ACK!!!

~ I have noticed so many discrepencies comparing Cook Right and Blood Type O Food, Beverage & Supplement Lists that I wonder which to pay attention to when I am shopping/coking. A few examples:- goose is N in Lists and A in Cook Right; Quail is A in Lists and N in Cook Right; Sunflower Butter and Sunflower Seeds are A in Lists and N in Cook Right; Ezekiel Bread is N in Lists and HB in Cook Right; Oat Bran and Oatmeal are N in Lists and A in Cook Right; Brussel Sprouts and All Cabbage are N in Lists and A in Cook Right; Bananas, Blueberries, Mangoes and Guava are HB in Lists and N in Cook Right; Strawberries are N in Lists and A in Cook Right; Kiwi is A in Lists and N in Cook Right; Cinnamon is N in Lists and A in Cook Right etc. etc. These are all foods I enjoy so I am not sure whether to avoid them or treat them as food should I follow the diet. I've come up with these discrepancies and more just casually scanning the books. Any Suggestions?? Doreen

~ I am Type O and have BTD, CR4YT, and Blood Type O Food, Beverage, and Supplement LISTS from ER4YT. So far, I have found two foods - squid (calamari) and quail - that the 3 books (and the TypeBase 3 Database) disagree about as to whether they are neutral or avoids for Type O's. I'm wondering where the definitive list is (if one exists) so that I can know for sure how to categorize those foods (and any others that may have been listed incorrectly). I am not super-strict about following the diet myself, though I am more so for my 18-month-old son (per Dr.'s recommendations). P.B-B.

Ladies, thank you for voicing the concerns of a great many people! Here's the situation:

Eat Right 4 Your Type and Cook Right 4 Your Type are now most valuable for the explanatory texts and recipes, rather than the food lists. Those lists have been updated too swiftly over the past seven years to keep reissuing updated books -- one of the inescapable facts of life in publishing.

(1) If you know your secretor status, then use Live Right 4 Your Type with an eye on the update page, OR the online database. These are the correct values by secretor status.

(2) If you don't know your secretor status, and don't plan to do so, then use the individual blood-type lists. The "little books" are based upon the current knowledge, designed along secretor lines (who comprise nearly 80% of the population) -- and adjusted somewhat to eliminate the worst avoids for nonsecretors, to be on the safe side. That is why their values do not identically correspond to any of the other books. They are a general-purpose guide, developed because of popular demand, and highly effective in that capacity.

Let me offer some solace: the first five years after the publication of Eat Right saw voluminous new discoveries about ABO-mediated food interactions. The food lists were in a constant and unexpected state of upheaval. Items were being added, consolidated and modified at a stupefying rate. At this latter day, things have settled down considerably! We maintain food value updates on this site in the update page and TYPEbase3®, and will continue to do so. The current rate of change, however, has slowed to sublight speed.

This science is reaching its maturity, and the confidence level in every food value has risen significantly. Future changes will be very few -- more along the lines of specific values for previously unlisted foods. I hope understanding the road we've travelled has helped to restore your confidence, as well!