I am wondering if bulgur is okay to eat for a type 'A'. Can you help me? I really love tabouleh! Thank you. Lucie

Hi, Lucie! Bulgur, or Bulghur, is just whole wheat berries par-boiled then allowed to dry. It's sort of pre-cooked whole wheat. So, the item to check in your food list is "Wheat (whole)." Thanks for writing, dear! :-D

hi heidi me here still battling with weight loss & underactive thyroid. i've doing the xbs programme you recommend for quite a while at least i thought it was.however i've now discovered there are different charts for different levels which seems different to the programme i downloaded originally.

anyhow i've done it every day this week but not the 1/2 mile run or 1 mile walk i only noticed that part yesterday.the trouble is i get up early to do this exercise programme plus cook breakfast the btd way & i don't have time to do the run or walk in morning. would it matter if i did that part later in day or would i have to do the whole programme again in order to warm up?

as i know you recommend o's to do this programme every day & some extra strenuous exercise 3 times a week.would the run & walk part of the xbs be classed as strenuous enough or would you recommend something else?thanks for your help & advice & welcome back you are sorely missed.thanks debs

Hey there, debs! The 5BX program can be as strenuous or as light as any other, all depending on the level at which the individual works it. So, yes, if a run is done strenuously, that would count for the aerobic part of your strenuous exercise. Weight training would be the other strenuous part.

You can do the run or walk (or jog-in-place) in the afternoon, that would work just as well. And did you get hold of some nutritional yeast & glandulars for your thyroid? Great inexpensive way to start turning that pesky thyroid trouble around! Very best wishes, dear, and let me know what you're up to!! :-D

I have recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease. I am Type A, can I follow the type A diet ?? Deborah

Welcome, Deborah!! If you have celiac disease, the type A diet will be a life saver for you. Just make good use of your resources on grains (and products) to avoid while you're healing. Also, visit the various pages and columns on our site, and use the search engines to find out what we've posted on celiac.

Please stay in touch! Write in with any questions you may have!! Best wishes!! :-D

I'm new to the diet (6 months, type A, non-secretor) and have a few questions that I've always been too embarassed to ask a doctor, and so have been working on solving on my own.

I have always had many cavities, a coated tongue, constant sour taste in my mouth and bad breath. I'm guessing this is connected to the non-secretor status. I also always quite low in energy (improving as I stay on the diet), and cannot (at all!) digest fats. They produce diarrhea every time.

Also, my skin, when I'm outside in the sun, has a somewhat unpleasant odor to it, which I try to mask w/perfumed soap and lightly scented perfumes. I have had some improvement in my mouth by brushing my teeth w/oil of oregano; but the problems still persist.

My father had these same problems (unknown blood type), and his mother, also. So, I assume whatever is at the root of all this is genetically caused, but beyond that, I'm not sure. My father died of lymphoma, though my wonderful grandmother lived to 96.

I've cleared my body of frequent yeast infections, with a Cave Man diet, and Caprylic Acid and herbs, hoping that it would solve the other problems but it didn't. I had tried the saliva in the glass of water test, to see if I had candida in the mouth and I sure did, but the diet didn't affect my mouth.

I have read what you have written about Heallix, and have ordered a bottle; I'm not sure how much to take, or how often for these symptoms. I have tried so many things, though, that I don't have alot of hope that this will work any better. Sorry for being a little down, but I'm 49, and am not sure I will ever solve this, and would like to be able to live a more normal life, with normal relationships. As you might imagine, it's difficult to be in a close relationship w/constant bad breath. With so many people writing you about cancers they are fighting and other big problems, I am feeling very trivial, but solving this would quite possibly be life changing. Thanks for your help. Carrie Ann

Greetings, and welcome, Carrie Ann! Listen, if a health complaint is important enough for you to write in about it, it's important to me! I'm very glad you decided to come on in & ask. :-)

First of all: following the nonsecretor diet strictly is the first foundational step to clearing up these problems for once & all. It starts its work in the intestines; as your flora/fauna balance improves there, your breath and skin odor will change right along with it. A daily meditation and/or yoga practice is the second part of the foundation. Because of their profound effects on the nervous and endocrine systems, they hold great power for healing and re-balancing your entire body -- don't discount them. (and they make you feel REALLY good. :-)) I know you've been with the diet for a number of months, but DON'T ever feel discouraged -- you have some persistent difficulties which just require a little more time and a few boosters.

Special tips: two tablespoons of nutritional yeast (I wish I had a penny for every time I've said, "KAL brand is spectacular!") every day. Use some beneficial fruit (I know I've already said two bad Candida words, but you'll find this will work), a tablespoon of nut butter, some ice and the yeast to make a blender-smoothie.

Second, get in the habit of making fresh juices from beneficial vegetables, and include wheat grass, barley grass, beets and their greens whenever you can. These should eliminate, over the period of a month or two, any remaining gunk (scientific term) in your intestinal tract, and tone up your liver function. The book Juicing for Life by Calbom & Keane is an invaluable resource for instructions and recipes (always check for avoids, though).

If you haven't yet done so, consult the www.sensiblehealth.com site for full information on the gallbladder flush. That one simple, safe procedure should get a medal for its effects on fat digestion.

PolyFlora-A is a must for you. Finally, try to consume at least 1/2 ounce of water for each pound you weigh, with a squeeze of lemon juice added to each quart.

Heallix will do you a great deal of good in the bacterial control department. Take it at the therapeutic level for one week, then drop to the maintenance level (dosages are on the bottle). I'm throwing a whole bunch of things at you all at once, so I'm going to stop here and wait for your report. (Oh, did I mention that everyone has to submit regular progress updates? LOL! ;->)

Carrie Ann, there IS hope, and between all of us here we'll see you through this and beyond, into a whole new level of health & satisfaction with your life. Be well, get to work, and write again soon! :-D

Does Veg. Gly. need to be refrigerated after it's opened? It doesn't say anything about it on the bottle (NOW brand), but it is sold primarily as a cosmetic additive so might not. Thanks so much for your encouragement and help.

Ginger

Hi, Ginger -- no refrigeration necessary! Very handy!! :-D

Hi Heidi, one question: do you know or any readers if using vegetable glycerine would work in making jam/jellies? i use Pomona Universal Pectin. We don't eat a lot of jam, but with this product you can suit your own sweetness. I usually use honey and/or part maple syrup. Thanks, jayne

Hello, Jayne! It works fine as a sweetener for your purposes. You may have to experiment a bit to get the right sweetness, but the rule of thumb is 1/2 tsp veg gly equals 1 tsp sugar. Frontier brand is also reputed to have the best taste -- let me know how it turns out for you! :-D

Thanks, Heidi, for continuing the great search for the perfect carob chip/drop. Unfortunately, the Now product has hydrogenated oil. Lisa

Yep! Still seeking the good ones at my old HFS... read on! ;-)

Label on bulk carob chip, Sunspire Brand reads, "Ingredients: carob powder, whey powder, nonfat milk powder, fractionated palm kernel oil, soy lecithin (added as an emulsifier)." I am embarrassed that my previous response was not more complete. I have eaten them for years without any difficulty but I sure see that for o's there are several avoids. Hope I didn't send anyone on a wild goose (carob) chase -- Conrad

Hey there, Conrad! Don't feel bad!! Your post got all that information out in the open, and let lots of people find out the ingredients in various brands. I certainly appreciate it! :-)

I visited LifeThyme a few days ago, looking for those carob drops I mentioned, and although they'd already stocked up on their chocolate stuff, they didn't have that one item. I'll go back and bother them when the chocolate/carob guy is available for a chat. Wish me luck -- and thanks again for being here!! :-D