A belated greeting to you all today ;-D ~ no, I'm not one of the busy people referred to in the title, just someone who needed to extricate herself from a psychopathic internet service provider, LOL! Note to self: never again sign up with an ISP that gets bought out by a crew of vicious incompetents running services out of their NJ garage. ~;-D



With apologies for the delay, and gratitude for your patience, heeeeeere's the column! :-D

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Hello, Heidi, Thank you for your advice with our (Premie) 6 year old, she is actually starting to fill out, and she looks great for the first time! Lamb is really good for my little AB.



Today I have some questions for you regarding gluten flour products. I had a menu written for the nine of us, and I was able to basically meet all of our blood type needs. I just found out that I am a Nonnie!! (Type A). I read thru Live Right, and I went back to the menu to adjust for my higher need for meat, but in all of my reading, I'm still a bit uncertain about grains.



It says that I should avoid gluten flour products. I am thinking that it would be a good thing for my B husband, and even the A and AB kids to do without wheat. Someone said that I would have to give up Ezekiel bread, spelt bread, oatmeal and oatbran as well. Is that right? I understand that gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye, but I'm unclear as to what it is that I need to be avoiding.



Another question I have is in regard to Ezekiel bread. When I read the ingredient list, there are avoids in it, yet the books say that every blood type can have it. For instance, it has sprouted lentils in it, an avoid for my B. Does sprouting change the value?



My last question is about the amount of grains per week. Eat Right has three categories, each with their own suggested amounts; cereals, breads and grains/pasta. Live Right, and the Encyclopedia have these combined into one grain category. In the process of writing my menu, I was not sure how many servings of grains per week we should be getting. As a Nonnie, I've given myself one grain a day. For my B, I've given him one a day as well. What should I do for the A and AB kids? Have I understood the book?



I appreciate your help with this, as I want to do the best I can to try and meet nine people's needs with my limited strength and time! I have decided that I would test all nine of us for secretor status. I was so shocked that I'm a Nonnie, and the one daughter I've tested so far was a secretor. I could have swore SHE was the Nonnie, as she has suffered from cold / upper respitory things all her young life, 7 years, and the AB diet has not brought any relief to her. In my dismay that tofu and tempeh are not the powerful healers for me that I once thought they were, I even begged her to swap secretor statuses with me! She just smiled and said, "Sorry, Mommy, that's just the way God wanted you to be!"



I've enjoyed reading thru all the info on Nonnies I could find in your column!!! Thank you for all your help! Patricia

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Hi, Patricia! Hey, that's great news about your AB little! :-D Congratulations on finding out your secretor status, as well as your big family's! .. wow. ;->



Let me make things easier for you: the items in the food list which include the word "gluten" should be ignored. Those terms were added at a time when we were attempting to make the lists all-inclusive -- trying to rate as many commercial items as possible, largely to make folks aware of their options of products on the health-food market. We've recently concluded that these product references are too vague to be reliable, since (1) manufacturers can and do reformulate their products at any time, as well as expand their product line to include similarly-named items which we'd rate differently if we had the chance; (2) new manufacturers can put out a product with the same general label, yet with different ingredients; (3) original manufacturers can and do eliminate a product line, leaving BTD'ers to wonder how the heck to get hold of something in the food list which just plain ain't around no more. ;->



So, unless you or someone in your family has celiac disease, or has found they truly cannot tolerate gluten grains (which include most of the items in the "grains" list), you can choose from any of the neutral and beneficial grains when planning your meals. Eliminating wheat for your family will do them no harm at all. Wheat is not a beneficial for anyone.



Look for the the 100% sprouted Ezekiel bread products -- Food for Life, for instance, makes some with whole wheat flour and some which are 100% sprouted, so we have to check the ingredients each time. Generally, they use an orange-tinted wrapper for the 100% sprouted types, and announce that fact on the top of the product logo. Even though some do contain sprouted lentils, I wouldn't let that stop you -- it's a very small amount, and sprouted lentils are technically "unknown" at this time. An even better choice would be one of the Manna breads, which are 100% sprouted and offer a wide selection of grains and flavors/added vegetables.



For portions & frequencies -- keep using Live Right's tables as you are, dividing the weekly frequencies by 7 for the dailies, and remember that the fruit and veg categories' numbers are daily numbers. Sounds like you have it all under control -- and my hat's off to you once again for the spectacular job you're doing for your nine-member multi-type family. It's inspirational!!! thanks so much for writing! :-D

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Hello Heidi, Thanks for the reply regarding my email on eating plans. It was not until tonight that I actually came across your response to my question below from August 2003.



The vega testing that I had done indicated that I was sensitive to all grains except quinoa, teff, and rice products. I am also sensitive to the following: all beans, all nuts and seeds, bananas, tomatoes, all moulds, cheeses, goats milk products were fine (however on a QXCI test last week it showed that I do not do well on any type of cheese), soy products were OK in moderation, beef was not good, turkey was out, eggs, chocolate, msg, sugar and yeast. It indicated that potatoes, lentils, fructose, were OK - however, I know that these foods are avoids for type O's and I avoid them.



Elisa/ACT testing showed that I am sensitive to blackberries, parsnips, raisins, red grapes, ethylacetoacetate.



I am really at a loss to know what to eat. I am constantly hungry and have tremendous chocolate cravings which I don't know what to do about. I have tested positive for leaky gut syndrome but am uncertain about what to do to help heal this according to the blood type guidelines. I have the blood type encyclopedia but there is nothing written on leaky gut or intestinal dysbiosis.



I need energy to keep up with my training and busy schedule throughout the day and would love to have some input into the types of foods I should be eating and some sort of eating plan/schedule to follow. Also, if you could offer some suggestions in terms of diet and supplements to help heal this leaky gut syndrome I would greatly appreciate it. I have been told that if I don't heal this, my body will not be able to absorb any of the nutrients that it needs for optimal health.



Do you think that I should be eliminating the food which the vega and QXCI tests say are no good? The QXCI indicated that I was also sensitive to flax products, gelatin, sheep's milk products, dates, apple seeds, malic acid. HELP...it seems as though I am sensitive to everything. Any information you can pass on to me would be wonderful.



I was told to start taking probiotics, a green drink - I have tried the harmonia but the ginseng causes anxiety type symptoms, evening primrose oil, omega 3 oil, emulsified vitamin A, magnesium citrate, phosphatidyl serine, 5-HTP, psyllium. I do not want to be taking things that are not good for my blood type. Any suggestions? I really enjoy your column and read it every opportunity I can get. Thanks in advance. Sara

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Hello, Sara!! I'm glad you recently had a chance to check back here, and I'm not at all surprised it took a while to fit it into your schedule. ;-)



To refresh our memories, Sara first wrote some months ago. She's a type O secretor, a competing triathlete training 2-3 hours per day, mother of three, still nursing the youngest... yep, no matter what you and I thought about our fast-paced and stressful existences, we can now see what easy lives we actually lead. :-D



Sara, it's perfectly OK to avoid the items that provoke sensitivities. However, as you've seen, those test results can vary significantly from one session to the next. They also design the world of food accordingto a "deprivation model"-- a focus upon what SHOULDN'T be eaten rather than emphasis upon what you CAN eat. Deprivation-style advice has the effect of promoting a tense patient who's constantly scanning food for items on that no-go list (which may have already changed, Oops, time to get tested again... yikes ... and what about the lingering unease over the old test's items). Food becomes a fearful and stressful part of life, exactly opposite to what your body needs for easy digestion. The tests you're relying on for healing can drive you nuts. ;->



The kicker is that leaky gut is solidly associated with unrelieved tension and stored stresses.



I'm in favor of starting over.



The first and most important element of healing LGS is a deep-stress-relief program. Given your chock-full schedule, I won't urge you to take up T'ai Chi or TM.® Instead, I'd suggest the Holosync system made by Centerpointe. I've seen great reports on this product for years, so I don't mind recommending it although I haven't tried it myself. I realize you asked only about your diet & supps, but I can't overemphasize how important it is to start a proven stress-relief program if you have LGS. It's essential.



The second element is to simplify the diet side of things. Make a list of your avoid foods by category, and add in "blue" or another color those foods you showed sensitivities to, if desired.



First, make absolutely sure you are getting enough protein from red meat, fish and fowl. Lamb and buffalo are very high quality sources of the protein you require, as well as CLA which you desperately need, and they're easily-digestible meats least likely to trigger problems. Make friends with that butcher and fishmonger, and get fresh stuff.



Start the day with a dish of meat and vegetables - as small or large as your appetite dictates. The easiest way to do so is to get freshly-ground meat and make up a casserole or stir-fry that you'll use as breakfast and quick snacks for a few days at a time. Just meat, spices (some combo, whether herby or curried or hot-spiced), oil, broccoli, kale, onions and garlic, sea salt. I make up a batch using three pounds of meat, twice weekly, using grassfed beef, lamb or buffalo.



Meatloaf can be prepared using finely shredded vegetables (carrot or sweet potato or turnip, onion, a leafy green, brocc, garlic, spices and oil). Or, how about a stew of chunked meat and veg as above? You can make a soup instead, adding whole rice. I also roast whole fowl and make broth from the carcase with fresh veg. I store it in pint containers in the freezer for ready use. It makes a hot mineral-rich drink, whether plain or with a few spices, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast, and a clump of dried seaweed, or it can be the quick basis of any other soup. The point of all this is to ensure that you Always, Always have a meat/veg/fat dish on hand whenever you're hungry. Your carb and chocolate cravings should drop away after a few days of constant feeding with these high-protein, high-mineral foods.



The other constant is fresh greens and veg for salad, whatever you can tolerate.



In your situation, I'd be eating fish daily, very simply prepared. Fish cooks fast. You can put a couple of mullet or any one-or-two-serving fish of some kind in a glass baking dish with a drizzle of oil, sprinkle of sea salt, and a few sprigs of fresh herbs and slices of lemon under, on top and stuffed in the cavity. 10-15 minutes in the oven on high heat, it's done. Use the whole fish -- not just for flavor, but for the minerals cooked from the bones and the fat cooked from the skin. Have some of that with a salad with oil & lemon & sea salt. You can heat up leftover fish (gently) next day only, and do the same again. For one or two days in the week, you can also make a quick meal of canned fish with toasted sesame oil, lemon, nutritional yeast, chopped celery, chives if you like, garlic powder, and fresh-ground pepper.



Finally, I strongly suggest drinking 1/2 ounce of water (at least) per pound of bodyweight, with a little squeeze of lemon and pinch of sea salt in each quart, Daily.



By the way, when I say 'sea salt,' I mean good gray unrefined salt with its native mineral components. And nutritional yeast (with KAL my obvious brand-favorite) is your ticket to (particularly) B vitamin nourishment, a serious need for Os with heavy physical/mental/emotional demands upon them.



I noticed one thing on your supp list that I'd drop right away: psyllium. Instead, you'll find that the organic veg and fats with your protein meals will support normal elimination -- without irritating your intestinal tract.



Actually, I wouldn't bother with supplements at all, with two exceptions: esterified C (start with one gram daily and work up to bowel tolerance, then back off a bit); and Phytocal-O. Those substances will directly support your body's efforts to resist stress-related disorders like LGS.



With this kind of eating program, you're missing nothing by eliminating grains, beans and dairy. It simplifies your shopping & cooking and fills all your needs. Give it a go -- (1) stress-relief, (2) diet, and (3) water. I look forward to hearing from you again, whenever time permits. ;-> take good care! :-D

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