Today, December 27, Pat & Elizabeth wrote about A complaint food, noting that as MM's they could eat tomatoes. What is an MM? Your column is part of my daily life. Thank you. Judy

Hello, Judy! An MM is someone who has two M genes rather than one M and one N, or two Ns. This is their MN type, a blood type distinct from ABO group. A full serotype panel is necessary to determine it.

The usual configuration is MN -- in which case no modifications to the diet are indicated. MM type does change the diet somewhat, and NNs are advised to watch their cholesterol levels due to their tendency toward less-than-optimal lipid metabolism.

And where did I learn this? In Live Right 4 Your Type! :-) It's a great book -- get hold of it and see what you think! :-D

I live in Belgium and am a long-time vegetarian and A blood type. There is a product here called "Quorn" which is a mushroom-based meat substitute and which figures into my diet frequently. I have seen no mention of this in the book and wonder if it is not available in America. How can I find out the value of this food in my diet? Thank you - Pamela

Hello, Pamela! We do not have a specific rating for quorn, and with our current trend toward maintaining values only for food ingredients, rather than for generic product appellations, I doubt quorn will be included in any future lists.

However, Peter wrote an Ask Dr. D'Adamo column on quorn. Here's a quote:



There's more to read in that column: Quorn for Blood Group A. Thanks for writing! :-)

Hi Heidi, It is great to have you back!

I am B nonnie and I have learned over time that I do not handle grains very well so I have eliminated them. Basically I eat fish, eggs, some turkey, very little dairy, some fruit, nuts, and veggies but I do not eat red meat.

But the problem is I am constantly dealing with an acid/alkaline imbalance in my body and I am not sure if I am so acidic because I do not eat any grains or what it is.

The bigger problem is that I keep getting candida because I am so acidic. I feel so confused because I am still trying to learn what foods are best for my body and I thought I had it figured out, but now I think something is wrong.

Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce the acidity in my body, and how to help the candida so it does not reoccur? Do I need to eat grains or is that not a factor? Thanks a million! Nicole

Hi, Nicole! Grains are the last thing a candida sufferer needs. You are wise to avoid them, as well as sugar in any processed form. Secondly, are you supplementing with Polyflora-B, zinc, ARA6 and using ghee and olive oil regularly? I would immediately start following the Yeast/Fungus Resistance protocol for B in the Encyclopedia, and add the Immune Enhancement and Intestinal Health protocols if needed. Another (in my opinion) very useful supp is grapefruit seed extract (GSE).

Are you using pH strips to test urine? saliva? or both? I immediately think of increasing vegetable intake -- four to six servings daily, with two being hardy greens like kale or collards.

Please return a note on the questions I mentioned, and let me know what you think of the suggestions, OK? Best wishes, Nicole! :-)

I am type A+. In the Food, Beverage & Supplement list peanuts and peanut butter are highly beneficial; yet, peanut oil is to be avoided. How can this be? Also, rice bran is both, highly beneficial AND neutral. Why would it be both? Alan

Hello, Alan! The Rice Bran rating is a blooper, for which I apologize! It should be in the Beneficial category only.

The peanuts-vs-peanut-oil question is a classic one around here! have a look at this Ask Dr. D column, Peanut Oil vs Peanuts. Your answer is there! Thanks for writing!! :-D

Hi Heidi, I have been faithfully drinking the hot lemon water with a pinch of sea salt since August of 2003. I have never been a person who thought they had mucus but I follow your advice and trust your judgment so i decided to make this part of my health regime.

About 6 weeks into the practice of drinking my morning drink, I started to wake up with mucus in my nose and throat. This has never happened before. After I take my morning shower, i have to blow my nose, since the mucus is flowing. As soon as i drink the hot lemon water its gone, only to return again the next morning. My question to you is, did I have the mucus all along and the lemon drink is encouraging it to expel?

Also a side point, I have green eyes and the Naturopathic Dr Iridioligist I had a consult with told me that there are only 2 eye colors, blue or brown and that green eyes are either brown or blue eyes that are filled with mucus. I really disagreed with her at that time and told her I never had symptoms of mucus and she must be wrong. I must have spoken too soon, since now the mucus is in my nose and throat every morning. So I am grateful you told all of us about the hot lemon drink, since I didnt even realize I had a problem.

Does the lemon drink effect us all differently? I know you mentioned that it balances the electrolytes but what are the other benefits that you know of? Your grateful reader, Arlene AB+

Hi, Arlene!

I think the drink does affect people somewhat differently. It was originally suggested by Peter to type As, to have a warm drink of lemon water in the morning to get that mucus cleared out.

My suggestion was a separate one -- that most of us could benefit by drinking 1/2 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight daily, with just a bit of sea salt and/or lemon juice in each quart -- with the idea that the water would be cool-to-room-temperature (rather than warm-to-hot like the plain lemon morning drink).

If you'd never noticed any mucus before, it's likely that something in your diet or environment has begun stimulating the mucus. Try your morning drink without the sea salt, and see if that does the trick. It may be that the sea salt contains something you're reacting to -- although it is odd that the mucus does not appear until 20 hours or so after you've ingested it. More research needed! :-)

Yes, I've heard that statement about brown and blue eyes, but I've never given it any credence. You could help me there. As you've been clearing mucus, have your eyes changed color at all?

Write again when you can ~ and thanks for your kindness, as always! :-)

Hi Heid, Oh dear, it's me again with another cold. Now, it is actually 3 months since the last one (time does fly) but I am beginning to wonder WHAT is going on with my immune system. THis is about the 6th cold this year, and this one is quite bad. It has, however, not gone to my chest thank goodness. I did have the bottle of HEallix so, at the VERY FIRST sign I started taking it. Alas, the whole bottle is just about gone and I can't say it has helped at all.

Is there anything you can suggest I take to boost my immune system - surely that is what is wrong. I am working at a Daycare and the people I work with tell me that the first year is like that for a lot of people, one cold after another. Being away on vacation for two weeks probably didn't help as I couldn't avoid "avoids" at times, but surely eating a few avoids doesn't cause a cold. What is most annoying is that my "O" type husband, although he eats basically the same as me, drinks beer, eats bread whenever he can, eats potatoes, takes no supplements, etc., etc., and he hasn't had one of these colds I have had - and believe me he does nothing to avoid being around me when I have a cold.

Anyway, I won't go on any longer as I know you have a lot of questions to answer and they are a lot more deserving of an answer than my little old cold, but it is SO depressing for me, as when I have a cold I can't always exercise and if I don't exercise I get depressed (catch 22). Yes, I am drinking the water with sea salt and lemon juice. I think my immune system has packed it in - lol!! love sue (O neg)

Poor Sue! Sorry you've been fighting serial colds! I actually had a nice fat cold myself, and YES it was due to eating poor food... not even avoids, just the best choices I could find at a restaurant, at only one meal. Life ain't fair. I promptly came down with a fever (just a few hours), then the classic old chest-hold mucus-fest, which (I'm on week 6 now) should abate in the next week or so. I got stubborn about the whole thing, and didn't really take anything for it except some quercetin (not nearly enough, but I had no inflammation at all after day 1). It was pretty funny when I was on the phone with Peter, who started gently reminding me of some of the ingredients in Respiratone (of course, sitting in my cupboard). LOL.

Well, you don't have that excuse :-) but I think the Heallix did keep the thing from migrating to your bronchii. And I also think your husband just has a firmer mental attitude than you & I do! {grin} ProBerry3, a good teaspoon daily first thing in the morning, does true wonders for shoring up one's immunity for exposure to kiddles. I will definitely do that for a full week before exposing myself to any more public gatherings where I can't avoid eating what's on offer, lol! You may also have to wash your hands frequently after contact with the germy little critters, too. :-D And try to do mild exercise after the first flush of illness is past -- it helps clear out the gunk, and keeps the spirits from dipping.

Maybe we should start drinking beer and eating bread & potatoes. Or not. ~;-D take good care, Sue, and I'm sure you'll be right as rain in no time!! :-)