Every three months starting Jan1st, I perform what’s called performance reviews with the members of my sales team at work…. 14 members with various skills, personalities, attitudes and such. These reviews… that I’m sure many of you reading this at some time in your life, has had them and probably dreaded having them. I actually look forward to them because after I give them, my team members have the same opportunity to critique my performance and areas, which they feel, I need to improve in. I have a motto…among many, which goes like so…”if you don’t grow (improve), you die”. I have three more reviews to do next week. For the next three months, my key job is to help realize my team member’s individual goals and to develop their key areas of weaknesses (as well as mine) into strengths.

Since I was doing reviews at work, I though it would be beneficial to give myself a performance review as it relates to the BTD. I thought I would break down the Type O food groups and related portions to see where I needed improvement or not…. here goes:

Meat and Poultry 4- 6x/week: Here is where I score high marks for it is very easy for type O’s to stay away from avoids in this group when there is only 4…bacon, pork, goose and ham. I can’t remember the last time I had any of these avoids in the last 12 months. Every week I’ll have 4 to 6 portions made up of beef, lamb, veal and chicken with the odd serving of liver.

Seafood 3-5x/week: Since my fish market near by closed down, my fish consumption has slightly gone down because I like buying it fresh instead of frozen (don’t like the polyamines which comes from freezing anything that is protein based). I eat fish maybe two times a week and it’s usually salmon and whitefish. I need to get back to my 3 to 5 servings a week pace when my fish market was running. I’m going to make a effort to improve on my fish consumption in the next three months. I do the odd time, usually at a hockey game in the private spectator boxes, have smoked salmon which is an avoid (I have to quit smoking………… my salmon)

Eggs and Dairy 3 – 4 x/week: I love eggs and usually eat 4 to 6 a week which maybe high but I love them for breakfast usually poached or hard-boiled. As for cheeses, all I eat is goat cheese, usually for breakfast once a week and the odd (once every 3 months) piece of cheesecake (big avoid because it is hard to digest for us O’s but a few digestive enzymes after eating some and I’m no worse for wear). Other than that, cows are pretty sacred in my home and they do not touch my pallet in the form of milk, yogurt or cheese. I’ve got this food group licked (excuse the ice cream pun) even with the odd cheese dessert.

Oil and fats 4-8x/week: I have two oils in my kitchen…Olive and Flaxseed, nothing else. If I have a salad out at a restaurant I always ask for olive oil only with some lemon juice and a pinch of salt. I’m good here. I have either oil at least once a day. I think I should buy some canola oil for the odd frying

Nuts and seeds 3– 4x/week: It’s this category that I think I eat too much of. I have almond butter and pumpkin butter in my fridge and every week I roast either almonds or pumpkin seeds and cover them with wheat free tamari sauce and I take them to work for mid morning and afternoon snacks (I’ve been getting many people coming around my desk lately asking for some). I usually spread the nut butters on spelt toast and cover it with some cherry or blueberry jam 2 to 3 times a week for breakfast. I am over my 3 to 4 servings. I love nuts (and nut butters) especially walnuts. I know eating a lot of raw nuts is very hard on the pancreas because nuts have enzyme inhibitors in them; hence they are hard to break down. That is why I roast them (except walnuts) because this destroys the enzyme inhibitors. I still question to this day which way is better so I’m going to cut my consumption down a notch.

Beans and legumes 1 -2x/weekly: I have two beans in my pantry and they are dried: Adzuki and black eye peas: I always make these beans with a lamb or veal based chili. These beans really agree with me because the fiber they contain makes it real easy for me to “clean myself out”. I’m good on this category because I’ll have one serving of beans a week, no more

Cereals 2 – 3x/ week: Easy category because I only eat cereal at home for breakfast 2 to 3 times a week, usually spelt flakes (expensive thing) or Rice Crispies, usually with soy milk (the kind without additives like carrageen or vitamins added) and blueberries or banana on top. I had spelt cereal with fresh figs this week and it was ‘figlicious’…you have to try it .

Bread and Muffins 0 – 3x/daily: I have yet to try Essene or Ezekial bread because I have yet to find a brand that is made with 100% sprouted wheat. My breads of choice are spelt and rye and I usually go through 10 slices a week usually with the nut butters, beneficial jams or sandwiches with tuna. I never order sandwiches when I eat out…very hard to get non wheat bread in fast food or restaurant chains.



Grains and Pasta 0 – 3x/week: I’ve read many blogs where my fellow O’s have trouble with any type of starch, even rice. Rice or rice pasta doesn’t give me any trouble and I usually eat it 4 to 6x a week. I feel if I didn’t, I would loose more weight. I’m a little hyper metabolic (my thyroid is not hyperactive, if you’re wondering) and the starch slows me down a bit. It’s a good fuel source for me especially when I eat it 5hours before I go out for a bike ride. Pizza and wheat pasta occasionally show their ugly faces from time to time, but they do usually when I am somewhere where I have no other choice…like at a family gathering or social event.

Vegetable 3 – 5x/ day: If there was a category that needs improvement on my part, it’s this one. I’m lucky if I get 3 servings a day. With so many to choose from, I find buying produce for one person can be a waste of money. I find myself throwing away a lot because it goes bad (usually because the sizes of some of the vegetable sold, would take more than a few days for one person to finish eating. That is still a sad excuse for not eating more vegetables. Easiest thing for me to do is cut up some celery and buy baby carrots and take them to work each day for a snack.



Fruits 3 – 4x/daily: I like fruit in the morning and I think it’s the best time to eat it when your stomach is empty. I don’t eat it on a full stomach. I usually fall asleep if I do or feel drunk (apparently if you eat it after a large meal, the fruit sits in your stomach and ferments into fruit alcohol). Mango, blueberries, bananas and figs when in season are the first things that enter my mouth in the morning. As for 3 to 4 servings a day, it’s a hit and miss for me. I like taking plums/prunes to work and dried figs when in season. I get severely mocked by my peer’s when they see m eating prunes at work. There is a stigma about prunes that if you’re eating them you must be constipated. Otherwise this area could use a little improvement.

Juice and Fluids 2 – 3x/day: I have a juicer and I love making fresh pineapple (love the bromelien), grapefruit (great alkaline drink especially for O’s even though many consider it acidic) and carrot juice on a daily basis. I usually have one serving for breakfast and almost always carrot juice 30 minutes before dinner. The only store bought juice I buy is prune and I usually mix it with soda water for a satisfying drink. Of course good water is a daily requirement and I drink about 36 ounces throughout the day preferably on an empty stomach

Spices, Condiments, herbal teas, Misc Beverages: I really only have one soft spot when it comes to any one of these categories and it’s coffee…usually the espresso variety. I’ll have two servings a week usually on the weekend after dinner. It’s only 2 ounces a servings and the caffeine is a third less than the regular drip variety. It’s not so much it contains lectins but rather it causes excess acid production in the stomach which is already high for O’s. I’m not willing to give it up completely. During the week it’s green tea, only 10 oz day. Caffeine has always been my Achilles heal…it makes me a bit edgy if over consumed so I consume it in moderation.

This blog is getting long so I’ll end it here. For part two, I’m going to give you my general observations as to why some people (including myself sometimes) perform poorly on the diet.

Stay tuned