sugars. Hang in there, kid ~~ IT'S WORKING!! Keep drinking plenty of water, and grab protein & veg whenever you're hungry -- doesn't have to be more than a bite or two, but never go hungry. Congratulations, Chantelle! You've already muscled through the worst of it, and the payoff is right around the corner! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, just a question from this Ao+ NS Lewis(a-b-) NN. I'm unable to use the Polyflora A due to Chicory causing blood sugar to plummet. While I need more bifida than acidophilous, I find those that have FOS may be bothersome to me. I need a plain bifida, acidophilous combo, higher on the bifida. I've been taking a product which doesn't seem to bother me, but it has equal amounts of acidophilous and bifida. Any suggestions? Thx. CB.

Hi, CB! I don't know of a product like that, but I'm posting this so others may read it -- perhaps someone out there knows of a similar product? Can you find a plain bifida to add to the one you're using?

ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR CB? Hope someone pops in with an easy solution, CB ~ I'll post it! :-D

---

I have an AB friend with a history of heart disease, (a couple of heart attacks, and surgery, before age 60,) and I was telling him about the book, because his daughter said all of a sudden he's very interested in nutriton. His wife doesn't seem to want to know about it, (I think she thinks he's already doing what he needs to do,) and his daughter is a nurse. I told her about the secretor test, and she said I'd rather not know..it might become self-fulfilling prophecy. She said she chooses to eat to prevent heart disease, (of course, using the AMA/ADA guidelines.) Any ideas on how to help him without stepping on their toes? Thanks, Judy



I also have a B friend with a history of anxiety, depression, and breast cancer. She lost her mother a couple of years ago, and was layed of from her job because of her depression. I told her about the BTD a couple of years ago, and let her read some of it. When I told her that tomatoes, chicken and corn were avoids for her, she said, "no way; macaroni and tomatoes are my comfort foods from childhood." Any ideas how to help her? I think she's on some type of medication for the anxiety/depression. She barely has the energy to get out of bed, let alone do her housework. When I saw her recently, she mentioned something about being tired, and I told her that the book says when B's are tired, they should exercise. She admitted that she hadn't been doing that, although she's been thinking about it. thanks Judy

Hello, Judy ~~ In both cases, although it's difficult for you as a concerned onlooker, it is really entirely up to the adult to whom you kindly offered the information. The AB man must decide whether he will insist on doing what he feels is best for his health, and the same for the B woman. Both may or may not take up this plan, in their own good time.

Whenever we share the BTD knowledge with others who are in need, there is a risk -- we have to be prepared for both acceptance AND rejection. For every choice someone makes, there may be hidden, underlying reasons which others aren't necessarily aware of -- so in respect for the mysteries of people and their subtle paths, all we should do is offer the help, explain or help further if requested, then go our way knowing we have followed our hearts without invasion or coercion.

You're a kind person, Judy ~~ I'm hoping your two friends will be inspired to use what you've generously suggested to them! In any case, I wish you great peace of mind, dear! :-D

---

Note for Mary ~~ I received your message, & you're on the Nonnie List! ;-) Do keep in touch, and we'll talk soon! :-D

---

I have several questions regarding O female and A male. For O female - I have long,very heavy monthly bleeding. When I was a vegetarian before blood type diet, I used nettles infusions which helped. Then blood type diet helped, but 6 days with 2 of very heavy bleeding is draining for me. Any suggestions? The nettles no longer helps any more. Also, I have severe night-time teeth-clinching that has not respond to accupuncture, hypnosis, dental work that re-adjusted my bite from braces, massage, or the blood type diet. Any suggestions? It all began 20 years ago with a whip-lash injury that was not treated. It may also be hereditary - as my father has similar problems though with several skeletal injuries as well.

For A male who is following the diet and enjoying feeling good. I read the information on soy, but did not see any mention of the research that addresses the possible estrogenization (did I get that right?) process of soy - that is that soy can act like estrogen in the body causing different problems for men or women. A friend of mine who is vegetarian and nursing her baby found that taking soy out of her diet stopped her monthly cycle - which she wanted while nursing. Any reason for concern? He eats tofu several times a week, soy milk every day, soy sauce as a condiment, and occasional soy powder in drinks etc. Thank you! melinda

Hello, Melinda! You are a prime candidate for Hellerwork, and that is what I'd look into right away. Just do a quick search on the Net for "Hellerwork," and you'll find information and practitioners. You'll also find contacts who can answer questions and help you find a practitioner in your area. Let me know if I can help further, once you've had a chance to read through it all.

Two things about soy: it's only one of the beans, and should be balanced with others in his diet. Have him check the portion/frequency tables in Live Right or the Food, Beverage and Supplement Lists and vary his bean intake over the week among the many type A beneficials and neutrals.

Second, let me quote briefly from Peter's column entitled "Soy Causes Cancer?"



Soy actually has the opposite effect to the one you were worried about. I hope this helps, and please write again & let me know how it goes! :-D

---

Dear Heidi. Really need some advice about my duodenal ulcer! I'm a blood Type O N-S. I've just recently contacted my local Blood Type Practitioner in the UK and she's given me a herbal treatment which has Bladderwrack and Dandelion Root in it as well as telling me to take Slippery Elm powder. I've had a couple of days where I've been in absolute agony (I'm typing this at 3.30am as I can't sleep from the pain!) and nothing is working to relieve my symptoms - desperate for some advice as to what can work as a quick reliever! Do these herbal supplements take a while to kick in? Is there anything that will help in the interim? I've taken all the antiobiotics for the H Pylori so now I'm just trying to heal the ulcer. Really would appreciate hearing from you.... Josie.

Hey there, Josie ~~ After all the antibiotics, have you taken the probiotics to restore the intestinal population? Antibiotics will often have the effects you're experiencing. If they're strong enough, they can strip the lining of your intestinal tract, which can cause severe pain and a long healing period, and digestion can be very tricky until your gut is back to normal. Did your BTD advisor suggest anything for the pain?

If I were you, I'd spend the cash and get a priority shipment of Heallix (www.heallix.com) to get the flesh healing, and stick to fresh vegetable juices and homemade meat broth until you've had a couple of weeks of PolyFlora-O. Herbal preparations do sometimes take time to do their work, but if anyone out there has a suggestion for you (ANY QUICK HERBAL ULCER-PAIN RELIEVERS, FOLKS?) I will most certainly post it ASAP!!

Now I guess you have solid evidence of why I almost always discourage the use of antibiotics. :-( I'm really sorry you're in pain!! Please KEEP ME POSTED on what the BTD advisor offers, and how it goes for you! :-}

---

Dear "On the Diet", I am a Type A, and strickly vegetarian (for health, ethical, environmental, and economical reasons - you name it). I need to find a calcium supplement. There is a supplement called "Phytocal A" listed on your Web site. One of the ingredients is rennett (25 mg.). Is this an animal-based ingredient? If so, is there another supplement that could substitute for this one? Thank you so much for your help with this! Regards, Amy

Hello, Amy! As it happens, I don't know if the "rennett" on the label is "rennet," the animal product. I see it only in the A and AB Phytocal. Why not contact NAP through the "Email Customer Service" link to the left, and ask about it? :-) thanks for your note! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, Hope you are enjoying your few days of holiday. I am an avid reader and try to apply your suggestions to my life. I am an A+ secretor, 66 years old. I started dabbling in the diet about two years ago, cutting down on meat and dairy for a start. I've been drinking lemon juice in the morning and have really noticed a cutback in my mucus problem, although since I keep trying cheese (even goat cheese causes mucus) I guess I'll never get rid of it.

Finally, in Jan 2003 I gave up tomatoes & eggplant for good as well as whole wheat bread and bran muffins. Then, I could really see a difference. Gas problems diminished considerably as did diarrhea.

One big problem continues. DIFFICULTY SLEEPING. I started Cortiguard on 2 May, first one tablet with dinner (early dinner always) which didn't seem to help, then added a 2nd tablet this time with lunch. I added one polyflora on 6 May. I woke up just as often but it seemed easier to get back to sleep than pre-cortiguard. My sleep still did not feel relaxed, however. It's as though I'm on sentry duty all night.

Added one Deflect on 14 May. Then a week later I was bothered by constipation, so I stopped the Deflect, thinking that might be the culprit. Constipation cleared up but I was increasingly groggy and irritable during the day and occasionally light-headed. When I cut back to one cortiguard my sleep was poor. This time I stopped the polyflora. The lightheadedness & grogginess seemed worse, and on 5 June I nearly fainted in a grocery store. Now, I've stopped the cortiguard too. No more groggy, no more light-headed, and no more sleep.

I've been hoping against hope that it's not been the cortiguard giving me problems, and of course I don't really know that it is, but it seems that way. I've been a poor sleeper since childhood but as I age it is harder to function without sleep. I eat lightly in the evening (when I don't eat lightly in the evening I get no sleep even with cortiguard) and am in bed by 1030 or 1100. I go right to sleep and then starting waking 2-3 hrs later and the wakes continue through the night. There is usually a degree of gas discomfort when I wake (but never as bad as pre-diet) and sometimes an alka-seltzer will help me go back to sleep.

I do yoga all the time and walk as much as I can. I eat lots of fruit and vegs and love fish (always have). I've given up milk completely (I never liked milk or cream but drank milk because I thought I should.) Soy milk and rice milk turn my stomach. I'm trying to increase the breathing exercises. Have you any other ideas?

Sorry this is so long. I really do feel lots better on the diet and it would seem that eating the right foods would help with the sleep problem. But I definitely have a high stress personality. I'm retired from what was a stressful full-time job that I loved and now work a more relaxed, less pressure ridden schedule, but I don't feel any more relaxed. Take care. Nina W.

---

Hello again, It's Type A+ secretor, non-sleeper who wrote earlier today. I forgot to say that I've been taking Bromelaine with every meal since March 2003. I also take Beano with vegs, which I've done for years and years. Have hardly eaten any meat in almost a year, and try to avoid the avoids, which I think I mostly do unless I'm eating away from home and can't help it.

Per your suggestion to someone, I've started eating a small portion of veg with breakfast. I gave up cereal when I gave up milk. Mostly I have lemon juice, fruit, rye toast with olive oil, tuna fish or whatever small portion of chicken, turkey or fish is around, and the veg. Sometimes I have scrambled egg but I don't usually feel like doing the egg. Besides, sometimes egg doesn't seem to agree with me. Don't like pancake/hotcake type dishes.

I wake up hungry in the morning (maybe it's from insufficient sleep). I used to always eat cheese, and often tomato, for breakfast before I discovered I shouldn't. And when I was young and didn't know about the perils of fat I used to broil a hamburger for breakfast everyday. Tasted great. Truly.) I always eat a good breakfast because I have no energy otherwise and never skip a meal for the same reason. I haven't been overweight since adolescence, but over the course of the year or so since starting the diet I've gradually lost about 15 lbs without trying, so now I'm really slim and weigh what I did in my 20's when I used to eat hamburger for breakfast. Nina W.

Hello, Nina! I'm very pleased you find this column worthwhile reading! :-) And I'm thrilled about your trim 20's-weight self! :-)

I'm going to make what may appear to be a bizarre suggestion. I think you'd benefit from a gallbladder flush. I've mentioned this practice several times before, and have done it many times myself.

Because you've said you're a little on the highly-strung side, I urge you to trust the process and be confident that it will do you no harm at all. The full details of the procedure can be found at www.sensiblehealth.com. Do two full days of the fresh-juiced apple juice (diluted in equal part with pure water) -- I suggest the tart Granny Smith for this purpose. Use grapefruit juice rather than lemon with the olive oil, and use a bit of lemon juice to cut that wondrous taste of the Epsom salts.

For now, I'd set aside the supplements -- even though I believe the Cortiguard will be very effective for you, I'd suggest you keep things very simple till you've completed three or four flushes. At that point, we can re-evaluate your sleep patterns and talk further about how to use them to your advantage.

If you'd like, I'd be most happy to walk you through the process -- let me know, and we can get together via email so you'd have someone to be there in case you have any concerns. Best wishes, Nina, and thanks so much for writing! :-D

---

hi heidi, hope you had a lovely holiday you deserve it old bean!where did you go, anywhere nice? i am o ns could i please be put on the nonnie list? i have this week been 100 per cent good on o ns diet(mon-thurs).on friday i had my btd breakfast,@ 12am i had 3 squares of chocolate & 4 little homemade chocolate rice cakes.then had my btd lunch in afternoon i was so tired that by 5 pm i had to have a nap for half an hour just to carry on!such a reaction to such a small amount of chocolate is i think quite scary or would it have been the rice krispies that did it? does it mean i can never eat chocolate again ? not that i really want that reaction again but heck i'm only human & beneficials for o ns are few & far between.your advice is greatly appreciated.love you lots debs in england.xxx

hey there, debs! Off to the list you go!! ;-)

I went to lovely places and had quite a reunion with about 18 family members I've not seen in nearly 30 years. Enlightening, I can tell you. ;->

Rice krispies? Don't they have some kind of sugary and or corn-y sweetener?

---

Hello I am B+ and I have been following the Type B diet fully. My age is 19 (20 in 2 months). I weigh 154 lbs and I am 5"11. Before the diet plan i weighed a little over 168 lbs (and I was working out). As a result of the diet, I am more leaner. But people are telling me I look skinny. I fear the diet has made me loose body fat (which is good) but also loose muscle mass. I never thought muscle would go as a result of dieting. I am gonna start working out more and bulking up on high protein Beneficial and Neutral foods such as Tuna. Could you please give me an insight of your knowledge with my case? Thank you Simon

Greetings, Simon! Very nice to hear from you!!

I think your friends aren't used to the lean, mean look on you. ;-) Feel free to have some extra protein snacks between meals & after workouts, including eggs, fish, meats, and cheeses -- and continue balancing all portions with vegetables & fruits. The diet wouldn't lead you to lose muscle tissue unless you were eating much too little for your size and activity levels. The more likely reason is not working out as much. If it's appearance only (quite possible), it could be simply the result of being used seeing a slightly rounder physique and face. I heartily encourage you to work out to the max, and use the exercise guidelines in Live Right 4 Your Type to balance heavy training sessions with more social or contemplative games & sports. Enjoy it, Simon, and let me know how you progress! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, A wonderful part of living outside the US is the alternative medical available! To my surprise, my friends in Belgium and France were very interested in the sinus medicine I got from a doctor in New York City ( mentioned in a previous comment). It's Itraconazole 5 mg/ml in 420 ml Saltaire QS AD(No Diflucan). The procedure is to hang your head over a sink and squirt in nose and let it run out - not ingest it(2x day when needed). The medicine is local to the nose. It's not a solution but a suspension which must be shaken vigorously. The approach is a hybrid use of a medicine created by a pharmacist. Use is for sinus infections. What do you think? I realize that we still absorb medications through the nose. Thanks, Karen

Hi, Karen! Medicine of that kind sometimes alleviates symptoms -- but does nothing for the cause of the problem. Hence, it's an unnecessary risk to take with your sinus membranes. My experience is that over time, one finds the need to use more and more of it to get some relief. In my opinion, drugs of this kind are very much to be avoided.

Very warm salt water used in a neti pot will get better results with no side effects. Best of all, a dose of Heallix (www.heallix.com) in warm distilled water (or straight), in a neti pot or squirt bottle or eye dropper. These are only two really effective non-drug options for you, which will work well to open up the sinuses without subjecting you to medications which are expensive and tend to be self-perpetuating. I hope this helps, dear! Thanks for your note! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, I am a 32 year old type O, Rh - (don't know my secretor status) mother of 2 toddlers and have been on the diet for a couple of weeks.

I was relatively healthy (except for some digestive problems) up until about 2 years ago, I I have always been constipated and one day I used a Dulcolax suppository, I immediately started getting cramps and started loosing all my good bacteria (I saw it and felt it)this went on for a couple of days. About two weeks after that is when things got really bad and still are, every months I get 2 sinus infections (took about 15 antibiotics in about 7 months), I am EXTREMELY fatigued all the time, got severe systemic Candida that has gotten me near the point of death, I have had many food allergies but have been dealth with, I have a severe adrenal problem and a thyroid problem (take adrenal support and T3 compound med) I had saline/silicone implants and had them removed (thought that was the problem)My hands and feet get nomb after I lay down, I have trouble concentrating, etc.

I had seen a Naturopath for 1 1/2 years (who couldn't understand why I wasn't feeling better so thought I needed psycological help)recently I found a new dr. who found I had 3 long standing infections: H. Pylori, Giardia and Ascaria. Started treating H. Pylory with antibiotics but my Lymph nodes were killing me 24/7, so I had to stop, I am now taking some natural herbs to try and keep H. Pylori under control until I can restart the antibiotics again. My question is... What can I do to stop this EXTREME fatigue that I feel every day, I have 2 toddlers and can't really take care of them. Should I do the rice/blueberry diet you suggested to somebody recently? Thank you so much for your help. Ana

DEAR ANA! Lord, you've had a rotten time of it! I'm very sorry you're in such difficulties!

Are you taking bladderwrack, and avoiding ALL grains and sugars for the time being? Fill up on meat, fish, vegetables, anything except ANY kind of sugar or grain, OK?

As you can see, antibiotics were the cause of the miseries you've been in since the first time you took them.

Antibiotics are the CAUSE of Candida being able to take over, and the cause of the state of your intestinal tract now. They KILL EVERYTHING (rather than restore balance) -- they're "stupid drugs," not smart ones, and each time they'll leave you worse off than before.

The fatigue, infections, allergies, poor digestion and thyroid trouble can all be directly traced to all those antibiotics. Your gut is where it's ALL happening -- your immunity, your digestion, your strength, your endocrine organ function, and your energy all depend on a healthy intestinal population. Antibiotics will destroy it once again. Please don't let that happen!

Get some bladderwrack, PolyFlora (the blood type O probiotic) and some ARA6 from the Store here. Also, order a couple of bottles of Heallix from Leo at www.heallix.com. The Heallix will do everything an antibiotic would do (and much more - it heals flesh) but will NOT kill the good critters you need for digestion and immunity. It sounds a little pricey, but the cost is FAR less than the pain and suffering the antibiotics will dish out.

Stick strictly to the diet, take those supps, and dose with Heallix at the therapeutic level printed on the bottle. It will take a couple of weeks before your energy returns, but it WILL return (unlike what the drugs would do to you) and you'll be well on your way to better health than you've known in years.

Don't you really want to kiss your kids hello and kiss your doctor & prescriptions goodbye? That's the offer! Take good care, Ana, and keep writing!!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I forgot to ask you last time to please add my name to the O non list. It sounds like there might be quite a few of us out there. I just wanted to ask you a quick question. I have noticed recently that I am getting a hunger feeling pretty soon after eating. Within one hour of eating a pretty big lunch - consisting of grilled salmon, lots of mixed greens, onions, tomatoes and brewers yeast - I am hungry again. Do you know what this could be? I basically have a constant hungry feeling in the pit of my stomach throughout the day.

I eat a decent breakfast of eggs or organic sausages, a handful of blueberries and a teaspoon of D'Adamo's proberry drink. Most of my fibre comes from vegetables. What do you think is the problem? I am not overweight or underweight. I am 5 ft 3" and weigh 108 pounds. I am petite in build. Maybe I am not drinking enough water - I drink about 7 glasses a day and two cups of green tea.

Oh - another question (sorry!!) I have been finding that my skin breaks out from flaxseed oil/ground flaxseed - mostly on my chest or back area - really wierd! Have you heard of that Thanks as ever for all you do here Suz

Hey there, Suz! Last things first: YES, in a very few people flax has an undesireable skin effect -- rashes, etc. Some find they can use the filtered flax oil but not the seed. Others can't use either, and you may be one of them. For now, definitely avoid it. :-}

Two things for the hungry feeling: it will resolve over time, but taking some L-glutamine right after your meal will make you more comfortable. Also, lay into the zinc-containing foods like pumpkin seeds if you can. Or, take a small dose in supp form daily for a week, then off a week, then on again -- and see if it helps you. It's certainly OK to have a snack between meals if you're hungry -- drink two glasses of water first, and see if that might be the answer. Let me know what you learn!

and -- you're on the list! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, How are you? As mentioned in previous E-Mails, my blood type/Rh factor is "A" Positive, A1/A2 type is "A1", MN type is "MN", and secretor status is "Secretor" per saliva sample and "DOUBLE LEWIS NEGATIVE (LeA-,LeB-) per blood draw. To date, I have been reading in your E-Mails about various individuals who have been put on mailing lists for non-secretors, or "nonnies". WOULD THIS LIST ALSO INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO ARE CLASSIFIED AS "DOUBLE LEWIS NEGATIVE"? Also, I wanted to mention the "initial" shock that I went through when I found out that I was "DOUBLE LEWIS NEGATIVE" back in 2001. My naturopathic doctor, at the time, NOT being familiar with Dr. D'Adamo's research, actually went out and researched it, before giving me my results from the "D'Adamo Serotype Panel" test kit, from Meridian Valley Lab in Kent WA. She also took down a thorough family health history from me. My naturopathic doctor HIGHLY RECOMMENDED the blood type "A" diet for me. Also, AT THE TIME, she HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that I use what was beneficial and neutral for both "sectretors" and "non-secretors", but try to stick to "beneficials" as much as possible, along with truly "decent" nutritional supplements and teas. SHE HIGHLY EMPHASIZED THAT I COULD NOT TAKE ANY CHANCES WHATSOEVER, WITH MY FAMILY HEALTH HISTORY BEING SO "ABYSMAL": CANCER ON MY FATHER'S SIDE: HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, PARKINSON'S DISEASE, CATARACTS, AND SOME CASES OF KIDNEY DISEASE ON MY MOTHER'S SIDE. Per Dr. D'Adamo's office, I use the "Secretor" column in the LR4YT book, since my saliva sample came out as "Secretor". NOTE: My naturopathic doctor, who I have NOT seen in 2 years, truly cares about people getting healthy, and staying that way. HEIDI, IT HAS TAKEN ME A LONG TIME TO COMPREHEND THIS: If one practices good health and eating habits in the present, there is a very good chance that one can have a truly good healthy old age, regardless of heredity. I do realize that one cannot "change" their genetic structure or family health history, but one can surly try to overcome it. HEIDI, I TRULY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND REALLY TAKE CHARGE OF THEIR HEALTH, SHOW THE WORLD THAT WE CAN DO IT! Truthfully, I still have a long way to go myself, therfore, I am NOT condemning or looking down on anybody, just want to see this country get back on its feet, healthwise, as well as economically. HEIDI, GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.. - Marshal in Wichita, KS

Hello again, Marshal! And many thanks for your blessings and for sharing your laudable ideals!!

About the nonsecretor list -- it's primarily focused on nonsecretor foods, recipes, etc. as I understand it, so since you follow the secretor diet by the doc's orders, it would be of little use in that regard.

I agree -- I'd like to see this country back on its feet in many, many ways. The price of freedom is vigilance -- and action where necessary to retain that which is being eroded. Bless you and yours, Marshal, and keep shining!! :-D

---

Heidi, thank you for your help in the past to my questions regarding frozen shoulder. Thanks also to Jan who offered advice to me through your column. I have full movement in my shoulder but if I stop the vioxx the pain and stiffness come back. I am seeing a chinese herbalist for chinese herbs and acupunture. I have also found out that I am a non-secretor. For the last two weeks I have been seeing the chinese herbalist and sticking to the non-secretor diet. However, I feel worse that ever and I am beginning to lose heart. I am exhausted to the point that I am considering giving up work. The pain in my shoulder is much worse over the last two weeks. I also have a pain in my left side where the spleen is and catarrah with a sore throat. I have suffered from irritable bowel also. I have these symptoms for years. I am 53 and have been on HRT for about three years due to fairly serious menopause symptoms. I have hashimotos and am on 200mcg daily. I eat eggs/fish/kidneys and fruit/veg for breakfast. Meat/fish and veg for lunch and dinner. Snacks are nuts/fruit/jerky/seeds/brewers yeast. I drink two cups of green tea and herbal teas and red wine at weekends. Mostly beneficial and no avoids. I take maca, fuscus,Nac,calcium and probiotics (from stacktheme.) I have been tested for candida. other automimmune illness and parasites and all came back negative. I have lost a few pounds on this diet but need to lose a lot more. I exercise regularly although this is getting to be a bit of a struggle as I feel so tired. Thank you for all your column and wise words. I am an O-non-secretor. Doreen

Hey there, Doreen ~~ what a lousy time of it you're having, huh? It's only been two weeks on the nonsecretor diet, though, and I think with all your challenges, a few months may be necessary to get you feeling more yourself again. Do have your doc check your thyroid levels religiously, ok? the diet itself should go a long way to resolving the thyroid problems, and the medication dosages should be adjusted regularly as your need decreases.

The tiredness is a common side-effect of getting away from all grain and sugars altogether, so don't lose hope!! It passes, and once through it, you'll never have to make those changes again. Right now, I'd just say keep a high water intake and do some exercise whenever you feel well enough to do it.

Keep me posted, OK? I'm thinking of you, dear!!! :-)

---

Hello! I just started the BTD about 2 weeks ago and I am already feeling alot better. I decided to go "cold turkey" and just do it rather than trying to start off slow. I am trying to find a simple, daily plan so I know what I am going to eat from day to day. I have been drinking a quart of water everyday but my Dr. would like to see me up that to 3 quarts per day. I'll get there eventually. My question for you is, can you suggest a simple, daily eating plan for me?? Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just need to see an example then I can take it from there. Also, this diet for me is also about weight loss. I am currently 273 lbs and would like to take my 5'7" fram down to 170 lbs. Is there anything else I should be doing other than following the BTD? Any exercises you can suggest for the Type A person? Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate it! sandi

Hey, Sandi! Welcome, and I'm so pleased you found us!! :-)

Your doctor and I agree about the water. It's a great healer. Try to allow at least 1/2 hour before and an hour+ after a meal before having a good big glass or two. If you have it first thing upon arising, then between meals, and last thing at night, you'll be surprised how easy it is to fit in those three quarts.

For a wonderful, easy exercise program that takes only a few minutes and requires nothing more than enough space to lie down in, go to the 5 Basic Exercises site. Start at the lowest level, and see how you go! Don't worry about executing any movement perfectly -- just make a comfortable "gesture" in that direction. It's amazingly effective for so little time spent. I think you'll enjoy the energy boost and speedy toning effect.

The other exercise site I can wholeheartedly recommend is Marianne Cirone's marvelous Yoga for Health and Fitness. A great read, and a perfect resource for type As starting the diet!

It sounds like you're looking for a week's schedule of meals, to fit with the guidelines for portions and frequencies in Live Right 4 Your Type. What I suggest is to go through the book, make up a little list of how many servings per week per category you can have, then choose some foods for each category that you'll purchase in the week. (Remember that the veg & fruit categories are per day, not per week.) Keep it simple, perhaps starting each day with some fruit while you make a little whole-grain cereal like oats, amaranth, etc. with nuts and soy milk -- or an egg with toasted Ezekiel or Essene bread -- alternating through the week. Plan a big salad with a bit of fish or tofu and other chopped raw veg for lunch, and a simple dinner of bean soup and steamed veg for dinner. You can vary your protein sources, and switch the salad to the evening and the cooked food to lunch if preferred. A lot depends on how your tastes and the food lists intersect! Have fun with it, feel free to experiment, but don't overwhelm yourself with so many new foods that you feel unsatisfied with your new diet.

Let us know how you do, Sandi, and feel free to write with any questions that may come up as you go along! :-D

---

Hello Heidi! I am yet another O Rh- non-secretor! It is always good reading your column and knowing that I am not alone out here, so can you please put me on the nonnie list too! Thanks!!

I first read about this diet a year ago (I was 27 and a vegetarian at the time, and had been on and off since my early teens) and had a lot of problems accepting that type O had to eat meat, even though I have often succumbed to my meat cravings on and off for many years! So I decided that it sounded so radical that I just had to give the program a go. I was assuming at that time that I was a secretor, since I am very slim and athletically built, regardless of what I eat, I have perfect teeth with no cavities in spite of living my childhood next door to a sweet shop that I regualarly devoured the contents of! Also the fact that far from being an alcoholic, I could hardly stand the smell or the taste of the stuff til a couple of years ago, when I tasted some really good French red wine ! I had basically lived my whole life eating 6 or 8 slices of wholewheat bread per day for lunch....I absolutely ADORED the stuff!!! That was after having eaten wheat bran cereals with cow milk for breakfast. Dinner time invariably involved potatoes in one form or another.....as you can imagine, on this kind of diet I must have had a death wish, but I never associated my duodenal ulcers, IBS, anxiety, lack of energy, acne, etc etc with the food I ate.

When I picked up the 'Live Right...' book it all seemed to make sense immediately. Unfortunately I have never managed to become 100% compliant. Change is so hard for me after so many years raised on these kinds of foods which become addictive. Here in England, we drink a lot of tea.....TEA!! Mmmm, just the very mention of the word makes me weak at the knees. NOTHING could possibly come close to the taste of it. How can I give up tea!!??? I did try green tea and herbal tea, but only liked it with honey, and found glycerine a bit weird. No matter how long I try to avoid it, I yearn for the taste of a cup of tea.

Then just to top it all off, can you imagine the sense of disappointment when my secretor test results came through!!!??? I first thought that there may have been an error since my saliva test took 2 weeks to reach the lab, so I got a Lewis blood test done in addition, and my heart sank when it came back Lewis a+ b- .... NO MORE SUGAR, APPLES, APRICOTS, DATES, STRAWBERRIES ..... I finally had to admit defeat and resign myself to being a nonnie and knowing that there are over 150 foods which are bad for me.

Now most of these I do not have a problem with, e.g. cabbage, aubergine, soya, olives and the dreaded cheeses which I am horrendously allergic to, but I would like to know if there is anything more I can do to reduce my addiction to tea. I realise it is a vicous circle because the more tea I drink the more sweet things I crave due to unbalanced blood sugar! I already eat a lot of meat and fish but without my sweet treats and addictive foods with such wondeful tastes and textures I do feel like something is missing in life. Sometimes I feel it is too late....the carrot has already been dangled, and to suddenly be told 'No, you can't eat that any more!' is like the forbidden fruit syndrome; it makes it that much more of a temptation! Anyway, take care, and all best wishes to you, and all the non-secretors and secretors alike. Your column is great and always thoroughly entertaining. Craig

lol! thanks for your kind words, Craig. ;-) I've wheeled you into the nonnie list, and I'm sure everyone there will take VERY good care of you while you regain your footing! ~ enjoy it! ;-)

Now: I get the sense that maybe we're feeling a tad bummed-out over our (verified!) nonsecretor status? ;-) The realization that tea bumps your blood sugar about will be one of your best friends in the days to come. With that knowledge in hand, I suggest continuing with your beloved beverage for the time being, whilst getting used to the absence of the other newly-dubbed poisons. It's best to have something to hang on to when these storms blow in, eh?

A great help in the adjustment phase is learning to cook or obtain rich meat or fish and vegetable casserole sort of things. Greens, squashes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, spices, some beef or cod and a high flame can come together to make very filling and satisfying dishes -- which will carry you through and past those times of day when a sweet would have summoned, and you'd've answered.

Ask your new friends on the nonnie ward... I mean, LIST! ;-) ... for tea substitutes and research them. Roasted dandelion root with a few select additional ingredients might fill the tea-vacuum entirely. And believe me, the possibilities for nonnie-approved sweets are virtually identical to (and better-tasting than, to my palate) the sugary delights at your childhood sweet shop. That's another area where those chatty nurses... Nonnies!... will be of great help and succour in your time of need. ;-D

I wasn't aware there were over 150 foods I couldn't eat! I guess I'm so busy cooking and stuffing myself with meats, fish, fowl, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and the occasional kamut-pastry with black cherry filling (just discovered it makes a lovely chocolate banana tart, too! hee hee) that I've blanked out on all that other-people's food I can't have... although.... apples... strawwwwwwberrries..... hrrrmmmmmm.....

Too bad there's no arguing with biochemistry! :-D Besides, we all know that when one door closes, God opens a window! ;-) Take good care, Craig, and just think of all the foods you CAN have, as well as how much MORE handsome & healthy you'll be in a month or two! write again, don't let those listites monopolize you, dear! ~~;-D

---

Dear Heidi, I don't know if you remember, but I wrote a while ago asking whether you knew about supplements causing anxiety. Well, it seems to be a dead issue, as I have had several more instances since stopping supplements. I have been reading previous entries looking under "cravings" and "anxiety" with some of them being extremely helpful. Basically what happens to me is that I can follow the O type diet quite easily until a situation comes up when I feel stressed/very anxious/feel down. When this occurs, my immediate response is to eat, and usually to eat something that's either sweet or a bread product. And I guess that just keeps the cycle continuing, huh? as giving in just makes the cravings continue.

I've been trying to do an analysis on what I eat that causes the cravings, etc. I do know that too much caffeine doesn't help, although one cup of coffee in the morning doesn't seem to be a problem. So if a situation comes up when I get a real anxiousness feeling and I'm not stressed about anything, do you think it has to do with eating grains? Are there any other foods that trigger this type of response?- for example, if I had some honey in my green tea, is it possible that the sugar could've caused it? I do know that anything sweet/grains, especially on an empty stomach, triggers a reaction for me.

The frustrating part, though, is when a reaction happens when i think i'm doing everything right. Is it also possible that I could get this very anxious feeling from an 'over-reactive flight or fight response' as I know I react easily if something appears a bit stressful. So...I'm wondering what the best method is for testing my response to grains/sugar. Obviously eliminating them for a while, but afterwards, how do I know just how sensitive I am to these products?

Also, when you speak about 'avoiding dairy' is it possible that dairy could cause this response, and how do goat cheeses figure into the 'weekly allowances'? Should I still limit this type of neutral cheese? Ok, just a couple more things...! Can you recommend any good stir-fry mixes that don't have cornstarch in them/ also marinades for meats? Thanks so much! Caroline

Hey there, Caroline! I'm glad you found out so much from your own research. That's the best way to determine these things: in one's private laboratory! ;-)

Part of the stress response trouble is the caffeine, certainly. It will affect you all day by lowering your trigger threshold, even though you feel normal after drinking the coffee. Add to that some honey in the green tea, a little congestion and intestinal reaction from the cheese perhaps, and a schedule that sounds rather rushed (is it?), and you have a recipe for anxiety rising. Especially if you happen to be a nonsecretor!

Exercise, at least three times per week and a good whack of it, will do a fabulous job of relaxing you and setting your nervous system on "calm." Doing a grain-free (and sugar-free, including honey) test of two weeks will give you some answers. Bear in mind that if you experience headaches, tiredness, and a little depression ... you know you're on the right track. Those are symptoms of mild addiction and withdrawal from those substances, and not only should you continue to avoid them completely if you have any sensations of that kind, but it would be an excellent idea to get your secretor status tested to see if you'd do best following the nonsecretor guidelines.

If you're asking about commercial stir-fry mixes or marinades, that I can't help with -- but let me know what kinds of flavors you like, and I'll offer some suggestions for make-at-homes which are tastier, cheaper and really quick!

Thanks for writing, and drop a line now & again no matter what, OK? :-D

---

OK, I plead guilty to being one of those wannabe vegans who turned out to be an O nonsecretor. I got over it. I'll be a vegan in some other life. Actually, I've done short diets of fruits and vegies only, for some healing purpose, and did fine. It was the pizza and pasta that did me in.

Now, I've kicked sugar and confined myself to fruit and vegie glycerine. I gave up wheat several years ago with no whining. Good riddance. I occasionally eat essene bread or rice or rye bread and I'm fine with that. I eat my meat and fish and probably not enough vegies, but I do like them. And fruit, and probably way too many nuts. Like, bags of walnuts and pecans, jars of almond butter. What I relapse onto is the "speedy" substances, like cigarettes (I know, I know) and things with caffeine, which hop me up even if they are green tea and chocolate, not coffee.

Other than the O diet, and getting some doggone exercise and plenty of sleep and drinking water, is there any magic bullet for Os that have this tendency?? Just kidding. I doubt that waving a wand will do the trick. If I get myself into good habits for a considerable time, I'm OK. But then comes that night with little sleep, or some major situation to take care of, and I reach for the above substances. Is there something in particular that I could substitute, other than discipline and virtue? I'm not knocking those, of course. I looked at what I just said and see a weakness in not enough vegies and not enough exercise. Anything else specific for me? Cigs are worse than coffee, right? I mean, they mess up lungs and don't just wash out of our bodies in a few days. Thanks!! Cyndi

I have JUST WAVED MY WAND! .... did it help? ;-) OH, if only I could do that! :-D

If there is a magic bullet, it is a three-part cartridge: preparation (beneficial snacks are waiting in the cupboard and fridge); memory (GAWD how awful I felt for a WEEK last time I ate that @*$&#^); and habit (which will send you drinking LOTS of water whilst driving to the nearest HFS -- if a craving hits and both cupboard and memory are bare). Water is a great, great calmer of mind and body. Next time the heebies take hold, tell yourself you WILL acquiesce RIGHT AFTER drinking two large glasses of water and sitting or lying down for five minutes with your eyes closed. The other free and always-available remedy is breathing, four counts in, four counts out. 20 times. Remarkable what it can do to demons within and without.

It's a totally O thing to Jack Up when faced with stress. Quite a normal response to the ancient challenges requiring our adrenaline to hit the roof so we could run, fight, lift up three kids and jump from a height to safety, drag a boulder off a wounded mate, or keep a tiger at bay while got the heck out of Dodge. Our stressors, and our 'permitted responses' these days have changed, but the urge sure ain't no different. Coffee and tobacco are tacitly encouraged in place of popping your sneering boss one right in the snotter. So! Use that urge that stress triggers. Take a brisk walk outside, or snap some situps and leg-lifts -- trot up and down the maintenance stairs if you're trapped in an office (I did plenty of that when I worked in a LAW FIRM, my friend!!), find a private place to swing through some kick-boxing moves for three minutes, drop and gimme 20, or sit daintily in the ladies' room and claw a toilet paper roll to shreds. Teeth work for that one, too. ;-D

Yeah, discipline and virtue are just lovely. Thing is they're only the outward show in this case. They're results, not causes, and they come not from denying and restricting yourself, but from setting up your own 'escape routes' -- some situations call for the water/breath calm-down, others for the let 'er rip. Your own inner sense of self-justice will guide you as to which one's needed when. Your reactions and feelings are GOOD AND PROPER, intended to prompt you to take proper action. Trust them, trust yourself, and keep forming new habits as you learn more about your own particular and utterly unique nature.

It works for everyone, folks! Type As talk about their 'hypervigilance,' for instance. It is a natural phenomenon being expressed in an unnatural world! and it served an excellent purpose thousands of years ago, and it can serve one now if you move with it and use it in gentleness. Here's some great beast sneaking into the crops or the paddocks in the middle of the night, and would I hear the thing unless it were close enough to tug the bearskin off me? Hell no, I'm not sacrificing sleep for a bump in the night. BUT MY MAN BRYAN (an A) will hear or smells anything amiss, even at 3 in the morning among the many distractions of a noisy NYC night in a party-inclined neighborhood. Use your 'nuttiness' to your good advantage. All it takes is a little warm self-regard, the realization that things are as they are 4 a reason! and a willingness to discover new ways (and benefits) of being YOU.

*Whew!* :-D

---

Dear Heidi! How was your "time out"? I hope it was a very pleasant break. You haven't heard from me in a while and I considered it almost a pity, but - everything was just alright ;-) But now I have a question again: Since recently, I am having bruises very easily again. I used to have them more easily before BTD, then it stopped. Since a few weeks I seem to react more sensitive again, find these bruises again without remembering where I got them from. I am an 0 secretor. Any idea what I can do? (Of course, I am sure you have...) With best greetings to New York and many thanks as usual, Eva

Allo, Eva! I had a good break. We visited my childhood haunts, which Bryan had never seen. I think we'd never have made it up there if it weren't for my mother's burial being held. She keeps sending little blessings in my direction, of every kind! And you should see the cemetary ~~ it's the most gorgeous place I've ever seen. Magical! Makes ya want to either move right in or shoot a film there! ;-) well, it is REALLY beautiful. :-)

How is your vitamin C, calcium and protein intake? Try some wheat grass or barley grass juice, and add some esterified C and high-calcium foods, mineral water & broth. Let me know how it goes, OK? I used to have the exact same problem, but with a few months very strictly on the straight-O diet it went away never to return. You probably just need some very minor tweaking now, dear. I'm pleased to hear things are going so well!! :-D Keep in touch during the happy times too, OK? ~:-D

---

Dear Heidi, In regard to Chris asking today about making compliant mustards: There is a recipe book for homemade wheat and vinegar free mustards. As far as I know, this makes them safe for all four blood types and all secretor statuses. It is called Gourmet Mustards the How-Tos of Making & Cooking with Mustards. It is by Helene Sawyer and Cheryl Long. It is part of the Creative Cooking Series published by Sibyl Publications. Their website address is www.sibylbooks.com and their phone number is 800-240-8566. Each recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups. The price is $7.95. It is softcover and about 100 pages long. If you cannot find the ingredients you need for the mustard you want to make then a good place to buy the herbs and spices needed is Penzeys Spices. Their website address is www.penzeys.com and their phone number is 800-741-7787. I hope that helps.

Also, I have a question of my own for you. I am an AB secretor. My question is this: when I buy free-range organic eggs they tend to have blood spots on the yolk and in the white. Can I remove the spots and still eat the egg or is the egg now considered to be a chicken since there has obviously been some changes made in the egg which would have produced a chicken had it been allowed to develop. I have been avoiding these eggs so far and letting my husband have them as he can have chicken and eggs both. One more thing, you could see my question again. I originally submitted it to Doctor Bron, but I now think I should have submitted it to you since you handle the food questions. Thanks! LM

Great mustard book & herb resource, LM! :-)

A blood spot on the egg yolk is not a sign that the egg is fertilized. It's caused by a tiny blood vessel rupture during formation or laying of the egg. These eggs are perfectly safe to eat. In fact, a blood spot indicates that the egg is quite fresh; the egg white releases some water over time, which washes out any blood spot that may have been present when the egg was laid. You can see the water-release effect by comparing a freshly-laid egg with one you set aside for a week: the fresh one's white will be firmer, and stand up a bit, while the stale egg's white will spread like water in the pan.

Enjoy your lovely fresh eggs!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi! Just read your column for 8 June, where you recommend being careful about the spelling of "glycerine" when doing online searches. Just thought I'd let you know that Frontier brand spells their product "glycerin". So one should probably search both ways! Kathy

Yep! Using "glycerin" is what I usually suggest, and I noted spelling in general to her because both 'vegetable' and 'glycerine' were a little off (and she found nothing in the search engines). thanks, KK!

---

Dear Heidi Thank you for your knowledgeable advice and support. I am pleased to announce that I ate baked Cod the other day and absolutely loved it! Maybe it’s my imagination but I think it really gave me lots energy too! As I said before my mom was visiting me in NYC and had spent her whole week here convincing me to eat fish, so with you and her put together she left a very happy mother with her mission accomplished!

I have to say that I feel extremely liberated, so many new doors have opened for me, I can finally go to a good restaurant and order something other than a side dish (being vegan and trying to stick to BTD was a real drag when eating out).

I must admit that you are right about my body starting to crave the protein once it finally gets it, I have been craving the fish like a junky ever since!!!!!!! So my question is, since now I’m left on my own to find and cook the fish, where would you as a fellow Manhatanite recommend is the best place for fresh fish - my mother got it at Healthy Pleasures, but is there anywhere else closer to the East Village that you trust, I am very new to fish hunting…..

Also what are your views on Sushi (now that I can finally eat it!!!) , is raw fish easier or harder to digest for a beginner? Is it best to stick to sashimi for easier digestion, as it does not have the food combining conflict of the rice ( carb) with protein? Lastly, I brought some powdered nutritional Yeast on your recommendation, how much should I take? Thanks again for helping me take this plunge I couldn’t have done it without your support!!!! Martynka ( AB, fish eating vegan!)

HOO-rah for you, dear!! :-D I'm thrilled you had a good "cod experience!" Now your only challenge is to satisfy those cravings for the good stuff!

Nutritional yeast? A tablespoon at a time. It goes beautifully in lots of things, including sauces, fruit/berry or veg juice (shaken well), even tuna or salmon salad with homemade mayo & spices. Sprinkle it on buttered toast, add it near the end to a stew, you name it. ;-)

About sushi -- Ask the chef to explain what's in the sushi rice -- make sure it's not corn sweetener of some kind. You have food allergies, you see. ;-)Classic sushi rice is made with a tiny bit of sugar and rice vinegar, but some chefs use Karo syrup and other abominations as a short cut. Also, ask what's in the wasabi (the magnificent green horseradish paste). Once again, some are OK and some aren't, and it's the "dextrose" or other corn product that you'd want to look out for.

The very safest thing to do if you can't ascertain the rice ingredients is to order sashimi (the plain cuts of fish) instead. I, being a crackpot, will also bring my own wheat-free organic tamari in a plastic squirt bottle, along with my wasabi (because I eat lots of it), but you needn't go off the wall and down the street like that at this point. ;-)

The first time you have sushi or sashimi, it may seem VERY filling for the small quantity eaten. Reserve judgment, and return a week or two later. I promise the digestive capability will be there in stars on the second visit. I think it's one of the most spectacular food preparations known to humanity, and it is a great, great favorite of mine. ENJOY!!!

Healthy Pleasures happens to be the market I now frequent, since five straight weeks of no decent onions (not to mention other mishaps and misses) rather turned me off LifeThyme finally. Of course, HP has those huge fresh fish and meat sections (LT has neither) so it's a great option for you. By the way, most of their prices are better than LT as well. ;-)

Depending on where you are in the East Village, it might be worth a twice-weekly trip to Chinatown for your fish. You can see the whole fish (which incidentally is the best way to buy it) and have it fileted right there if you like -- and there are loads of great fishmongers crammed in along Grand Street between Mott & the Bowery, and more of them going east of the Bowery. I'm rarely in your nabe these days, so I'm not up on fishy matters there -- Since you're exploring your new freedoms, stop by Bona Fides on 2nd Ave. & ... 5th? can't recall, but it's on the east side of the Ave. (an Italian restaurant run by Yugoslavians, great inexpensive food) .... and say a friend told you they have these wonderful fish specials (like Arctic Char) and you were wondering where they get their fish because you can't find any in the nabe! Is it from the fish market in the Bronx, or somewhere else? They might be able to help, they're very friendly! and having a meal there might help your cause... ;-) See if they know of any retail fish spots, and if so, check them out. And there's always the Yellow Pages, if all else fails! You can research new spots while you're shopping at HP or in Chinatown. ;-)

OK!! I am ECSTATIC over the discoveries you're about to make, as a new fish eater!! You're happy, I'm happy, your Mom's happy ~~ what more can I say?

:-D

---

I have been on the type A diet for about 1.5 weeks and noticed that I have come up with very painful acne on the face and neck, can you please tell me if this is part of the detoxification process which my body is going through or should I be leaving certain foods out. I am extremely happy with the diet and have noticed a difference with my digestion, which used to be extremely sluggish. One thing I am very confused with is whether I should be taking any supplements and if so which ones would be extremely beneficial to a type A. One last question, when would it be beneficial for a type A to exercise certains times of the day, I was reading that Cortisol levels for type A is extremely high in the mornings and not to sure whether to exercise less at this particular time? Many Thanks for your time and hope to hear from you soon. Lisa

Greetings, Lisa! Congratulations on your commitment to the A plan, and WELCOME!! :-)

Yes, you are VERY likely going through some detox. Even though you see it in your skin, it's caused by the release of toxins through the bowels as well as through the blood stream.

Do try to get some beneficial vegetables at every meal -- they will aid the clean-out process, as will drinking PLENTY of water throughout the day. A good guideline is 1/2 ounce of water for every pound of body weight. So, a 128 pound person would drink 64 ounces (1/2 gallon, or two quarts or liters). I'd suggest adding a little squeeze of lemon to each glass of water. It's tasty that way, and helps direct the water through the bowels rather than straight out via the kidneys.

The only two supps I'd suggest right now are Deflect-A and PolyFlora-A, both available in our Store here. The first helps sweep out old lectins and other gunk (scientific term there), and the second is a probiotic to help restore the happy population of your intestinal flora & fauna. Between the two of them, and plenty of veg, fruit and water, you'll be in great shape in no time!

When cortisol levels are high is a great time to do your yoga, and/or your meditation practice. Mornings are great for it! Then, a nice walk or other light exercise in the early evening before dinner will help you relax and aid digestion of your food.

I'm so glad you found us, Lisa! Write again and let me know how you're doing, OK? :-D

---

Please add me to the nonnie list! Kathy K (B-NS)

You're on it! :-)

---

Please add me to the list of O nonnies. Really enjoy reading your column. Many thanks. Nancy

Hi, Nancy ~~ I forwarded your address to Nina, but she reported that your email is bouncing her messages back to her. You might look into fixing the problem at your end, or post a different address for her to try.

It's actually a list for ALL nonsecretors, so there are also As, ABs and Bs on the list. Enjoy -- and do get back to me about the email, OK? Thanks!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I would like to be on the O nonnie list. In your O-non food pyramid you list the frequencies for each food group and for beneficial vegetables it is unlimited. Now I wonder how much vegetables do you recommend I eat each day? Thanks so much! Camilla

Hello, Camilla! I've put you on the list -- it's a general nonsecretor list, with participants of all ABO groups.

Unlimited veg means fill up on them. Six servings per day of beneficials and another two of neutrals, if you can fit in that much! ;-) And, if you have a juicer, a big glass or two of fresh veg juice each day can account for MANY servings in that category. Don't forget my old "O-8" favorite -- carrot, celery, parsley, red pepper, tomato, beet, onion, garlic. A few beet greens or a leaf of Swiss chard go nicely in there as well. It's quite a meal, full of vits and mins, and a great cure for hunger pangs. :-)

---

Thanks for your reply some time ago about the maca. As for your advice about stress, I know I have to make some changes, but they are big ones like moving or getting a new job, so I have to hang in there for now. I'm starting the process though.

I read your advice to someone to use white vinegar on the feet, it works like magic! what a fabulous resource this is. thanks! I'm still fighting off a candida resurgence. and I think it has exacerbated a tooth that has been hurting. My dentist says I might be heading for a root canal if it persists. I started taking Heallix and I felt a little floopy, would there be any side effects? any advice here? I don't want to lose a tooth! My mom made a turkey last night and cooked it in a paper bag from the supermarket. She says it keeps the juices in but allows it to crisp. Do you think there would toxins coming from that paper bag. Paper is treated with chemicals isn't it? Lastly, I'd like to be put on the O-non list. Thank you, Emme

Hey there, Emme! Glad the white vinegar is helping you!!

If you felt a little reaction from the Heallix, that only means it's working its magic. Keep taking it, and rinse it in your mouth, especially all round that tooth.

The paper bag will indeed contain some toxins. It's not intended for use in direct contact with meats, especially not heated in an oven. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but next time ask if she'd be willing to use a rack in a roasting pan, with some water in the bottom of the pan. Rub the bird with olive oil and salt. If it's a good, fresh bird it will be fine that way -- very crispy and juicy -- just take it out the minute a meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the breast reads "170."

... and.... I've put you on the nonsecretors list! enjoy, dear, and keep flossing & rinsing!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi, This note is for Nina who is putting together a list of nonnies. I am O-nonnie and I may already be on the list under a different e-mail address -- We have just changed, probably since I sent in my last question. Sharon

Done! :-)

---

Hi Heidi, Would you please add me to the nonnie list? Thanks, Jan

Yep!! :-D

---

Hello Heidi, It's me again from Holland. After I read your answer, I thougt I give it a try and ordered the Basic A Pack and another bottle of cortiguard. I've been reading about hairloss and being a nonnie, so I hope this problem too will be solved soon after 25 years. I begin to understand that all those (little) problems are maybe linked to being a non-secretor, well I'm working on that now. The hypo's are staying away as long as I don't take any sugar, only I'm still very tired now and again. I did manage to get hold of some vegetable glycerine, but I don't need much of it, only in dressings. Will you please add my name to the nonnie-emaillist. Greetings, Wil.

Hi, Wil! It's difficult to make the adjustment at the beginning, but it is VERY well worth it!! The tiredness will fade with time -- your body is readjusting! Just stick with it, and remember --- you'll never have to go through this again! :-D And ~~ You've been added to the nonnie list ~~ have a lovely time!! :-D

---

I was doing so well on the O diet a couple of years ago and then I found out I was a Nonnie---that had a much more negative effect on me than I would have guessed possible, Im still part of the movement and I miss the old List but you are a great help, please add me to the Nonnie O list----I am ready to move onward. ron -- thanks

Wow! Hey there, Ron ~~ thanks for popping out of the woodwork. Missed you! You're on the list!!! :-D

---

I would love to hear more about the non-secretor email list mentioned in the note from Nina on June 8. I am an A non-secretor and would love to have additional support for eating ideas. I have read Eat Right and am going thru Live Right and also Cook Right, and the Encyclopedia, too. My whole family is going into this with me, including our daughters' boyfriends. We are enjoying this adventure. My husband is going to have is secretor status checked soon. Thanks for this column. I check it everyday for ideas. Meredith

You're on the list, Meredith! I figured that if you don't find it useful, you can always remove yourself from it.

I'm really pleased to hear that your family & you are all enthusiastic about the BTD. Many thanks! And a BIG WELCOME all round!! :-D

---

Could you ask Nina to put me on her non-secretor mailing list (I'm an A)? Also, I would like to find out exactly how she makes her turkey jerky---especially how to make sure there is no bacterial problem in the finished product. Thank you! JoanV

Hi, Joan ~ I've added you to the list! When you get going on it, just ask Nina! I hope you're doing well, dear!! :-D

---

Bpnjour Heidi, Just read your answer on my possible gluten intolerence......as soon as I'm finished with my tasty loaf of Essene rye bread, I'll try the rice cakes.....again arrgh! Will have more questions/reports soon, but I wanted to get a note through to Olympia who is moving to Spain. I'd suggest she take a LOAD of vegetable glycerine with her, then have all visiting frieds from the UK bring it with them when they visit. I have only found vegetable glycerine at the pharmacy in France, and it is 4 euros for 100ml (I think), and has a slightly strange taste. As I have written in the past, I order it from the UK and it costs a fortune to ship it. I'd guess Olympia will run into the same problem in Spain. (Same probably goes for supplements - she should probably stock up in the UK). Good luck to her. a bientot, Abby

:-D You're a warrior, Abby! Confusion to your enemies, my dear!! ;-)

I do hope Olympia catches this before she's off. Superb advice ~~ thanks for your note!

Oh, and look.... there's one for you, just below! :-D

---

Re Abby's use of almond butter on rice cakes, I have a suggestion. When I eat almond butter on Rye crackers (I am O-sec.) I smear a small bit of glycerine on top of the almond butter to offset glucose rush; she might experiment. I use glycerine freely in this fashion. Conrad

Many thanks, Conrad! A good suggestion, and one which I've had experience with as well. Be well, and keep writing!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi! r.e. Jordan who gags on veggies...if a person is zinc deficient, veggies (and other things!) are hard to digest & get nutrients from, so the body doesn't recognise them as food. Veggies were like cardboard to me, until I corrected my zinc deficiency. (Smelly feet = typically another zinc deficiency sign. Startling indicator of zinc deficiency's prevalence, that we all think smelly feet are normal!) If a person is zinc deficient, zinc is hard to get from food (stomach acid doesn't work right), supplements are the only way I know to reverse a deficiency -- and not pills, need lozenges. But too much zinc will mess up the immune system, so need to research to find safe dosage. Stress uses up more zinc, the government RDA doesn't address this. Hope it helps! Hope you had a nice break Heidi! Maia

Thanks, Maia! I did have a very worthwhile trip ~ more about that tomorrow, since so many have kindly asked! ;-)

That's a great point about zinc deficiency. I'd like to hear back from Jordan when he has the chance. Adding a 25 mg lozenge daily would be a good way to start -- 50 mg might be called for, but only for a very short time. If we're very nice to him, he might be willing to talk about whether the major indicator (smelly feet) is present! *grin* Ah, diagnosis ain't what it used to be! :-D

---

I am an o+ secretor and have been taking catechol O for a few years now. But I've had elevated cortisol levels for several years and am wondering if the Cortiguard would be useful for me despite the fact that it's not intended for my blood type. I have the saliva tests a few times and the night cortisol is the one that's elevated. Would appreciate your thoughts on this and thanks for all that you do. I learn so much from you every day! -- carolyn

Absolutely! Cortiguard is great for all types, and can be used whenever needed. You might take one cap mid-morning, then two around four p.m. and see how you do. After a week or so, I think you'll see a remarkable difference. Keep in touch and let me know how those levels move, carolyn! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, Thanks for the info about finding A1/A2 foods in Live Right for Your Type.I have just had the blood tests done at John Roberts Path.Lab in Melbourne, Australia, phone 03 8831 3000, and am an A2.I am now adjusting my diet accordingly, and look forward to further health improvements.It is great to be able to use red peppers (capsicums) again, and I shall try a pizza with acceptable ingredients using blended red pepper as a tomato substitute. I am placing an advert.on the board at my local organic food shop inviting anyone interested in my area for a get together to discuss recipes and strategies. Anyone out there interested? I am happy for you, Heidi, to send me the email address of inquirers able to get to the north eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Hope you had a good holiday. Cheerio, Jenny

Sounds like a lovely project, Jenny! I'm pleased you're adjusting to your new diet, and I hope you have plenty of interested parties in a get-together! Anyone want to send Jenny a note about the meeting? Best wishes -- enjoy!!

---

Why can't I find Quorn™ on any of the books. It is becoming very popular here in the UK taking over the Soya market. I'm a AB-. My stomach seems to digest it well and it's a fantastic substitute for meat. But I am a firm believer in the blood type diet and I would feel more comfortable to know that it ok for me. Cheers! :-) Christina

Ok, Christina ~~ Here is a column I wrote a while back on quorn. Read through it, and write again if you have questions -- take care, dear! :-D

---

Please add me to the Nonnies List! MP MacD

:-) Done! :-D

---

Hi Heidi! Just wanted to make sure I was on the O nonnnie list :-) Thanks! Dianne in L.A.

Yep, my dear, you is! ;-D

---

From what I understand, it's okay to eat sprouted wheat because the lectins are changed by the sprouting process. Does the same hold true for garbanzo and other beans? I am an A, and garbanzo beans used to be one of my favorites and I would love to have them back in my diet as sprouts.

Also, I'm trying to understand the difference between cultured and fermented, if there is one. Vinegar is an avoid and cultured food is supposed to be good for us, so I was wondering if that was because of the fermentation process. Further, what I have read on culturing says that vinegar, ketchup and mustard used to be cultured products prior to mass production, and have since been changed to have the addition of vinegar rather than the culturing process. Is it possible to culture our own condiments so they are not an avoid? Thanks for a great column! Chris

Hi, Chris! Good questions.

Generally speaking, sprouting a bean does not destroy the lectin as it does to grains. The lectins are more evenly distributed throughout the bean, and it's not one-stop-lectin-destruction to sprout them. We always advise people to stick to the beneficial and neutral bean-containing products and food items, for that reason.

Culturing can be done with salt and time alone. This term is often used to describe vegetables "pickled" without vinegar, as well as dairy products. Fermentation is a process requiring the presence of sugars, which has the byproduct of alcohol. Both terms are loosely used to name all kinds of cultured and fermented foods.

I'd love to read the reference you found to cultured condiments! Please write again and let me know where it is! Fascinating!!

Best to you, Chris, and thanks very much for writing! ;-)

---

I would like to join and correspond with "O" nonnies. One comment that will sum it all for me is this way of eating has save me from unknowingly self-destruction. If one is true to himself, he would know. Thank you D, all those at the DADAMO clinic and the readers who contribute through questions or suggestions. Gwen

I've put your email address on the list, Gwen -- and thanks so much!! You've put the entire truth in few words, which is a rare skill. :-D

---

Dear Heidi, I have been on the diett for about 3 years now (Type A), with marvellous results.This is absoluttly the best healt choice to make. I have 2 questions I hope you can answer.

1. I read what Nina wrote June 1 about peanuts that are beneficial for Type A, but when you have the flu, or are infected by viruses or bacterias, it becomes somethings you shall avoid. Eventhough I have read about BTD in these 3 years, I did not know that. Are there any other items to avoid under similar circumstances? I think this is of greatest importance.

2. My daughter on 2 1/2 has got a big spot of hairloss on the left side of her backhead, we suspect it to be alopecia (it suddenly accured). What would be the best approche? With great respect for the efforts you are making to help us "BTD out in the world", I hope you can help with these questions. Kind regards, Ronny [Rath Pedersen]

Hello, Ronny! It is so nice to hear from you!

Nina's note came from our website here, in the Research section. I don't know of any other similar foods, although we do explain how different conditions may require slight modification in the diet. If there's any specific condition you're wondering about, just let me know!

About your daughter, can you tell me what her blood type is, and is she nursing? what does she eat in a week? I'll do my best to help, Ronny! Take good care!! :-D

---

Hi Heidi. My name is Nicole and I emailed you a while ago about communicating with other B non secretors. It has been wonderful speaking with others like me! But now I guess there is another list going for nonnies? If there is I would love to be added to that list. Thanks again for everything. Nicole

Done! :-)

---

HELLO HEIDI! I AM AN O RH NEG NON-SECRETOR AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO BE ON THIS NON-SECRETOR SUPPORT EMAIL. SO PLEASE PUT ME ON. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!



I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION BUT DO HAVE A FAMILY REPORT. I STARTED ERFYT DIET 2-15-03 THANKS TO MY 21 YR OLD SON AND THE DIET THAT OUR FAMILY NATURAPATH HAS PUT HIM ON TO CURE HIS FUNGUS/CANDIDA. HE IS AN O ALSO AND I SAID I WOULD GO ON THE DIET TO SUPPORT HIM AND TO AVOID HAVING TO COOK SEPARATE MEALS. I JUST FELT IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE.



ACTUALLY, I WENT TO THIS NATURAPATH 12 YRS AGO FOR CANDIDA RIGHT WHEN I FIRST BECAME VEGAN. HE TOLD ME AT THE TIME THAT I NEEDED TO EAT MEAT BUT I HAD JUST MADE THE DECISION TO BECOME A VEGAN. I EVEN READ ONE MANS FOOD IS ANOTHER MANS POISON BY DR JAMES D'DADAMO BUT DID NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE IN IT EITHER. JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO I FOUND OUT MY SECRETOR STATUS MUCH TO MY DISSAPOINTMENT! IT HAS BEEN A SHOCK EATING ALL THIS MEAT BUT BELIEVE IT OR NOT I DO ENJOY THIS DIET BECAUSE I FEEL SO GREAT!



I NEVER HAVE EATEN THIS MUCH MEAT EVER IN MY LIFE! I WENT COLD TURKEY AND AM ABOUT 95% COMPLIANT.I NOTICED A BIG DIFFERENCE ONLY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS SINCE I FOUND OUT MY SECRETOR STATUS. NOW I ENJOY GREENS AND BEEF FOR BREAKFAST AND IT GIVES ME SUCH A BOOST! I AM 50 SO I WOULD LIKE TO EAT CORRECTLY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I HAVE STARTED MORE INTENSE WORKOUTS AND I CAN NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE IN MY ENERGY LEVEL AND SENSE OF WELL BEING!!!



ALSO, MY 84 YEAR OLD MOTHER IS ON THE DIET NOW. SHE IS AN A. ITS AMAZING HOW SHE HAS CHANGED. SHE HAS MORE ENERGY AND SOUNDS HAPPIER. SHE IS SO GRATEFUL TO HAVE FOUND OUT ABOUT ERFYT. SHE WAS PRETTY MUCH A VEGETARIAN ANYWAY DO TO MY PREVIOUS INFLUENCE. MY HUSBAND IS ALSO AN A SECRETOR. SO WE JUST TRADED PLACES IN DIET! HE IS HAPPY TO STILL HAVE COFFEE BUT MISSES POTATOES & TOMATOES. I READ THE NEWSLETTER DAILY AND IT IS A WONDERFUL SUPPORT! THANK YOU HEIDI -- ANN



ANN!! Hey, what a joyous message! Sure got me up & smiling!! This is the kind of report that brings home to me again how grateful I am for Peter and the whole BTD team!! :-D



I've given your email addres to Nina, so you should be hearing from her very soon (if you haven't already)!



Amazing about that dreaded meat eating, isn't it? Don't feel bad, it seems like it's almost always the vegans and those who want to be vegans who turn out to be O nonsecretors -- me included. Why is that? Wish I knew! Right now I'm just thankful that I was given this gift in time to stay healthy and enjoy life, and very happy to spread the news to others.



Thanks so much for your message, Ann. I'd love to hear more any time you're in the mood to write! Be well, and savor the difference!! :-D

---

Dear heidi, a friend of mine needs the red yeast rice, I could not find the address and how much he needs to take per day, he is a O non secretor, i would appreciate your time with the information. He lives in Buenos aires, Argentina, so I will get it for him, thanks again, Luisa



Sure! Go to the China Red Yeast Rice contact page and call the USA agent listed on the lower left. He would take one half teaspoon, twice daily. It mixes well with vegetable or fruit juice. Best wishes to you and your friend, Luisa! :-)

---

Hello again Heidi, Two questions today (gosh you must get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of questions sometimes!):



1. I've tried a couple of times to take Bladderwrack capsules, but after a few days, I wake up in the morning with swelling around my eyes, especially above my eyelids. So, I discontinued the bladderwrack. I'm a type O, age 53. The edema makes me wonder if the bladderwrack somehow impairs kidney function because I had kidney disease (nephritis) as a child, but have had no kidney infections for about 20 years. What do you think?



2. I'd like to know if Dr. D'Adamo has any thoughts on the West Nile Virus in terms of bloodtypes. My understanding is that, of the cases here in the U.S. last year, many were mild while a number of people died, or nearly died, from it. I'm just wondering if bloodtype may provide some clue. Thanks again for all you do! Your work is very helpful to us all. Kathryn



Hey there, Kathryn! The volume of questions is certainly astonishing sometimes! ;-)



The bladderwrack does not impact kidney function, but you may be one of the few people who are allergic to it. It's not a common reaction, but I've heard of two or three people over the years who did have that trouble.



Do you have a similar reaction to other seaweeds? Like, hijiki (a common Japanese dish) or nori (sushi wrappers) or dulse (which I eat as a snack)?



I've never seen a single reference to West Nile virus and blood type ~~ I'll put it out there, so that if a reader has anything relevant at hand, I hope she or he will write in with it!



Thanks for your note, Kathryn ~~ I hope we can get more info on your Qs!

---

The Membrane Fluidizer Cocktail tastes awful and that awful taste stays with me at least until noon. The ingredients I bought say they are "the best" and I keep them refrigerated. Is there a way to make this more palatable? (I spend a long time searching for the answer to this Q. before I sent it; I know you must receive a lot of duplication. I wonder if a better system of categorizing or listing you FAQs might help?) Ray



Hey there, Ray! As long as your flax oil is very fresh, with no "off" fishy or petroleum smell, it sounds like it's the lecithin giving you the gags.



TYPE B ALERT!! Any advice for Ray on tasty lecithin types/brands? Anyone else had this reaction, and did you find a way round it?



We'll keep you posted on the results!



Actually, you're the first to ask this question, and I apologize for all the effort you must have taken to find out if it had already come in! I agree that the various FAQs all round this website could do with a shake-up, and I devoutly hope to do so as soon as some other chores are completed. Thanks for your note, and be well, dear! :-)

---

Dear Heidi, I'd like to be on the O nonnie list! I would like to give you an update on my legs that swell. I was told that it is hormonal, that my endocrine system is out, maybe that explains the hypothyroid! I am taking 0.05MG Levothyroxine, 2x60MG Thyroid as well as 2x2 Bladderwrack (fucus). I was reading an article, I believe it was on your website, on protein and how people with hypothyroid should make sure they eat sufficient amounts of protein each day, I don't think I am, is it ok to have one organic egg each morning for breakfast? how much protein should I be eating each day? Do you have any suggestions on what else I can be doing to support my endocrine system? Thank you kindly for your help. Rose

:-) You're on the list, Rose!

Was it a doctor who told you that the swelling was hormone-related?

Sure, it's fine to have an egg each day. As an O+ non, you'd have one serving of meat 7 days per week, two servings on five of those days, and one serving of fish five days per week. That's in addition to a handful of nuts 5-7 days per week, and an egg up to 6 days per week (daily is fine). Since you're now taking thyroid drugs, the only thing I'd say is to monitor your levels closely and stick very closely to the diet. I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon, dear! :-D

---

Hey Heidi, seedy again. Just wanted to thank you for the "third time's the charm" response -- it was precisely the information i was seeking.Just a curious note -- type B seems to benefit from many brassicae, but the brassicae are also goitrogens. Yet (don't have my books with me right now), IIRC, Bs don't have a great deal of thyroid problems (would those on the diet perhaps be at higher risk?). This would seem counter-intuitive. Are Bs more capable of flushing out the goitrogenic compounds? Do they have a more resilient thyroid or better iodine uptake? What explains this apparent dilemma? Ever grateful, matt.

Glad the last one hit the spot, matt! Actually, I'd say that Bs who are NOT on the diet are at higher risk for any given health problem. Cooking the brassicae destroys the goitrogenic compounds, at any rate, so that's the preferred form in which to eat them. All types have a wide selection of crucifers among the bennies and neutrals, due to the many health-promoting compounds they contain. Thanks for your note ~~ and keep growing, dear! :-D

---

Dear Heidi, In your answer to Sarah today you confirm with her that A2s may eat red peppers/cayeene. Where can I read this please? It does not appear in my copy of the Encyclopedia (only secretor/non-secretor status is given there, not food differences for A1 and A2) Also I could not find it in the Typebase on line.It would be wonderful to know more about A1 v.A2 as I am now fine-tuning my diet and miss red peppers a lot! What other exciting changes will I find? Many thanks, Jenny

Greetings, Jenny ~~ Live Right 4 Your Type is the only book where the A2, Rhesus and MN modifications (as well as the Tiers system) can be found. TYPEbase 3 and the Encyclopedia list only the secretor and nonsecretor values. In order to use the A subtype and MN info, you'd need to get a blood panel to show which you are. The SouthWest Medical College laboratories do the test -- if you're interested, call them at 602/ 970-0000

Best wishes, and I hope you enjoy the new book! :-)

---

Heidi - thanks very much for answering my AB questions. I just found out that...sigh...I'm a non-secretor [which I suspected, but had hoped wouldn't prove to be true]. Could you please pass along my email address for the non-secretor email list? Thanks again! Sarah

Whoops!! A rare bird indeed! I've passed your addy to Nina, and I hope the shock hasn't been too severe? If I can help in any way, please do drop me a line... best wishes, Sarah! :-)

---

I am noticing people writing about an email list for nonnies -- I am an O nonsecretor. Can I get on this list? Thanks. by the way, your column is SOOO helpful. I'm not a big email writer, more a column reader, but I get a lot out of it. Thank you for all your hard work! Laura

Many thanks, Laura! It's very sweet of you!! You're on the list, and have a marvelous day!! :-D

---

Dear Heidi Thanks a lot for your prompt response. I take it that from what I described (being cold, bad circulation, dry/rough skin and low basal temp…) my symptoms really do sound like hypothyroid hugh ? I am a strong advocate of first healing the body with the food you consume, that is why I was attracted to the BTD. I started listening to my body at quite an early age (12!) and figured out a diet based very heavily on fruit and veggies that was interestingly quite close to the AB plan except for the animal additions (and I guess I may have ended up doing more harm then good?).

As I told you my sinus troubles with dairy really made me go cold turkey with the veganism. The dairy issue really puzzles me, is there any way that an AB could sway more to the A side of dairy tolerance, or am I just allergic? The reality is that I have been vegan this long almost out of habit and not for ethical reasons, more for paranoia of clean unhormone infected food.

I guess what I am trying to say is if you have some non vegan suggestions I am ready to hear them and take the scary plunge if you say it will do wonders to my health – believe me I would sooner change my diet than take meds. I must confess that I have recently been considering maybe introducing a bit of fish into my diet (my mom is visiting for a few days and insists on converting me to fish!!!), but I would first like to know if it will really make that much of a positive impact.

It should take care of the over reliance on soy and help increase my protein intake right? By the way, is there an easy way to measure if you are getting 100g per day, I wouldn’t have a clue as to how much I eat now? Please be brutally honest , I am willing to follow your advice and hope my sensitive stomach will learn to slowly adapt. I really appreciate your advice. Martynka (AB+)

Martynka, you're very kind!! Yes, it appears that avoidance of animal protein has weakened your thyroid function -- but that is easily resolved, with just a few changes and a little time on the diet! You've not done more harm than good -- vegetables and fruits are the basis of the AB diet, too! That's by far the most important part of the plan.

ABs are best using cultured dairy products, in small quantities. It's not a necessity if you find you cannot tolerate them, but I would try to introduce them again once every four months or so. As you heal, your body should become more capable of digesting them without difficulty.

Protein is DEFINITELY what you need -- the right kinds in the right amounts. Because you've had so little for so long, I'd like you to bite that bullet and take the plunge as soon as possible. Right now, you're running at a deficit, and your system will begin to crave it when you begin feeding yourself this way. Your body is definitely in need of these proteins in order to heal.

First: fish, at least three times per week. When you're well accustomed to that, add turkey, first once a week, and work up to three times per week -- that's in addition to the fish. The best thing would be to alternate turkey with either lamb or rabbit -- both of which are absolutely delicious when prepared properly.

Try to find the New Basics Cookbook (authors Rosso and Lukins) -- it's a great one, and I've found it quite easy to adapt recipes for myself and my A nonsecretor man. Take a look through your local bookstore for cookbooks which strike your fancy and have EXCITING recipes with beneficial fish and meats for you.

Don't be at all concerned about grams and measurements. Just use Live Right 4 Your Type to guide you in portion sizes and frequencies per week. I'd also suggest you take nutritional yeast, as well as getting lots of dark green leafy vegetables. Between upping the protein (the right kind of protein ;-)) and adding B vitamins & more dark leafies, you'll be feeling like a new person in a few short weeks! Give it a go! And do keep me abreast of how things are proceeding for you -- it's always great to hear from you, dear!! thanks! :-D

---