I should really start with Friday. And I will. But I feel a migraine coming on. It's coming on quicker than I thought it would! So I'm going to bed now....but otherwise it was a wonderful birthday weekend!

I'll finish this blog tomorrow night. Remind me to tell you about the sardines! Yes, tonight, for the first time, I ate sardines!!!

I have been reading a great deal on the brewing of teas as of late. Who's to buy, how to prepare, how long to steep... This is a long blog, but a well-worth-it one if you are a tea drinker! After all my reading I truly believe that the best method for steeping is to boil the water, pour it over the tea bag, cover the cup/mug, and let it steep at least ten minutes. Why you ask? In comparison to a beverage tea, which requires a 4-6 minute steep, the recommendation of 10-15 minutes may seem long. However, in comparison to steeping times for Traditional Herbal Medicines (THMs) in the tea form, which are typically infused for 20-30 minutes or decocted (simmered) for 45-60 minutes, the steeping time is not long. This longer steeping time allows for more of the components in the herbs to dissolve into solution.

The water is the extraction solvent when you prepare a cup of medicinal tea - pour boiling water over the herbs, let them brew a few minutes and then strain and drink. But there's more depth to this water story! While the initial solvent is the boiling water, as soon as the plant's cell walls begin to break down and compounds enter the water, the water changes. It isn't just water anymore. Depending upon what compounds are first released, the water can become a mild acid or a mild base solution, which in turn affects the release of other compounds. The longer you let the herbs steep, the more components you will have in your teacup. Each new compound that is released changes the solvent's composition until full saturation occurs or until the reaction is stopped by removing the herbs from the solvent. This enables some compounds that are not entirely water-soluble to still be released into the water. This is why a sufficient steeping period is necessary to produce a complete, balanced extraction.

It is now generally accepted that herbs contain multiple active constituents that contribute to their

overall efficacy rather than a single "magic bullet" active ingredient. What happens when you remove an alkaloid (or several)? Is a vital link in the chemical chain reaction removed, therefore altering all further reactions? These are questions that, as yet, have no answers.

Two methods of decaffeination are allowed in the US. One process uses the solvent "ethyl acetate" to remove caffeine. However, this process also removes about 65% of the catechin polyphenols, the components thought to have the most antioxidant activity. The other process, 'supercritical fluid extraction,' uses carbonic acid gas, a.k.a. carbon dioxide (CO2), as a solvent at supercritical pressure and temperature to remove caffeine from tea leaf. This is the process companies are using when they state they use "spring water and natural effervescence." While about 95% of the catechins are retained with this process, about 80% of the acids in the tea are removed which may or may not play a critical role in the activity.

Makes you think about what's happening in your favorite mug... Huh... Later gang.

After reading Suzanne’s blog the other day about the price of gas and how it makes sense to bike or walk short distances, I was struck as to how this will soon become a reality of sorts and how this reality might change how and what we eat.

I read somewhere that after WW2, there were factories that produced explosives using nitrogen. The nitrogen was extracted from the air by using large amounts of oil and gas. When the bombs stopped falling, so did the need to produce them so we were stuck with these factories until someone figured out you could make artificial fertilizer from nitrogen which would make crops grow abundantly (but make the quality of our soil diminish) It brought about our mechanized agriculture and the abundance of cheap food since the fuel was cheap as well. The cost of transporting food afar was also very cost effective.

Cheap gas was also one of the main causes (along with the building of highways, suburbs and the emergence of the middle class after the war) of the growth of fast food industry on this continent. You could get in your car and drive for miles on our open highways because it was inexpensive to do so but you needed to get from point A to B in the least amount of time…so we needed places to eat that were fast and convenient (and tasty). Hence you had McDonald’s popping up near highway off ramps everywhere and the whole emergence of the fast food movement began (if you want a detailed explanation of the phenomena...read Fast Food Nation)

Shifting out attention to present day, with the price of gas rising, the cost of producing nitrogen and fertilizer will make mass food production costly (unless of course they find a different way of doing it). Soon you will have industrial farmers asking organic farmers how they can grow food abundantly using nature’s way…(ultimately better for you and I). The rising cost of transporting food far away may also give rise to buying locally grown and probably organic food only. This may mean you will be preparing more of your own food at home with fresh ingredients (could see the emergence of a ‘slow’ food movement?) Ultimately…obesity rates may start to trend downward as well.

Mix all this with the BTD and you’ll find yourself eating fresh food that will less likely set off little bombs in your intestinal highways hence decreasing the production of intestinal gas…making our world a much better place to live.

How do, fellow BTD's? Day 26 of my Master Cleanse experiment/experience is here. Nothing new to report since last time. Still doing OK. Lots of pressure in the sinuses... I think this may be due to a spinal?atlas imbalance. I dunno...



Took the horse in for a blood transfusion and a physical... Oil change and a vehicle inspection that is... Drives a lot better... But... I have $700+ work needed on it! Great... Like I can afford this crap... With all the expenses comin' my way, I may be forced to fast!



Going to have a shot of the lemonade, drink a big mug of the ecchinacea/elderberry tea I mentioned yesterday, and watch a couple more episodes of Futurama. Then it's the nightly mug of laxative tea (required for the Master Cleanse to help clear out the bowels as there is no fiber to do so.) and off to bed. Have to work all day tomorrow. With "Back to School" in full swing, things are pretty hectic in the ol' computer valley.



I was gonna' dole out a few more no brainer tips, but, it's gettin' late. Expect more soon. G'night gang.

To all those wondering how the muffins came out.....they were great.

I got many answers to my question but they were all wrong (Sorry,I really wanted to give away the book)...here's the answer

I make mention of the time at the beginning of the last blog as 0900 hours or 9am......I later say that the time set on the stove was 10:53 PM or 2253 hours if you're using "military" time......numerically if you were to look on your telephone 2253 would spell Bake...make sence? The stove time was set to bake....

Later

Music: X-Box background noise of someone smashing something......

Mood: Accomplished

Hello....

Too much wedding planning going on so this will be a short one. Veggie compliance is going well. My effort to make one veggie thing a day is really paying off. I'm certainly not even close to the recommended servings yet but, at least I'm getting the green stuff in there! Not easy for an American on the go!

While throwing out a bunch of corn syrup/ dextrose laden candy last week, there were a couple of things I didn't throw out. Turns out most candy from China/Japan is only made with little-no corn product and...get this....millet! Yes!!! The highly beneficial MILLET is the main ingredient in most "Hello Kitty" and other direct from Asia candies I'm finding. Definately still filled with enough neutrals and sometimes avoids to not make it a MAIN dietry source of grain goodness but.....a beneifical food in candy!!! Hurrah!!! God bless Hello Kitty! As always, be sure to check the ingredient labels - this won't go for all things Asian. But millet fruit candy is probably better than that Kit-Kat or Ju-Ju-Bee's.....in small quantites as a treat, of course. (No, a mound of millet candy is not a healthy side dish with the salmon and broccoli, sorry....)

Hello to the new AB's out there too! I got your questions and will answer them either today or tomorrow in length, I promise. Keep up the good work and stick with your goals! Eating healthy is not always easy but definately pays off.

If a bennie=medicine, neutral=food, and avoid=poison, I now realize how the meal I just prepared tasted more like medicine than food!

OK, I took some Eden Organic Twisted Pair Gemelli pasta (70% whole kamut and 30% quinoa) and mixed it with walnut pesto (walnuts, basil, olive oil, parsley, garlic, and sea salt).

It smelled wonderful. It tasted too "dark". Hard to describe, but the flavors did not mesh. I think if i were to use a different pasta base, it may have come out OK, but something was missing.

I could have used some lentil pasta, but I've done lentils all week from the Misser Watt all the way back to the Apricot Lentil soup (delicious BTW), so I kind of want to take a hiatus from lentil so that I don't become a human methane factory, haha.

Before I ate lunch today, we had a patient who continues to tell us what a bad job we're doing in the pharmacy. You can't please everyone, I know, and most of the time when you have someone that comes in and starts a temper tantrum and shouts insults, you brush it off realizing that their anger is just hidden fear, sadness, pain, etc. Not this one. I've been working at this location for almost one year. There are many well-to-do patrons, but most are decent people. This patient has been coming for ten years. The insults and demand for special treatment attitude were there from the beginning, before we (the mainly new staff) even got there. When someone tells you your team is doing a bad job because according to that person, "Every time I come in there is a problem! Where are the people who used to work here?", you question yourself, "am I really doing a bad job?" You take it to heart.

But then a fellow staff member once saw this person at a department store, throwing the same type of dramatic fit, speaking condescendingly to the salesperson. That's when you know, while no one is perfect and mistakes are made, the behavior of this person is not a reflection of your work performance; it's a reflection of the person's character.

Nevertheless, this person came in and immediately my blood began to boil as I listened to the person making demands and insults at my intern. Why did my blood boil? Because instead of realizing that this is a free country and you can take your prescriptions elsewhere if you don't like the service, this person continues to verbally abuse the pharmacy staff, coming in, trying to make our lives miserable, before my intern had even spoken a full sentence. It's getting to the point where I might refuse to fill the prescriptions. Let somene else deal with them. There's only so much abuse one should take. If this person says even one cuss word at us, I'm kicking them out of the store. I won't take that. No one should.

So, I needed to cool off after listening to the soap opera on the other end of the pharmacy. I took a lunch break and walked over to a nice zen place called the Tea Garden. I ate a caesar salad focaccia sandwich, a cup of iced jasmine soy latte, and a "passionberry duo" (some sort of yummy torte).

There I began reading the paper and my eyes zeroed in on the crashes in Russia. And knowing I've flown out of that airport before, it gives me one more reason to fear flying. I hope that fear ends. It's not that I'm afraid to die, it's that this seems like such a crappy way to go and I don't want to take the chance of being on board when it happens. OK, enough negativity in this blog, wouldn't ya say?

Leads me back to my walk back to corporate indentured servitude. I started to hack up mucous and was trying to figure out why. Was it the air pollution, the food I just ate? Or was it the beginning of ragweed season? It only lasted for about ten minutes which makes me guess that it's probably the exhausted filled air I was breathing. Oh well. That's what you get for living in the city, I guess.

Well, went to my chiropractor. He's got two new partners on board with him and I'm really excited to work with them, too. One of them I know is really cool. Haven't met the other person. If you get migraines, I strongly recommend seeing a chiropractor. You won't necessarily notice what you're missing right away and you'll think that it's not that helpful, but when you stop going for two months, you realize how important it is to keep your body in physical balance.

That's all for now. Till next episode entitled, "pharmacist's job threatened by psycho patient's talks of calling the corporate office and having her fired due to pharmacist's refusal of service". Nah, I hope it doesn't go that far. But it just amazes me how someone twice my age acts like they are half my age. OK, done venting! Really!

Day 23 of the Master Cleanse (read my archives starting with: "The Last Supper" for more info/details.) is here... Not much to report on it. Really enjoying the lemonade mixture. I've grown very fond of the taste. Still not sure how far I'm gonna take this. I have to admit... Reading my fellow bloggers meal descriptions and smelling food are making me miss it somethin' fierce...

Season 4 of one of my all time favorite cartoons, Futurama, came out today. About to enjoy a cup of ecchinacea/elderberry tea by Traditional Medicinals and watch an episode or three. Futurama is a comedy by the creator of The Simpson's about a zany, intergalactic, delivery company a thousand years in the future... Chalk full of intelligent humour and just plain retardedness. I love it.

Would like to share just a few simple tips on living healthier and happier. Common sense really...

1) Eat as much raw, organic/wild as you can.(Vs. cooked)

2) NEVER, EVER, use microwaves.

3) Switch to natural personal care products! (read my last blog)

4) Quit smoking!

5) Eat and exercise right for your type!

6) Get plenty of sun shine! (Not too much!)

7) Don't overdo the wine/alcohol intake!

8) Research and try out different cleansing procedures.(Liver/gallbladder flush, colonics, enemas, bowel cleanse, parasite/fungal cleanse, etc.)

9) Drink 1/2 oz. of pure water per pound of body weight a day! Avoid tap water if you can! Choose distilled, reverse osmosis, or spring water.

Add a pinch of good grey sea salt/lemon juice to assist in electrolyte balance and cleansing.

10) Meditate. Everyone can and should benefit from a regular form of meditation.

11) Eat to live! Don't live to eat...

12) Keep plants in the house. They brighten your mood, and convert CO2 to O2.

13) Start enjoying the benefits and taste of assorted herbal teas today!

That's it for today gang. More later. And again. Thanks for everyones comments/support/advice. I really appreciate it! As always, any Q's, let me know!

Well....I immediately fell off the band wagon after making a promise to cook one veggie a day for myself at least. Saturday went well - ate an entire bunch of collard greens throughout the day but by Sunday they were gone. And we ended up going for a nice drive, feed the squirrels in the park and cleaned around the apartment that I forgot to make the broccoli/cauliflower I was planning. Almost went today with out it too! I kept saying "oh...I;ll make it in the morning - how hard can it be to cut some broccoli and steam it right before I go to work." Then relaity kicked in as I like sleep more than my alarm and just barely was able to pour some millet cereal and rice milk in some tupperware to munch on the bus.

I'm currently enjoying a quesadilla I made myself with Trader Joe's Flour Tortillas, colby and yougurt cheese and non-GMO turkey slices and a little paprika. Very tastey. Oh, and a large side of broccoli....of course. A fellow dieter wrote in and reccomended blanching for kale and collards, which I hadn't thought about before. Simply bring a pot of water to a roaring boil, add in clean, de-stemmed kale/collards and cook for only 1 minute! Remove and enjoy! I just got some collards yesterday - my goal is to cook the cauliflower and collards tonight. And adjust the wedding list and look for more hotel rooms for guests and update my resume.......too much to do unfortunately. I am going to make veggies a top priority though.

On another note, I've noticed a lot of people raving about kale, which I'm now itching to try. I haven't gotten it before b/c our local veggie mart doesn't offer it so, it's something I'll have to search for. Edna (an O) also mentioned how cutting grains out of her diet has lead her to eat more vegetables naturally. It's a good point. You won't eat as much when your body eats what's right for it. I find that even as an AB and just eating Beneficial grains, I get MORE veggie cravings than ever before in my life. It's like my body knows exactly what it needs to be balanced. Unfortunately, I haven't been preparing them so when that craving comes at work, there's no where to get them :-( I just have to be more diligent about fixing them in the future b/c Micky D's sure won't!

for anyone interested in that dance performance I attended (any Springsteen fans in particular), copy and paste this website on your browser:

http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1237/article12392.asp

Patty Scialfa (Springsteen's wife) and Soozie Tyrell (member of Springsteen's band and choreographer Smith's sister) have some wonderful music that is worth checking out! The dance was history in the making. I've truly never seen anything like it and it hit me on such a deep level.

Not much new in my neck of the woods. Some strange dreams though. Involving politicians. Very very strange. I woke up, had some Ethiopian food, and went back to bed. I think dreaming on a full stomach is dangerous. That's always when dreams get the weirdest. And that's always how heartburn comes with all that spice.

What a wonderful way to start the day....with Sun Salutations! Yes, I got a free DVD sample copy with 15 minutes of sun salute instruction with Yoga Journal.

Watched some of the Olympics. Wow, I can't believe that tiny little 4'11" Japanese woman won the marathon! Being that I'm not much taller, it reminds me that height should NOT be an excuse for lack of athletic ability!

Ate that quinoa tabouli, cucumber dill yogurt salad, and later, some organic raspberries.

Then I went to a wonderful dance production at the Southern Theater on the west bank/cedar ave. A patient of ours invited us because he danced in it. It was just wonderful! I was afraid I wouldn't make it to the performance because there was a huge accident on the interstate, but I did! On the way there, I ate one of those gluten-free shortbreads from the Wedge. Yes, it was really neat. The music was Bruce Springsteen, his wife, and one other lady I cannot remember without grabbing the program.

Had a cup of coffee at the performance. I really miss dancing....you know, when I was a little kid, my mom took dancing lessons (she also took them in college and when she was younger). I think I want to take them up again as an adult, too. I took a belly dancing class once last year but didn't get through it because of work and fatigue and stuff. But it was fun. I used to go to a lot of nightclubs in college and even my first year out of school because I love techno and I love going out on the dancefloor, but those days are so far away it seems now. Plus the clubs are such meat markets here and so smoky, too. When I lived in Omaha, I was at the Max almost every weekend at one point. Then here in MPLS The Quest was full of great DJs. Somehow though, it's just not fun without a group of carefree friends.

Anyway, off that tangent, decided to walk around the West Bank/Cedar Ave. a little longer. It had been so long since I'd been there. Such cute little shops. Then my guiltiest leftie pleasure: Mayday Books! I couldn't help it, I had to buy a book or two!

Walked over to the North Country co-op. It serves the neighborhood hippies as well as the Ethiopian and Somalian immigrants. I bought a wedge of watermelon (which I'm nibbling as we speak) and also had a cup of carrot-ginger soup! Yum! And also a Bach Flower essence-Wild Oat. Such a quaint little place....

Finally, I ended my journey at the Red Sea Restaurant and had Misser Watt. (Red lentils in a berbere sauce with staple injera bread (made of teff) along with some green beans. Oh, anytime I think about moving to the country (and eating a lot of peaches, just kidding), the thought of going over a month without Ethiopian food really scares me. I love Ethiopian food. And I love to support family/local businesses. Needless to say, they were tipped well.

That's all for now. Hopefully I can keep this writing streak up so that you guys actually have something to read.

Hey fellow BTD's. Day 21 for me on the Master Cleanse... Doing OK. Having some pressure in the sinus area the last two days... I don't like it. Perhaps more lemon juice will do the trick... Other than that, I started paying attention to the body fat/muscle thing. I really have lost almost all of the little fat I had. The muscles appear very tone. I do not appear to have lost any muscle mass at all.



On a more important note. I wanted to touch on a subject that everyone should be concerned with these days. TOILETRIES & PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS!

We, as health conscious people, dedicate time, money, and effort to keep ourselves healthy and happy. We do this by avoiding the avoids, focusing on the beneficial, and grazing on neutrals. We do what we can to keep our stress levels in check, excessive right for our type, the list goes on and on.

Avoiding the avoids is a big part of being a follower of the BTD. Why? Because the avoids are poison! Why then, would we cover ourselves, and our families, with poison every day!? I'm talking about your toiletries gang. From head to toe, many of us cake ourselves in toxins, day in, and day out. Let's look at some of the stuff we liberally slather about our persons...

Hair and face: Shampoo, conditioner, chemical dyes, hair spray/gel/styling products, make up of all sorts, acne medications, topical poisons, lip balm, etc.

Mouth: Toothpaste, mouth wash, floss, ointments, teeth bleaching products, metal fillings, breath sprays, chewing gums, etc.

Body: Soap, deodorants, ointments, pain creams, topicals, toilet paper, tampons, baby wipes, panty liners, lotion, etc.



What the $&#!?@! Why would we do this to ourselves?! Sodium laureth sulfate, aluminum, mercury, propelyne glycol, fluoride, chlorine, titanium dioxide, alcohol, yellow 5 and assorted dyes and colorings, petroleum, CFC's, GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE!!!!



Industrial toxins people! GET RID OF THEM! Either throw them away now, or finish what you have and start buying natural products as soon as you can. I encourage all of you to read the labels on your personal care products. Now I challenge you to do a little research on some of the poisons/toxins/carcinogens that you find, and that I've listed above. You'll be shocked! Trust me.



Go to your local (or the closest) health food/grocery store. Check out the natural foods section or the natural personal care section if they have one. You'll find a vast array of products made for us to take care of ourselves without killing ourselves!



There is a nasty poison ALL of the most common products that I've listed above! There's also a perfectly natural and safe alternative on the shelf of the stores I just told you to visit! If you can't find them there, buy them on-line, or, through mail order.



Here is a short, and incomplete list of brand names that I've become fond of:

Avalon (Shampoos, conditioners etc.)

Burt's Bees (facial care, lotions, lip balms, hand creams, toothpaste, etc.)

Rich's MSM Lotions

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

J/A/S/O/N (toothpaste, mouthwash, hair styling, deodorant, etc.)



Of course there are MANY more. These are just the brand names I have lying around. I'll find some more and post them soon! Later gang!

0900 hours…‘Oohh… come on… brown sugar, how come you taste so good’… the last sounds echoing madly through his ears as his car is brought to a complete stop.

Mike forgoes the lift up to his lair and decides too work his legs by taking the stairs up 10 flights. As the door to the stair well closes behind him, a swell of heat engulfs him… making his blood almost ‘bubble’ and his pressure ‘rise’. The two-minute jaunt up feels more like 20. He exits to a rush of chilly air and fumbles for his keys into his entry security device.

Once inside, wasting no time, he enters his shadowy kitchen. ‘This is it …there’s no turning back’. He moves to the distant corner of the room and opens two cabinets that contain the gear that will hopefully help him reach his next culinary summit. Like a good mountain climber, he confirms he has the tools necessary for his ascent.

4l and 2l stainless steel mixing basins …check…. hand churn…check…12 crater mix depository…check…. early 80’s brunette Westinghouse range…check…. sifter …uncheck (sorry, my testosterone wouldn’t allow me to buy one)…mixing splotch…check…measuring beaker…check.

Ingredients:

1 cup of buckwheat flour (type O and A) or Oat Flour (B, A

I cup of white spelt flour

2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon of salt

1/3-cup sugar

2 tablespoons of honey

1-cup soymilk

¼ cup canola oil (B substitute butter)

1 egg, beaten

½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

'All check'

Behind one last drawer lies the one element, which will Smack! confidence into his task…the baker’s cowl…the white apron. With it securely around his neck, Mike turns up his brunette’s heat to 350 degrees and like a good mechanic, he greases the mix depository. In the large basin, he carefully measures the ingredients with his beaker until the end when he Kapow(s)! the salt and Bam(s)! the baking powder into the bowl…’Watch out…that’s too much powder

In the small basin he whisks the wet ingredients and calmly combines the desiccated and the sopping components. Lastly he folds the little blueberry bombs into the mixture.

The craters are ready to be filled.

With his strong hands, he gently fills each cup to the top and transports his creation to the Westinghouse. Checking the timer on the stove, the clock set at 10:53 pm, he adjusts and sets it to go off in 20 minutes.

Tick, tock…tick tock…as the seconds pass, our apronned crusader sits patiently to await his ultimate fate. Will they come out as paperweights or as soggy nothings? Until next time.





Hey kids…the word ‘Bake” is secretly coded in todays blog…the first person who can figure out where or how it’s coded and emails me with the answer will win a free copy of CRFYBT (Cook Right for your Blood Type)…Good Luck

Started my day at French Meadow Cafe and Bakery.

The omelette du jour was black bean, squash, garlic, and parmesian but I had the server use feta instead. Every time I come I find the waitstaff to be a little absent-minded, but you know, hey, at least they aren't behind the counter where I work. It's only food. I really like the place otherwise.

Speaking of absent-minded, I keep forgetting the omelette plate comes with my two nemeses: hash browns and bread (unfortunately not the non-wheat kind all the time).

Dropped by a good place to rent a flick: Cinema Revolution. I discovered this place above the Taj after eating there last weekend. This place is really cool for anyone in the Twin Cities who'd like to rent something a little different while supporting local business. Last week I rented a really good French movie starring Audrey Tautou (star of Amelie). The film is called "He Loves Me, He Love Me Not." I found it very hard to watch Audrey in this kind of movie. It's not that she isn't a good actress, but after Amelie, she's just got that cute innocent look and persona that I find diffcult to detach.

I also rented two other great flicks there: The Pianist. If you are in the mood to have a good cathartic cry, this is the movie to watch. The cathartic cry hits you when you least expect it, but it's totally worth it. You cry for love and music and humanity.

Then I watched Outfoxed. Please rent this documentary. Please please please. Everyone reading this, I beg you. Please let the brainwashing stop before November.

Yeah, Ok, I'm a little to the left. I'll admit it. I have a bleeding heart for the underdog, for the under-represented, for the ignored. But please realize if I did not have this streak in me, I would never have come to the point of eating organics and reading about (and subsequently following) the blood type diet. When mainstream "heathcare" gurus, as Whitney suggests in her blog, disregard the theories and collected evidence of D'Adamo, it's because of these lacking double-blind studies. However, in the world of mainstream medicine, these mega-studies are full of flaws, manipulative data, and peer-reviewed author bias, and usually only possible to complete when deep pockets are involved. Oh, yeah, and don't forget all the lab animals put through lethal experiments before phase I can even begin. Can't make an omelette w/o breaking some eggs, I guess....

What I admire about D'Adamo is that there is a slow but steady improvement in how the diet continues to modify and fine tune itself based on both scientific and anecdotal evidence. It's not being bastardized. D'Adamo is not selling out. He maintains that "purity." He is not the Britney Spears of dieting. He is a scientist and healer first and foremost. It's not like the Lo-Carb revolution with all its silly wheat gluten and soy protein bars, filled with all sorts of artificial ingredients like sorbitol. Lo-carb is a craze gone out of control because in order for it to appeal to the general American public and sell, it has to be quick, easy, with no critical thinking required by the consumer. Furthermore, it has to keep people in a comfort zone by selling things that are famliar. I mean, c'mon, low carb bread??? How many times have you seen THAT advertised in the grocery stores this year? It makes me gag. While it's complex to master the BTD (perhaps that's why it attracts so many intellectuals with doctorate degrees such as, well, pharmacists), the food staples remain simple. If nothing else, this diet allows you to keep the artificial crap out of your body. The diet reconnects us to nature through science. Is that not the ultimate marriage?

Today I rented Prozac Nation. What I like about this little rental place is that the guy who owns it goes out of his way to purchase stuff that's banned from distribution/sales in the US. This copy was originally sold in CHINA! It was my civic duty to protest the ban (we are a free country, right?) and rent this movie. I'll let you know later if it's worth your time.

Then, off to the Wedge. Bought some roses. And some mache. And some mint pilaf, and some clilantro lime pilaf, and some quinoa tabouli, and some garlicky green beans. And some maple rice latte, and a shot of wheatgrass. And some Apricot Lentil Soup! Oh, oh, oh, I LOVE the the Wedge!

OK, done sharing the love.

Last bit of food for thought. Just when I think, "Why, why, why am I a pharmacist? Why do we need all these drugs?", I walk by a schizophrenic lady talking to herself at the bus depot. Then I think, "Maybe drugs aren't so bad" and "Thank God for neuroleptics." If only we could just minimize our societal use.

Hmmm.... Day 19 today... Tomorrow, then, is obviously day 20... A well rounded number. One a guy could call this fast of his off, and slowly and carefully integrate whole foods into his diet again. I'll think about it... Really not sure how far I want to take this. I know I have a lot of detoxing to do, but, how much to do the first time? Should I break things off now? End with a bang and do a liver flush after 20 days of fasting? Go for another 20? In all likelihood I'll continue on... See how much I can get done. Doing OK so far.. So... Any advice from experienced fasters is welcome! To answer some questions, I have lost some body fat, not a great deal as I didn't have much to begin with. I haven't lost any muscle mass that I'm aware of... I haven't been paying very close attention really... You can't really lose healthy tissue on the Master Cleanse though. It contains all the minerals/vitamins/calories/building materials a body needs for the duration of the fast. Supposedly, any and all weight loss can be attributed to toxins, calcium deposits, mucous, fecal matter, water, etc. being cleansed from the body. And there's a lot!



On a different note, I got my DSL connection going on my new computer! 1.5mbps. Not too shabby! I LOVE this thing! This'll probably translate to more frequent blogging, and, sadly... A LOT of wasted time. I've always had a weak spot for losing my self in a good video game... Now I have the worlds best at my finger tips... Blast all this power! My kingdom for some will power! Ha ha. I had previously been doing all my net based stuff at the families house. Now I have set up in my bedroom! Much less hassle not having to venture over there every day... Less wasted gas too... But, I suppose we won't be seeing much of each other anymore. Hmmm.... A good thing?



I would now like to address an issue. To those of you thinking about trying your own fasts, PLEASE! Do your homework before beginning! You MUST prepare! There is also a specific way you need to "break" the fast! You can kill yourself if you don't know what you're doing! I advise you to go buy "The Master Cleanser" by, Stanley Burroughs. Or, head to curezone.com for all sorts of fasting/misc. health info.

I've eaten too many brownies!!!

What a shock....knew I shouldn't have made baked goods with no company around. The O nonnie isn't too fond of chocolate so the ultra fudginess was all mine. Compliant as they were, I'm begining to notice that too much of neutral things makes me feel a little sick....and bloated. Now don't go getting paranoid. 3 potato chips won't hurt us AB's but 1/2 a bag doesn't make me feel good anymore.....even the "Terra Blue" ones.

I have a new challenge for us! As I type this, my counter now reads 4,884 visitors. This is amazing!!! I never though sooooo many people would check out something I wrote. And maybe some of them actually read it......and cared!!! Whooo-hoo! So, since there's about 5,000 of you out there, we need to get together! If not in person, then through group projects.....yeah!!!! Blood Dieter's Unite!!!!

So, my/our first challenge I think needs to be on vegetables. I do not eat enough of them and I'm guessing 99% of you don't either. Sure, it's all of our faults but, there's a lot of factors. Veggies don't always taste good. To some of us, they've NEVER tasted good. They take more time to cook and pre-pare than a frozen chicken burrito. And they go bad really quick! I just salvaged a thing of collard greens earlier tonight! And I'm supposed to be a role model!

"So, Miss BTD Blogger...inspiration to the masses....how many vegetables did you eat before you made collards tonight....."

"Oh, none...."

"None!!! Seize the imposter!!! She is no longer worthy of the cause....banishment to the Ural Mountains......FOREVER!!!"

Fortunately, the diet guards are only in my head. ERFYT & LRFYT are guidelines. The more you follow them, the healthier you'll be. No banishment.

So, it is my goal to actively fix one vegetable dish a day. Hopefully I'll eat more (you know, cucumbers in the sandwhich, ordering the salad at the restaurant instead of potatoes, grabbing a carrot on the go....) But, if I am to REALLY incorportate more bene and neutral veggies in my diet, I must actively fix dishes and NOT LET THEM GO BAD IN THE REFRIDGERATOR!!! This is my new challenge and I challenge anyone reading this to do the same thing. If this is too hard, remember "What About Bob" and use baby steps. Try preparing those veggies every 2 days or every other day. ("Baby steps on the bus, Gil, baby steps...") Or if you've never eaten vegetables in your life (I do know a few of those) try fixing just one dish a week. There's lots of good recipes in Cook Right For Your Type and abundant recipes by doing a google search on-line.

So come.....let us eat more greenery!!! Huzzah for the vegetable!!!!

Please, write me a comment and let me know how you're doing with the vegetables. Trials, tribulations, recipes and ideas. Let me know and we can conquer them together!!!

…. 0700 hours…as the sun desperately tries to pry the shades apart, Mike Staffieri wakes from a restful slumber, a bit dazed and confused…the previous night surrounded by dangerous lectins lurking in the deep shadows of aromatic and flavorful food, in their den of dens…. the dinner party… hiding and waiting for him to fall into a moment of temporary insanity or intoxication.They do not know that he is trained by the best to resist.

He pulls the blinds open with a forceful tug, and feels the wrath of the sun as it soaks him, washing away the last remnants of his lethargic state. A new day has begun and the first course of business today for the mild mannered Mike is…’must make lunch for my little girl’.

‘Lets see what do have here…lets get a spelt bun…some turkey breast, tomatoes, bit of butter won’t hurt my little O…put it all together… wrap it up…get a banana...slightly open it (because the little one has not mastered the fine art of peeling bananas)…see if we have any Soyogurt left…Ah one left…peach flavor…what to drink…let’s put some cherry juice mixed with some bottled water in her drink container and viola…a lunch fit for my little O’

As I watch my little girl eating her breakfast, I am momentarily blinded by a reflection of light off the side of a stainless steel mixing bowl…like a beacon of light in the sky, it is calling to me. I do not know how much longer I can resist. I quickly stare down at my timepiece and realize I must get my girl to the bus leaving for science camp in 13 minutes.

My little robin and I descend into the deep cavern known as ‘the condo parking garage’, jump into my car equipped with it’s all wheel drive and many other safety features and bullet towards the blind exit into the madness known as the ‘morning rush hour’ Weaving my way in and out, I drive ever aware, for a blue and white could be lurking in the gloom of a wheat breeding donut shop, waiting to trounce. I barely make out the looming yellow behemoth in the distance as the sun crosses my path blinding my coarse. I drive closer and lo and behold…I have reached ‘the magic” vehicle with only seconds to spare. My girl is safely in.

Driving back, with Devo in loud performance from the car intercom…’Whip it…I say whip it…Whip it good’…uneasiness engulfs me. I have waited and fought, I know when I return to my lair, I must do what few men have done before. I must partake in the mixing of dry and wet, of coarse and runny, of dark and light and of sweet and sour. I must…………

This concludes our first suspense filled episode…return next time and hear our mild mannered Mike say…”Watch out…that’s too much powder”

Still holdin' out. Quite surprised how easy this is. The hardest thing to do is read the new bloggers (David Ray) entries with out wanting to eat what he is talking about! Smelling/reading about food is one of the obstacles. Watching people eat does it to me too... It's all good though. I'm not sure how long I plan to do this... 20 days? 40? 59? My only complaints right now are slightly dark circles under the eyes, and an occasional lack of energy... And... Of course... The liquid bowel movements... Sorry.

Have settled into a bit of a routine. Here goes:

Wake up, drink Homosone (nacent oxygen powder) mixed with water and lemon juice. It gets the bowels movin' as there is no fiber on the Master Cleanse. Really clears you out too... I'll spare you the details...

Have a cup of peppermint or green tea. Sometimes I'll sub the water in the first serving of lemonade for tea. It serves to perk me up in the morning before meditation. Kind of a no no as far as the rules of the cleanse though...

Meditate. That's right. Long time readers know that I meditate EVERY SINGLE DAY, for an hour with a program called Holosync. I love it to death, and it has done wonders for me. The commitment is tough. It takes up time. But... Discipline make sit happen. For more info on Holosync, just google it. I am currently on the 2nd of 13 levels.

Make lemonade. This is a real chore. I usually work 8 hours a day, so I have to make a big match to get me through. Normally I make 8 servings in two 40 oz Nalgene bottles and take them with me.

Juice 4-8 lemons (I need 8oz of pulp free juice for 8 servings) mix with 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, add 64 oz of water, and add the maple syrup. You can use 1-3 Tbsp. of syrup per serving. I have been using 10 Tbsp. of maple, and 2 Tbsp of blackstrap mollasses for 8 servings. Seems to work for me. I then add whatever else I fancy. A bit of turmeric, black walnut/clove bud/wormwwod tincture, liquid cell renew (nacent oxygen + enzymes), vitamin C powder... You know... Whatever....

Go to work. *Blah*

Get home. I'll usually have a cup of Yogi Peach Detox tea, or a cup of Traditional Medicinals ecchinacea/elderberry tea. Soothes me after a hectic work day. Not much time left now. I'll normally just watch a movie, read, or dink around on the new computer.

More later. Stay tuned gang! And... Not spell checking this...

Every once in a while, especially when I get the chance to sleep in like this morning, I have some very messed up dreams. This one was particularly messed up! First thing as I got up from the dream this morning I wanted to write about it though now it's hours later and some details are a bit fuzzy.

I'm a high anxiety person and my dreams are very often anxiety dreams. The end of this dream was definitely an anxiety dream! This is what happens when you work nine days in a row!!!!

The dream started out at the pharmacy. A customer came up with a prescription for 325 mg enteric coated aspirin once daily. (EC-ASA 325 mg po qd). Upon rx verificaiton, my DUR screen came up and I realized the patient had a salicylate allergy. This, in turn, caused me to delay dispensing the medication. The patient needed it right away. I was determined to find the doctor to call for a replacement. Normally this is just a matter of phone tag, but in the dream, it was a Friday evening and I left the pharmacy to find the answer.

I arrived at a convention center. It was part MPLS convention center, part race track, and part Milkwaukee Art Museum in its architecture. I went up the stairs and sat down in a stadium watching an air show. Most of the spectators were outside, very few people were inside which was strange considering how much warmer it was inside the building. It was like some best kept secret.

I left the stadium, going down an elevator. My cousin and her husband were there and now the place was more like a gigantic night club/lounge full of little rooms with neato lighting. So she and her husband were sitting on this cushy sofa and I began drinking wine with them. We started to watch a video and guess who was in the video? Jennifer! (fellow blogger). As mentioned in Jennifer's blog, she came by the pharmacy the other day to visit. But in the dream, her hair was shorter. She was doing this sort of comedy show with her husband (whom I've never met but just made up some image in my dream). The three of us were laughing at the show and the parodies.

I left the room and walked into another room where there were two physicians in their white coats, wriitng up charts and definitely not wanting to be bothered. I came up to the one who wrote the prescription for the patient and asked for a replacement. He said, "give him some thistle instead." I walked away nodding my head. But I started to question his reponse. Milk thistle or blessed thistle? How will this thin the blood? How many drops? How many times per day? How long?

Suddenly I realized that I'M SUPPOSED TO BE AT WORK!!! HOLY CRAP! NOBODY IS IN THE PHARMACY! HOW ARE PATIENTS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP THEIR MEDS?? I'VE GOT TO GET BACK!

I charge up the elevator to a parking garage. Most people had already left whatever convention was going on but there were still tons of cars trying to get out of the lot. I was frantically trying to come up with some excuse as to why I wasn't at work to man the pharmacy. I ran in a hurry to my vehicle which was parked a little corner of the garage. There was this big famly with small children standing around my car since they owned the car next to me. It was a white family but they had an adopted asian daughter. Why this family was not getting into the car or moving family members away from my vehicle as I'm about to drive off, I don't know. All I know is that I turned on the engine. Although my foot was on the break the car went into reverse and the four year old Asian girl under my car was playing against my tire. I felt a bump and immediately turned off my car and ran out to see what happened. The little girl was crying, but there was no blood. The family was standing around in horror. I screamed, "Oh my God, Call 911!" It was one of those moments where you want to run away but know that that would just make things worse. We started to carry the little girl toward an entrance and here I am thinking, "well, now I have a legitimate work excuse..."

And then I woke up. Boy was I glad to know that I didn't run over a four year old girl!

I welcome any dream interpretations.

So, back to the diet. I'm not going to go in order because that's just not going to happen. I'll write what comes to mind.

This morning I woke up and went to the lobby of my bldg. A local grocery delivery company set up free breakfast for the residents. I had a cup of coffee, some strawberries and pineapple, and being naughty, had a mini cinnabun and half a bagel which I took back to my place and dipped in olive oil from last night. I also grabbed a grape juice which I plan to drink later on today.

Leads me to last night....

Got off work and dropped by INtelligent Nutrients. Drank a shot of wheatgrass. The guy running the place knew I was serious about my wheatgrass. I put it up to the sunlight before I drank it to activate the chlorophyll and then swished it around my mouth before I swallowed. I also had an "aquatonic", basically juice with seltzer water. I requested lemon and pineapple juice. He also put some herbal elixir in it, this one was a combo of milk thistle and dandelion.

Went to ToKalon for a quick 20 min chair massage. Needed it!

Proceeded to Figlio's and ordered their heirloom insalata caprese to go after eyeing their ad for heirlooms with my mouth watering for the past month. I hate to say it, but it was a disappointment. The tomatoes just weren't all that good. Much better at Le Sofitel two weeks ago. But the mozarella and basil were nice.

They also gave me some bread which I probably should have skipped but decided to eat anyway as I watched the Olympics. Also at some dark chocolate turtles from Maud Borup's for dessert.

Sunday was by far my favorite food day. Work was horrible that day. One tech failed to show up. I was physcially exhausted by the time my shift was over. Over the course of that eight hours I took five minutes out of my day to eat a mixed green salad with a very nice vinegar-free dressing made by Annie's. It's the green garlic one. Only questionable ingredient in the entire bottle is the Xantham Gum.

After work I went to an indian restaurant (The Taj). Had a much needed glass of merlot with Saag Paneer (spinach and paneer cheese) and jasmine rice. The waitstaff was very nice. Server kept saying, "God Bless You" as I completed the bill/transaction. It felt good to hear that.

That was such a nice meal. Plenty of leftovers for the next day, too!

More food talk on the way, but for now it's time to log off.

Oh, yes, and here is my favorite coffee drink as of late (from the Wedge): maple soy latte. Yum!

Music: All I really want - Melissa Ethridge?

Mood: Fudge-a-licious

Mmmmmmmm.....

I found a GOOD recipe on the web and it's compliant for most (unless you can't find ANY compliant flours). I used 3/4 of a cup of reg 100% RYE flour instead of the two wheat flours and I can't tell the difference. I licked the bowl too :-D I also added a hand-full of walnuts to mine. I found this on www.fatfree.com and the author is mormaker@rmii.com As you may have guessed....I'm having sweet cravings right now. Nothing wrong with that. It's just good to find things that are on the diet even when your brain is telling you to cheat. And my tummy can't tell the difference with this one :-) If you're an O, try using ALMOND extract instead of the vanilla. And if apples are off your list, you could always use a compliant oil instead. (ex.: canola) And if you're an O family, I guess you should put in the whole egg since the yolks have all that good vitamin K that you need. But I'm not sure if that would make it just 1 or 2 whole eggs.......



Fat-Free Fudge Brownies



1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. unbleached flour

1/4 c. plus 2 T. cocoa

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

3 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla



Combine dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry

ingredients. Pour into an 8x8 in pan sprayed lightly with nonstick cooking

spray (I use olive oil spray). Bake at 325 F. for 23-25 min., or just until the edges are firm and

the center is set. (30 min. if your at a super high altitude.)

COOL TO ROOM TEMPERATURE and cut into squares.

But who says you must cut them into squares? Why not triangles? Baklava is in triangles, (ohhhh the flaky goodness.....if we AB's are destined to be flaky, we should then taste like baklava I think.....) So....why not triangle brownies? Equality for baked goods of all shapes.....hurrah! Oh...and how about some red wine? Who else LOVES a good, full bodied yet slightly tart red wine with their chocolate? Party time at my place! Just me, myself and the brownies!!! Well, maybe I'll share some with Carlos....:-)

Music: Beat It ( Michael Jackson)

Mood: Nostalgic



This week I am off from work but decided to stay home and spend the whole week with my little girl. My daughter has two weeks left of her summer vacation and this week she is at a science day camp…she is learning of all things, to build a small robot. When I picked her up, I decided that we would eat all our meals together at home. In effect we were going to have a slow food week as opposed to a fast food week. I sat down with her and asked her what her favorite meals were. This is a question I do not ask because usually she is with me 4 days out of the month. Considering she was going to spend a whole week with me, it warranted the question. As she rhymed off all the meals and food her mother made I was marking each food with a B, N and A. There was a good mixture of all three. Off to the market we went and $75.00 of groceries later, half of which were organic, we were set for the week.

The first night I made some burgers mixed with cherries (antioxidant boost). I got this tip out of Dr D’s Cancer book. I de pitted the cherries and pureed them in a blender and mixed it with the ground beef and various other goodies and surprisingly they were good. I found some spelt buns for them and I made some sweet potato fries to go along. As we slowly munched away, we talked about the Olympics and about my daughter’s first pet…a 12-week-old bulldog who’s name was (figure this one out) Poseidon. I never knew that bulldogs have webbed feet. Apparently this is the name the breeder gave to the dog. I spent the last 10 minutes of the meal trying to convince her that she needed to pick a name a little more appropriate. She would not waver…Poseidon it was.

As I was clearing the table, my daughter sat there waiting with an expectant look on her face. ‘Let me guess…dessert?’ I didn’t have any. She was a little disappointed and remarked…’but Dad…. you’re the Muffin Man’ I was taken a little aback with the remark, because it has been about 4 years since I have heard anyone call me by that name. Apparently my daughter remembered her mother calling me this on many occasions when we were still married. Now if you’re thinking I was one to bake or was constantly eating muffins, you’re wrong on both accounts. I have no idea where the name came from originally but obviously it stuck.

My daughter’s little remark did get me to thinking that I should try my hand at baking. So the next morning I drove to the nearest Kitchen supply store ( I was the only man in the whole place and had three woman asking me if I needed help) I came out with cake pans, muffin tins, pie plates and a hand beater. I dashed off to the supermarket again to pick up some spelt and buckwheat flour along with some baking soda, eggs and blueberries. I’m first going to attempt to make some blueberry muffins from scratch so my daughter has some dessert for our meal tonight. I’ll let you know how I fair. Until then….

Look!!… In the sky…. it’s a flying zucchini…no!!… It’s a soaring sausage…

No

It’s MUFFIN MAN!!

Stay tuned

Good Morning!

Here's the menu from yesterday.....see if you can find my problems.....

Wake up late.....able to fix myself some spinach but no time to eat it so off I run to the bus with tuperware in hand. Did have lemon water though and my vitamins. By the time I got to work I was starving. Being with the kids though, I couldn't really eat anything. Thank goodness for my purse! I had a handful of walnuts. 3 hours later, while the kids ate there lunch, I had another handful of walnuts.

Then I heated up my spinach, looking forawrd to it's green yumminess, only to be too distracted by the children pleading me to buy them snacks next door (filled with corn and corn syrup, of course). So, I forget my spinach and darn it! I don't want to go back inside that place until my break is over.

I made the mistake of getting a seafood salad sandwich at Subway. It used to be my favorite but I hadn't looked on the ingredient labels so I knew I was taking a chance. Some immitation crab is made from flounder. Sure enough I got a bit of a grumbly tummy afterwards. And the 3 Subway "Atkins Friendly" cookies I ate just made me feel worse. I know they have some sort of bad additive in them b/c despite my stomach, I couldn't stop eating them. I later looked on line and FINALLY found the ingredient listing for their food. The seafood is made from pollock but ingredient #4 is REAL crab meat and #5 is corn starch, not to mention the canarregan (sp?), oysters (way down on the list) and some other things I can't pronounce. The tuna seems to be the healthiest thing there other than a compliant veggie sandwich. But why should I get their tuna when I can make it at home for the equivelant of a $1 and on ezekiel bread to boot! I get back and continue to have a stressful day with children who want to do nothing but eat things containing corn syrup and other evil sweetners or play their new gameboy SP's. These children don't have enough pencils and erasers for school but do they all have the latest electronic toy? Yes....Even when we go for a walk to the park they complain. I've never met a lazier bunch of students......but I don't blame them so much as their environment and upbringing. If their parent's don't take any responsibility why should they?

5pm finally comes. Beloved picks me up and asks if I want to go to the bar. "Definately," is my response. We love Croxley's. I finally get to eat that darn spinach while in the car. I did have a little bit of ketchup while at the bar (vinegar and dreaded corn syrup) but, everything else was fine. 2 Belgian wheat beers over the course of the evening (hoegarrden's) and I ordered a very fat turkey burger (REAL Turkey Meat) with sauteed mushrooms and mozzerella cheese. I also dipped a few of my french fries in the blue cheese that was for the wings. (Naughty Avoid cheese!) Once again resisted the 10cent chicken wings of deliciousness and opted for the $10 burger instead......you can see why some of my friends think this is sheer lunacy. It is expensive but then I think...."come on, how much would you pay to get rid of an extra 5-15 pounds? Isn't $10 here and there worth it?"

Have to go and fix some eggs so I don't have a repeat morning of yesterday!

Today is a busy one. I’m getting ready to leave town for a couple of weeks to visit with some friends in Florida. Yes, I know they just had a hurricane. I’ve had my ticket for a while now, and there isn’t a good reason to reschedule my trip. I’ll have a chance to buy different food and try to follow my diet while living with an unfamiliar kitchen and shops, etc. With luck, I’ll come out all right. I expect to. I already know that I am better off to eat nothing than to suffer the consequences of eating the wrong choices. At the same time, my little “arsenal” of remedies will include a bit of loose goldenseal, along with my beloved grapefruit seed extract and rescue remedy and some sun screen (as well as my umbrella, can’t forget that!). All of these, plus a little common sense should keep me on my feet and active.

I’ll be back in full force when I return, a few days before Labour Day. I hope everyone is enjoying a good summer and relaxing with their friends, too.

Talk with you again soon! I’m sure there will be adventures to report.

Wow…. haven’t been on the web site for over a week…and all these changes. Paul Buckless, with his many contributions, has been immortalized into the hall of fame, deservedly so. Writing 150 blogs in 6 months takes a lot of dedication and imagination. I can see how you can run out of things to write about. I face this challenge currently, and I have only written 50 blogs. Seeing the ornamental head reef beside Paul’s photo, it would have been nice if it were super imposed on his head…with the Olympics presently on and it being in Greece…it would signify that Paul won the gold (and hearts of many BTDers).

When I first started this exercise in self-discovery back in January, I was thinking it would be like…’a year in the life of a BTDer’ … which is still my goal, but it has come to a point where a feel I can’t really put a time line on this venture. When I saw my visitor hit counter pass the 10000 mark just last week, I did not marvel at the number but rather looked at it as a marker for a point in time…I asked myself “how am I different from the person I was seven months ago” when I wrote my first blog. What insights have I gained about myself (excluding the biological aspects of my O blood type) and that of others? Underneath this miraculous work of machinery (our bodies) and under our unique personalities (which is another aspect of our being we all need to figure out)…lays our true essence…our innate nobility and spirit. Being on this diet and blogging has for myself stripped some ‘layers’ of my ‘human’ being away. There may come a time when this exercise in self-discovery may cease helping me peel back these layers and I might have to find another ‘avenue’ towards my true self. Until then I’ll keep blogging.

As for Paul, I would like to think that deep down he has come to this realization and he has decided to take another ‘road’.

If you’re reading this Paul…’Good luck on your new journey’.

Quick note! For some reason... Day 9 posted BELOW day 6! I couldn't tell ya' why... So, if you were keeping up w/me here, day nine is there, just scroll down to read it!



Juts got off of an 8 hour shift at work. Amazing how much energy I have considering I'm not eating... Makes sense I suppose. All the energy a guy would use for digestion is freed up for cleansing/healing, and working.



Today is day 13 for me. I've been talking to the folks over at curezone.com on the fasting forum there. Evidently some of the things I've been adding are no-no's to some. They say that adding vit. C powder, turmeric, mustard, and drinking green ea should not be done while on the Master Cleanse. Apparently, it can stimulate digestion/slow down the detox process... I'll ween myself off of adding/dabbling with stuff. Gonna be tough to give up the green tea though... Really got into this stuff by Yogi teas. My new favorite brand name. Speaking of tea, I've been meaning to order some of the Sip Right 4 Your Type for some time now. Time to get 'er done!



The irritability has passed for the most part... The sense of smell is still in high gear though... Really advanced. I enjoy smelling what other people are eating quite a bit! Still pretty cold too... Cold hands... Kind of embarrassing to shake hands with people at work.



Thanks for ALL the comments and advice/support. Keep 'em rollin' in. You guys keep me going. Any questions let me know. Later gang!

What sadness!!!

I was too busy to even realize Heidi left and then Paul stops blogging! His new position is definately a deserved one as the first "Hall of Famer." If you haven't read Paul Buckless' entries, please do. They are filled with good information for those of us with the A antigen in our blood and more than pleasurable to read.

My "busyiness" has stemmed from having company stay this past week and getting the wedding invites out. Oh yes, I'm having a wedding even though I'm already married. We eloped in early February. No one knew except one friend (the witness) So, once the families found out and got over their shock, everyone's demanding for a big hooo-haaa. And I have always wanted a fluffy wedding dress so.....we're getting married, again in October. Should be fun. I'm very much looking forward to it and our honeymoon in the Bahamas. (yippie!) But it's a lot of work, especially since my husband and I are the one's putting it on. So, after losing the address labels I ordered 2 months ago (must be with those socks that the dryer eats) I ended up doing the envelopes by hand. It really wasn't that bad and the effect is quite lovely. I know Martha Stewart would have been proud. :-)

So,.....what have I been eating.....not as healthy as usual. My lemon water every morning, of course or I'm sure I'd be as bloated as a puffer fish :-D But my vegetable intake has been less than satisfactory. What with coming home exhausted from breaking up fights at school and all my free time spent on wedding invites and logistics; food is, unfortunately, the last thing on my mind.....until my stomach starts growling and then I'm too distracted by hunger to cook much of anything.

Interestingly, this morning I forgot to take my vitamins and I reallly felt it's effects just 20 minutes ago. I noticed I was grochy and nothing in the fridge looked satisfying. I immediately took them once I heated up some semolina pasta. At first I wasn't sure I would eat it - there's no premade pasta sauce in the house, tomato or the forbidden cream sauces (a favorite before BTD) But then I decided to squish 2 cloves of garlic, fry them up, and add them too the pasta with lots of extra virgin olive oil. Delicious! Who would have known something soooooo simple would taste so good! I know, I should have cooked that bunch of collard greens sitting in the fridge to go with it. THAT would have Really hit the spot! But at least I didn't have a cheeseburger. It's all about maintaining. And until things calm down a bit....this will just have to do.

to say goodbye,

Now is the time to yield a sigh,

Now is the time to went awaaaay,

Until we meet again some sunny day.

With apologies to Pete n Dud. (Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) for pinching the theme to their 60's TV show.

The time has come to hand in my blogging pencil.

I have decided that this will be my last blog and I am standing down to let someone new come in with some fresh ideas and points of view.

I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts and ideas with you all and hopefully you have got something constructive out of it.

I have had a unique opportunity as one of the few non USA based bloggers to offer a slightly different point of view and approach on some issues.

Thanks to everyone, Peter, Cocky, fellow bloggers and all the people that took the time to write.

I'll miss you all. I'll still be around and if Peter is willing I may be able to post intermittently.

Keep on the BTD path and in the words of everyones favourite Vulcan "Live long and prosper"

Bye for now.

"Would you say it's a bit nipply here in Minnesota today?"

"Just a titty bit...."

Luckily I was at work all night where the lovely radiation from lights, computers, and body heat of people keep the pharmacy nice and toasty.

That, and seeing an old flame drop by my consultation window, yes, perhaps that kept me a bit flushed, too (you know who you are, haha). It was quite the surprise when you haven't seen someone in over a year.

So this has been an INTERESTING week for me in many ways. My friend Cat, mentioned in the previous blog, who came back into town to visit her family and me is my guardian angel and I am hers. She helped me organize my place. It looks so nice now! It's just my job to keep going with the organizational process. She gave me a great CD on which she did some back-up vocals and cello. Check out Chad Hinman (www.chadhinman.com). His music is considered alt country. It's mellow and deep. Great for rainy cold days when you just want to cuddle up to your honey.

We went to IKEA, too! It's unavoidable....that big blue box in the sky.....calls your name at night in your dreams...

"Erika, your place is a big fat mess. You need me. You need my cheap Eurotrash furniture designs. Make your pilgrimmage today."

So let's talk about food. Ate horribly for my blood type all weekend long as I was at a Forced Family Fun get-together. Whether it be Pizza Hut thin crust pizza, rhubarb pie, or Kentucky Fried Chicken, things were bleak for my poor, poor gut. I did manage to eat some things that were good though, such as watermelon and carrots. And salad. And drank red wine.

The babies were fairly well-behaved. Once is 22 months and one is two months. The third didn't make it to town as her parents didn't. The two month old is a darling. Rarely cried! If I had a kid like that, I'd be in heaven. Knowing my luck, if I have a baby, it'll be a colicky screamer.

If there is any reason why I DON'T want kids, it's because, I LOVE and I NEED LOTS OF SLEEP! I don't know how people function without it. I don't know how I functioned without it during school.

All I know is that when I got to bed at one am with Cat and then had to wake her up and take her butt to the airport at 4am this morning, I came right back home and slept till 11 am!!!

Later, went to the Wedge co-op. Had some gluten-free shortbread along with a shot of wheatgrass and a soy latte with maple syrup. Somehow that combination treated me well today at work. I was really on top of things, didn't feel overwhelmed.

Later, came back home, ate some "Mom's Walnut loaf" (from Wedge) and am about to have the mint pilaf rice. And there you have it, folks, one day in the life of Erika Klus.

Oh yes, something else...took Cat to Noodles and Company yesterday. I had the tofu pad thai minus cabbage. Yum.

Day 9... This is SO easy. I haven't eaten solid food since midnight on Aug 1st... My "Last Supper" you could say. The first few days were Pretty crappy, but... Things are finally starting to look up.

Today is day 9, and I plan on going a full 40 days... Maybe even more. Depends on what gets sorted out I suppose. My arms and hands were ice cold all day today. Literally. Feeling much better now though. I drove home from work with the heater blasting. I have been flushed sinse.

IRRITABILITY. Bad symptom of fasting I guess. I have a pretty short fuse right now, and an intolerance for all things stupid... Lot's of toxins circulating in me I'm sure... Gotta get 'em out.

HEIGHTENED SENSE OF SMELL. I can smell EVERYTHING! No matter how far away. I can be driving a mile from a restaurant and pick apart nuances in the odor permeating from the place. Makes it tough to not want to eat. Everything smells so potent and delicious! I suppose it's all the mucous I've cleared out.

So... There's a couple of things goin' on... More tomorrow... My Birthday! Later gang.

I’ve been pondering, as I wade my way through countless boxes of things that I consider necessary for my style of living, how sorting out my possessions is much like what happens when a person decides, for whatever reasons, to follow the blood type diet. There is much sorting and grouping. What to keep, what the reasons for keeping these items in one’s life, how important it may be to chuck items.

In my life, my treasured possessions, sometimes for only sentimental reasons, belong to my “beneficial” category. They may add nothing to the quality of my life on the surface, yet going without them can cause a great deal of trauma. For example, I still mourn the loss of a favourite cookbook, lost in another, long distant move. It is no longer in print, nor available on the shelves of used book stores, no matter how diligently I search. This slight yearning for what is no longer available to me creates an unknown stress in my mind, and therefore, by association of mind with body, in my body as well. I was fascinated a few months ago, watching a video tape about scientific research into the mind, to find that science has discovered that the mind does not have a specific home of it’s own, in the brain, as we were mostly raised to believe. Instead, each cell in the body contains an element of mind. This is indeed an awesome thought for one of my age, for it shatters one of the greatest illusions I had chosen to treasure almost every day of my life.

Then there are the unwanted items, the things piled in a corner to be delivered to the local charity store that employs people to sort and resell unwanted possessions. What is one person’s nightmare is another’s treasure. This is very similar to the way many of the food items behave, once one reduces them to their blood type level. In the course of packing and unpacking all of my worldly possessions in the past month or so, I have had time to inspect them all closely, twice. There are some things that I’ve definitely outgrown a need to keep. Those are the easy ones to dispose of. But there are others, items that have some sort of aura of preciousness about them. They will surely be handy “some day”, even though for now they will simply repose in a drawer or location new to them for the moment. It’s at times such as these that my Great Depression inheritance looms large before me, having been raised by survivors of the depression who wasted nothing and saved everything of value because it could be useful “some day”. It takes great resolve to overcome this inherited system of valuation, which for me varies in strength from day to day.

Following the blood type diet, one needs to keep assessing and reassessing not only the progress that has been made on a great many levels, but how to improve and streamline our lives. Do we need to keep as many foods as we do, in our cupboard that are simply “neutral”? Do we follow the diet guidelines as carefully as we might? Can we benefit from following what our dear friend, Mike Staffieri has outlined, checking the recommendations listed in Live Right for Your Type, and seeing how we can improve our intakes in various areas now that we’ve gotten through the initial phase of simply knowing which foods are beneficial and which are avoids?

Moving gives the gift of a great many possibilities opening in exactly the same way that we open a closet door or empty a drawer of its contents and seeing things, of necessity, with new eyes. What was valuable when we stuffed it in there a year or two ago (or longer) may no longer hold any charm or interest today. The blood type diet as well is a source of constant movement, assessment, and the possibility of discarding the old – old ways of thinking, old attachments to what has perhaps become broken (and therefore useless) over time, old mind-sets about the value of certain items.

My new home gives the possibility of new combinations of old things, new ways of arranging furnishings and accents, and, perhaps best of all (though not without its personal pain), eliminating what no longer has value or simply can’t fit into the new configuration of space. I find myself in a very interesting situation: I have more area than I did in my old home, but less storage room in which to keep the things I believed were too precious to discard. Today’s situation dictates that I must indeed discard, discard and discard, and in that gradual stripping away of small piles of objects, to find a new freedom, a new way of being, a new pleasure in openness. At the same time, a great many items have had to be added, small and otherwise, in order to accommodate the facilities available to me. Change is good, evaluation even better, and making wise decisions is absolutely required in every aspect of life, whether moving into a new home or simply looking with fresh eyes at how we regard ordinary, regular routines and situations, from the inner to the outer. Perhaps we can make small adjustments in every aspect of our lives that simply improve the quality a hundred-fold.

“Me, I’m in full bloom.”

Well that was tempting fate wasn’t it.

I’ve finally succumbed to whatever dreaded virus has been doing the rounds at work.

There’s hardly been a day in the past week that we haven’t had someone off sick with it.

I had Monday off work anyway as I’d planned to have a long weekend, I’m still not sure whether to book it in as the holiday I had planned or a sick day.

I’d scheduled a long weekend because it was the start of the Coca Cola Championship football season in England. Wolverhampton Wanderers the team I have supported all my life started their season at Stoke City on Sunday night. As it was a late night I had decided to have Monday off. I listened to the game live over the Internet and unfortunately the result didn’t go our way and we were beaten 2 – 1.

A lie in on Monday was a treat but I felt progressively worse as the day wore on.

Sore throat, snuffly nose, you know the drill.

I went in to work this morning to see what needed doing and caught up with what was there. By lunchtime I was feeling pretty ordinary and I have plenty of sick leave owing, so I’ve called it a day and hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow.

At least I started from a healthy base so hopefully I won’t get the thing full blown and will recover quickly.

For the time being the bloom has wilted.

Over the months/years that I have been on the diet and have read many blogs as well as many emails from fellow BTDers, certain negative tendencies keep surfacing while on the diet. Here’s what I consider the top 5. See to what degree they apply to you. I have experienced all five myself one time or the other.

Tendency Number One: Going cold turkey

When I first started on the diet, I went cold turkey…I cleared out my cupboards and fridge of all the nasty avoids I could find…it was an expensive day food wise. It was kind of stressful remembering what not to eat, what to order if I’m eating out...made me think that this diet is too hard to administer. I almost quit within the first six weeks. In hindsight I had wished I had introduced the BTD over a period of a month or so noting the changes (mood, sleep levels etc) as I gradually introduced beneficials and slowly eliminating avoids.

Tendency Number Two: Lack of thoughtfulness

Most of us live the busy life: we get up, get ready for work, get in our cars to either beat the traffic to work or drive our kids to school. As a race living in the 21st century… our inclination (or are we programmed?) is towards action. Now this may be considered to be powerful personality/societal strength, but it has a dark backside, Speaking from experience, our inclination to act often overwhelms our wiser approach to think before we act, or think before we eat. Have you ever been in a hurry, especially to eat, and you have stopped at the nearest fast food …or as I like to call them, ‘lectin/polymine breeding grounds’…without really thinking why you entered the establishment only to stare at the menu and say to yourself ‘there’s nothing here I can really eat without feeling lousy later’ so you settle for something (less than beneficial or neutral for your blood type) because you don’t want to get back in your car and drive somewhere else.

Tendency Number Three: Not really knowing the why before the do.

I know many people at work who know about the BTD and have picked up the book to read it once, have taken the time to get their blood typed as well as made some lists as to what not to eat etc. They started the diet only to fail miserable back to their old ways in several weeks/months. Reason is they forgot why they’re supposed to eat this way (most diets become fad diets because there’s not enough good “why” behind the diet). When I recommend the book (usually LRFYBT) to anyone, I emphasize that they should really take the time to read and reread the dynamics of the diet as it relates to their blood type. There’s a lot more science involved in this diet than the other one size fits all book. The “good’ science of this diet is the key, in my mind, for it’s success with people who follow it well. Know the science (even if you got D’s in science in school like I did)...let lectins, blood antigens, alkaline phosphatase, polyamines and agglutination role off your tongues with ease before you buy your first loaf of Ezekiel bread. The diet is a wonderful opportunity to learn about your blood specific persona in a deep and (not too complicated) detailed way.

Tendency Number Four: Over concern with 100% compliancy

I have a job where (there are odd times) I get a call from an angry customer saying how bad our delivery or service is etc. Usually it’s a problem with the courier who was late on his deliveries and couldn’t make the drop off before the customers’ business closes…something out of our control and the customer’s. I usually tell dissatisfied customers that our service levels are at 94% and we’re always trying to improve and they should take great comfort in that There are times when you might be hard on yourself or others when the odd avoid gets into the mouth. If you’re 75, 80 or 95% compliant on the diet, take comfort in your personal BTD “service level” even if it’s not 100%. Remember…perfection is unattainable. If you strive for perfection, you’ll achieve excellence (in any endeavor for that matter)

Tendency Number Five: Not being the master of your domain

I remember a time when everyone brought a bagged lunch to school or work. I also have vivid recollections of my parents taking a cooler of food with us when going on long car trips and stopping at picnic parks to eat. It was a time and place when fast convenient restaurants were far and few between…a time when people were generally thinner and healthier. These days we are bombarded with messages telling us to eat things that are fast, easy to prepare, juicy, frothy, thick, icy, and cheap…all messages to take you away from preparing your own food from ingredients you bought yourself. The BTD is not a “diet” that uses pre-packaged food like say Weight Watchers to actualize weight loss or lowering of blood sugar. It doesn’t plaster “A” on many packaged foods or on billboards to attract you into eating right. I feel it asks you to be master of your own ‘blood’ domain when it comes to eating.

Well…. all this deep analysis (if you can call it that) has made me hungry. I bought some cherries today at a local food market; I’m going to sit down with my Cancer; Fight It With The Blood type Diet book and learn more of the ‘why” while munching on these fast, juicy, thick, and beneficial little fruits.

Day 6 is here... Things have been pretty uneventful on the Master Cleanse. I really didn't think it would be this easy. The only gripes I have are the mucous, the slight feeling of having a cold, and being really cold! I'm friggin' freezing Mr. Bigglesworth! I can't shake people hands at work, or I'll turn them to ice. I've had this prob for over a year now. This fast has only made it worse so far... I wonder...

On the plus side, I've really become quite fond of the "lemonade" that I must frink 8-12 times a day. (I've been stickin' to 10 - 10 oz glasses.) That's 8oz warm water, 2tbsp of pure organic grade B maple syrup, 2tbsp of organic fresh squeezed lemon juice, and 1/10tsp of cayenne pepper (avoid for type A) I wonder how much damage that cayenne is doin' me... I don't even know why it's an avoid... I imagine it just irritates the digestive tract of us sensitive A's.... Dr. D? Any comments? I've been adding a tiny bit of ginger powder, turmeric, mustard powder, and cinnamon for an added beneficial boost. I've also been subbing a bit of the grade B maple for blackstrap mollases. Beneficial for Als with a ton of calcium and iron. The cinnamon isn't actually beneficial, but, it's a wonderful blood sugar balancer. Helps with all the maple syrup and mollases.

Here is an awesome tip I recieved from a fellow BTD'r named Debbie. I have been dry skin brushing before showers for a while now, and I use a mesh glove to bathe with my castille w/peppermint oil "soap". I love it, and I highly reccomend it. I bought my dry skin brush at Whole Foods in Dallas when I was visiting a while back. It's a Yerba Prima w/plant matter bristles. The mesh glove I just picked up at WAL*MART... She writes:



Find a medium-firm brush with a head at least as large as the palm of your hand, a handle long enough to reach yoru back and natural bristles (nylon or other synthetic bristles tend to be sharp and might damage your skin). 1. Begin by opening the primary lymphatic ducts, finger-massaging below your collarbone and on the left and right groin areas. This only takes a few seconds. 2. Move to the soles of your feet, brushing vigorously in a circular motion. Use short, upward strokes, gradually moving over your feet and legs. Continue brushing upward over your stomach to your breasts (chest) and over your buttocks to your waist. 3. Repeat the circular motions on your palms, then use short, upward strokes on the rest of your hands and arms. Brush down from your neck out to your shoulders, down your breasts (chest) and down your back. Dry-brushing can be performed up to five times a week and is best done before you bathe, so exfoliated dead skin cells can be rinsed away. Avoid using this energizing technique before bed.

Later gang! And thanks for ALL the support and comments.

Music: 80's - what else do I listen to?

Mood: Bucolic (serene, carefree country lifestyle - for those of you like my O who asked me....."that's a real word?" Not really an adjective per-say but,...I kinda feel like a nice, spring meadow with purple bluebells today....)

Howdy!

Just wanted to share a couple of things I've been eating with you all. Hope I don't get too "high and mighty" but I do love the English language. I remember when I took my SAT's I got an almost perfect score on the vocabulary/reading section. My total score was only a 1160 though.......as you may guess....math and science has been my downfall for a LONG time. They're just so logical......thinking logically has never come easily for me (my organized A mother and pragmatic O husband can galdly tell you several hysterical stories :-) I even remember taking a Shakespeare class in high school for fun. I just loved the way his words flowed together so effortlessly. It made perfect sense to me with just a few footnotes. My classmates all thought I was nuts.....too bad for them!

My first find is compliant for AB's O's & those non-secreting A's (Tomas, are you listening?) And if your a nonnie O, your going to have issues with this one. But, at Whole Foods I found the most DELICIOUS Eggplant Parmigiana. It's just as good as the parmagiana we only find at our favorite Italian place in Brooklyn. In the freezer section of Whole Foods, in a green box, is a brand called Celentano Vegetarian. I could have sworn they were using riccota cheese. I was shocked to see that it was tofu! It tastes just like it! So yummy. If you can eat this, I highly encourage you to get a few for your fridge. It does contain a few Durum flour bread crumbs but unless your deathly allergic, it's just neutral for most of us. And as the doctor says, you don't have to go crazy if there's a tiny bit of avoid in your favorite dish.

Next, I made a dish just for my O yesterday and he adores it! (Bene for O's and Neutral for B's) I enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich on ezekiel myself that night :-)

Look on page 229 & 230 of Cook Right F.Y.T. Veal Stew with Fennel.

I, of course, couldn't find fennel, so I used some celery instead. I think I added too much (about 5 long, thick stocks) so.......it was more like veal and celery gloop than stew. But, my O LOVED it nontheless. I also added some beneficial red pepper to it for him. Definately try it. It does need to simmer for a long time but when something gets rave reviews, it's often worth it.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Always read the ingredients on your veggie stock. I've been buying the big square containers of the broth from both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. And after I poured the last of my Trader Joe's brand in the veal stew, I realized that it's compliant for me but not for the O (leeks!) while the Whole Foods Organic brand is ok for him in one regard (white pepper) but it also has Safflower oil! A big Avoid for all but A secretors. But it also contains tomato puree so no good for those A's anyway! Grrrr......I, of course, bought 3 boxes......oh well.

Last night I ate a spectacular meal.

Chez Colette in the Hotel Sofitel always is a favorite dining spot for my dad and me. We've been coming here since I was a little girl anytime I went up to MPLS for airport use.

Since he had a layover, it's always a good spot to hang out since it's not far from the airport.

We started the meal with their escargot. Yummy as always. Of course, it's a little hard to resist the baguette and creamy butter they put down so I had that, too.

Then Dad had the French onion soup and I had a unique salad: A bed of greens with green beans and asparagus on top of HEIRLOOM TOMATOES. Oh dear, those were probably THE best tomatoes I've had all summer. Too bad they were soaked in black pepper and vinagrette.

We also had a glass of red. Dad had some sort of Cote de Rhone and I had a glass of Chateau Augey. Quite nice, mate.

^Let me give a little bit of commentary on this "quite nice" thing. Grubster spent about 1.5 years of his life in Oz. When he finally came back to Yankeeland, it was too late; he already took on a few Aussie Idioms. And some have rubbed off on me.^

Back to the main course: dad had steak frites and I had free-range chicken with some nice veggies on the side.

Before eating all this, I put a few drops of gentian in the water at our table. It REALLY helps prevent heartburn. If only it tasted a little better. Dad had a taste of the water. He just doesn't understand me, haha.

Off to Iowa for a wonderful family reunion. Haven't seen some of these nuts in a while so I'm really looking forward to it. And there are three babies between the ages of zero to two so I'm looking forward to a little mental birth control to dampen the sound of my biological clock. The boyfriend once met a twenty-something guy dating a thirty-something woman. He said, "Anytime your girlfriend starts getting too clucky and wants kids, just take her to Chuck E. Cheese!"

Grubster has never had to go that far, thank goodness.

After heavy rain earlier in the week the new water storage is full to capacity.

No leaks !!! What a guy.

Last weekend Sue (my wife) sowed our first lot of new seeds for the coming season. Early Lettuce and Rocket were planted in punnetts (seed trays) and placed in our home made hot house. This weekend they are already poking their heads through. We make our own seed raising mix using our own compost which is sieved through a wire mesh and mixed with fine river sand. This gives us good drainage for the seedlings and nutrient to feed them. I made our own mini hot houses a couple of years back to help germinate the seeds. It is an old plastic display frame from work covered in plastic bubble wrap. I replace the bubble wrap each year as it breaks down in the sunlight. I t works a treat and provides a nice warm environment for the plants to grow.

These early lettuce will be grown on in pots as the soil will still be too wet and cold to produce strong plants

Took delivery of twelve bags of mushroom compost this morning, this is the spent growing media that produces commercial mushrooms. It has no nutritional value for the veggie garden but is a marvelous soil conditioner, particularly in heavy soil.

There is usually a bonus of a few free mushrooms in the bags, today was exceptional, I picked nearly two kilos off the top of the bags.

Lunch was a bonus, Rye toast drizzled with olive oil, Miso spread topped with a bed of sprouted lentils, grilled mushrooms sprinkled with Herbamare seasoning and nutritional yeast. Oh and shredded water cress sprinkled over the top. Any good or what ?

I guess the garden is a bit like the body. Treat it right, feed it with the right foods for your particular situation and watch it flourish.

Me, I’m in full bloom.

I received a note today from a Melbourne lady who writes to me regularly via the comments section. It was a reminder to me that spring is just around the corner and that the daffodils are out in Melbourne. They are the first splash of colour in our gardens after winter.

Here in Tasmania we already have Crocus, Jonquils and Daffodils in flower and Blue Iris just beginning to burst open. Its easy sitting here today with blue sky and sunshine to forget winter but after the past three days weather it won’t be easy.

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the birdies iz.

A tip from the same lady, when shopping take along a food list of beneficial items, it helps keep you on the straight and narrow and not be tempted by a little avoid here and there.

Because of the influence of Asia and the Middle East on Australia and it’s cuisine we are fortunate to have a wide range of legumes readily available to us.

Most decent Health Food stores will have all the popular beneficial beans available in dried form. Some are now also regularly turning up on supermarket shelves in cans or vacuum packs. If your local store doesn’t stock what you need, ask them to get it for you, if enough people ask enough times eventually they will have to bow to market forces and actually sell what you/we the customer want.

In major Cities a good source of legumes is an Asian food store.

You will find all the popular beans like Adzuki, Black Eye and even Pinto. Plus as a bonus you will find a wonderful range of Indian Dahl’s such as Urad, Toor and Mung.

In answer to a specific bean question the following is a reference from Cooks Thesaurus.

Navy bean = Yankee bean = white pea bean = pearl haricot = Boston bean = Boston navy bean = pea bean = haricot blanc bean = small white bean = haricot bean = fagioli Notes: These small white beans are commonly used to make baked beans, but they're also good in soups, salads, and chili. They're relatively difficult to digest.

Make of that what you will.

Just check which are right for you.

Well... It's day 3 for me... About to make some of the Senna based laxative tea (which I enjoy quite a bid might I add...) and hit the sack. Thank you to everyone writing in with their experiences. I've changed the recipe just a wee bit... I've been adding ginger powder to the mix... I added some turmeric to this last batch of "lemonade" too... I think I'll continue to add beneficial herbs to iad the process... Just so you know, turmeric, contains many beneficial antioxidants and phenols. It also affects the bacteria in your stomach and digestive tract positively. Season with turmeric! Here is some info on fasting/cleansing. I'll keep ya'll updated as to where I'm at with it. So far I have lost a little weight and have felt slightly weak and tired... Been sleeping a lot. Hopefully that will dissapear as the detox progresses...

Detoxification Stages

Here is an overview of the detoxification stages during a juice fast. The time periods are a general estimation.

Stage 1 (Day 1 To Day 2)

On the first day of fasting, the blood sugar level drops below 70 mg/dl. To restore the blood to the normal glucose level, liver glycogen is converted to glucose and released into the blood. This reserve is enough for half a day. The body then reduces the basal metabolic rate (BMR). The rate of internal chemical activity in resting tissue is lowered to conserve energy. The heart slows and blood pressure is reduced. Glycogen is pulled from the muscle causing some weakness. The first wave of cleansing is usually the worst.

Headaches, dizziness, nausea, bad breath, glazed eyes and a heavily coated tongue are signs of the first stage of cleansing. Hunger can be the most intense in this period unless the enema is used which quickly assists the body into the fasting state by ending digestion in the colon.

Stage 2 (Day 3 To Day 7)

Fats, composed of transformed fatty acids, are broken down to release glycerol from the gliceride molecules and are converted to glucose. The skin may become oily as rancid oils are purged from the body. People with problem-free skin may have a few days of pimples or even a boil. A pallid complexion is also a sign of waste in the blood. Ketones are formed by the incomplete oxidation of fats. It is suspected that the ketones in the blood suppress the appetite by affecting the food-satiety center in the hypothalamus. You may feel hungry for the first few days of the fast. This effect is temporary. The desire to eat will disappear. Lack of hunger may last 40 to 60 days, depending on whether you are on water or juice.

The body embraces the fast and the digestive system is able to take a much-needed rest, focusing all of its energies on cleansing and healing. White blood cell and immune system activity increases. You may feel pain in your lungs. The cleansing organs and the lungs are in the process of being repaired. Periodically, the lymphatic system expels mucoid matter through the nose or throat. The volume excreted of this yellow-colored mucus can be shocking. The sinuses go through periods of being clogged, then will totally clear. The breath is still foul and the tongue coated. Within the intestine, the colon is being repaired and impacted feces on the intestinal wall start to loosen.

Stage 3 (Day 8 to Day 15)

On the latter part of an extended fast, you can experience enhanced energy, clear-mindedness and feel better than you have felt since childhood. On the downside, old injuries may become irritated and painful. This is a result of the body's increased ability to heal during fasting. If you had broken your arm 10 years before, there is scar tissue around the break. At the time of the break, the body's ability to heal was directly related to lifestyle. If you lived on a junk-food diet, the body's natural healing ability was compromised.

During fasting, the body's healing process is at optimum efficiency. As the body scours for dead or damaged tissue, the lymphocytes enter the older, damaged tissue secreting substances to dissolve the damaged cells. These substances irritate the nerves in the surrounding region and cause a reoccurrence of aches from previously injured areas that may have disappeared years earlier. The pain is good as the body is completing the healing process. The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected, as toxins accumulate in the legs. Cankers are common in this stage due to the excessive bacteria in the mouth. Daily gargling with salt and water will prevent or heal cankers.

Stage 4 (Day 16 to Day 30)

The body is completely adapted to the fasting process. There is more energy and clarity of mind. Cleansing periods can be short with many days of feeling good in between. There are days when the tongue is pink and the breath is fresh. The healing work of the organs is being completed. After the detoxification mechanisms have removed the causative agent or render it harmless, the body works at maximum capacity in tissue proliferation to replace damaged tissue. While a short fast will reduce the symptoms, a longer fast can completely heal. Homeostatic balance is at optimum levels. The lymphatic system is clean except for a rare discharge of mucus through the nose or throat. After day 20, the mind is affected. Heightened clarity and emotional balance are felt at this time. Memory and concentration improve.

Stage 5 (Breaking the Fast)

The sticky, toxic, mucoid coating on the intestinal wall is loose, and the first meal frees it from the intestinal wall. Toxins enter the blood through the colon. The gallbladder dumps its waste in a heavy discharge of bile. This can cause an instant bowel movement upon eating followed by intense diarrhea. If the symptoms are too uncomfortable, an enema will help

Our much-loved Heidi has gone on to other things. I first wrote “better things”, then changed it, because I don’t think there is anything better than the blood type diet. However, it is time for Heidi to make a change of direction, though, I am very sure, never a change of heart or love for the diet and for all of us on and off this board.

After I read the Eat Right book, seven years ago, I thought, “maybe there’s a web site”. So I searched, and found a fledgling site that had a section where we could post ideas or questions about the BTD, hoping for more clarification. This was the birth of what, a very long time later, became this bloggers’ board. I so well remember that particular time. Many people wrote in, grumbling about why Dr. D. had not done this or that in connection with their questions or concerns. Each time this happened, there would be a message from a sweet soul named Heidi, saying, in essence, “be patient, we’re just getting this show on the road”.

I stopped looking at that board after just a short while, feeling that the large amount of negativity expressed on it was not helpful for me while I found my way around and through the food choices and my physical reactions. However, some months later, I revisited to see how it was going, and was amazed by what I found. Somehow in the interval, Heidi’s patience and optimism had managed to change the tone of the contributions to the board, and there followed several years of lively interchange, interspersed by the occasional rude, trouble-making intruder who upset our happy “family” of blood type dieters trying to live by new rules and support each other in our efforts (and occasional failures). Heidi’s contributions greatly enlightened this effort, lending sobriety and information, along with her enormous wisdom, tact, support and wit. She and her counterpart in some ways, Steve Shapiro, a man who had been healed to a great extent from his rare life-threatening disease by following the BTD, gently helped us to understand a lot of our choices and why doing something was a good or bad idea.

Ultimately, there was one too many trouble-maker coming in to stir things up amongst us, and a decision was made to terminate the message board in the form it then enjoyed. I stopped visiting the D’Adamo site for quite some time as there was little happening in those early days following the demise of our little support group that stretched around the world and gathered in my bedroom, where my computer is installed.

One day I decided to look at the site again, still feeling the gap in my life that had been created when the message board was terminated, and was delighted to find that Heidi was once again back in action, this time with her question-and-answer column. It was this column that drew me back for almost daily visits to the web site, and eventually to applying for blogger status. I was always interested in reading everything Heidi had to say, and sorry when the daily collection of contributions ended. As I am today. Sorry that the collection of contributions has ended, but grateful for the experience of being tucked under Heidi’s tender and loving wing as part of the blood type diet family for as long as I have.

I’m glad Dr. D. has decided not to try to replace you, Heidi, for you are indeed irreplaceable. No-one can nudge you out of that special place in my heart that is filled with love, appreciation, gratitude and admiration for your enormous contribution to my own life in your special way.

With love and many blessings as you go forward, know that your path is supported by your many friends who have benefited from your wisdom and compassion.

Good Morning!!!

I've recieved so many nice comments of encouragement about teaching and politics. Thank you all very much for your kind words. I don't have much time to write but I did want to mention two things.

1) I was sick this past week (plus those monthly cramps, guess misery really does love company) but didn't take one day off of work. I thank the Blood Type Diet for this. I never broke out in fever or had to stay in bed, unlike a very unhappy husband I know..... I just wasn't feeling good in general and had a VERY runny nose for 2 days. (and no, I didn't have any AVOID milk products.....) The day I did start to get sick was after not having the cleansing lemon-water for 2 days. (There REALLY is a conection between your bowels and your health - fascinating) I'm also thanking my vitamins that I've been taking every morning: 1 Vitamin C (500mg), 1 B complex "50" (Trader Joe's) and the rest are by Dr. D, 1 Helix, 1 Quercetin, 1 Hawthorn, and 1 AB Deflect. I'm amazed that I didn't get really sick. Just a little tired one day and barely warm and bad cramps at the begining of the period but, no sore throat, no fever, no chills, no sick to my stomach every 10 minutes. AMAZING. I've been more prone to sickness this year 1) working with children and 2) my O nonnie is ALWAYS catching something. I also took a serving of ARA Larch and an extra C vitamin for a few days.....amazing.....if your an O or other blood type - please check the books to see what's right for you.....this is just what's been working for me as an AB.

2) I think my cramps came due to a lack of balanced diet. (I haven't had cramps my last 2 periods, thanks to BTD I think) My being a little under the weather made me tired and VERY lazy so, VERY little cooking got done this week. And no, I haven't been going to McDonalds for 5 double cheeseburgers - I've been compliant but,....not very balanced. You know, just fixing the easy stuff like frozen compliant pizza and rice and bread and more rice. We did go grocery shopping yesterday and, as I cleaned out the fridge, I think I relaized what I was missing. Not grains.....I've been eating a lot of grain. Good grains and some fruit preserves and some meat basically and even some fish, earlier this week. At first I thought it was a veggie problem but even after adding in more veggies the past 2 days, something's been missing. It finally hit me as I was cleaning. Tofu and beneficial dairy's. I discovered a tub of tofu in the back of the fridge and remembered how I hadn't fixed tofu in over a week! And it's one of the key elements to AB's staying healthy! There was also no yogurt, low fat sour cream, or good cheeses in the house. That B side of us needs that dairy and I've been neglecting it. We've also been out of eggs for 3 days and there's been no fresh fruit for 4 days.....not a good thing!!!! So, I've been feeling ok but, once I had an organic peach yogurt yesterday....it really hit the spot.

So, to answer a question, yes, the slice of ezekiel bread or millet cereal I eat as I rush out is fine but I'm usually quite hungary by lunch. I always feel much better when I have turkey or egg with some grain for breakfast (and beneficial grapefruit juice....yummy!) Time's just not on my side for the most part.....in fact......I need to leave in 10 minutes and I'm not dressed yet!!! Yeeps! Better go. But, just because I don't have time, doesn't mean I can't be healthy.....but a more balanced meal is always HELATHIER and it fuels me throughout the day. Remember, try to keep a helathy snack on you....it really helps when you get the munchies so you're not tempted by the AVOID laden vending machines/ local deli once you're on the job.

De-tox or cleansing diets, I don’t understand them.

Have we reached a point in modern society where we are so blasé about what we put into our bodies that we need to inflict these treatments on our system?

In a fast paced society where people grab a bite and eat on the run is it any wonder that the modern ‘fad’ for cleansing or de-toxing has become popular.

I watched a recent BBC documentary called Body Hits on this very subject and whilst the four people involved were keen to try four different detox methods the end result seemed to be a short term feeling of wellness but they were straight back on the treadmill of fast (junk) food, too much alcohol and irregular eating patterns.

So what’s the point?

Surely the correct principal is if you put the right fuel into your body, your body will process it and deal with the nutrient and the waste product correctly.

If you put diesel into a petrol car by mistake you will have problems that will cost a fortune to repair. However you’d surely only do it once.

People who get on the de-tox cycle seem to go through a repeat pattern of binge eating and drinking followed by an equally binge de-tox/cleanse. That can’t be good for your body or your long term health.

Maybe it’s an age thing? At 51 in a settled lifestyle and relationship I really can’t see myself ever wanting to go through a de-tox. The only people doing well at de-tox must be the people who design and sell the product or plans.

Our own Jim is currently just starting on a cleansing diet which seems to involve nothing but water, lemon juice and maple syrup for something like 20 + days. That can’t be good for you. Where’s the nutritional benefit in something like that.

This is in no way an attack on Jim or his wish to go through a cleanse but it is my personal feelings about what I consider to be currently ‘fashionable’ in the food world and not necessarily a good thing.

To quote an old song “If you’re gonna do it, do it right”.

Not for me thanks.

I have come to appreciate the stars, the planets, and the phases of the moon. They affect our fate in ways we cannot fathom.

Back in my Creighton days, my friend Cat, a lovely woman I have known since early, early childhood and a woman who now is a brilliant folk musician (www.catkinsey.com) sent me an interesting day-to-day date book called "We'moon"....it features all sorts of poetry and art by women as well as daily reports on the phases of the moon. To be quite honest, I didn't look at the calendar much that year, but then when I was trying to choose a month-by-month wall calendar, I spotted We'moon on the Wall 2004.

You may be curious to know how significant July 31st was in our lives. It falls between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. It is called Lammas. According to the calendar:

"Lammas is the cross-quarter day initiating the harvest season. Paradoxically a time of both riches and risks, we celebrate those efforts that have been fruitful and carefully tend those yet to bear. We revel in our luck while the moment is lucky, knowing nothing is certain."

The next paragraph talks about how to celebrate it, a very earthy hippie pagan ritual in which I cannot say I participated. I did something else instead. I didn't "choose" to do it. In a way, it chose me. It moved me.

This past weekend was an extremely monumental time of my life. I cannot go into details about what has happened, but doors opened that were closed for a very long time. Words were exchanged that were almost two years overdue. In turn, however, I have made someone important in my life extremely upset because I "rode the moment," by doing what I still believe in my heart was the right thing to do and the right time to do it. I hope someday this person will understand. And I hope my stuff isn't thrown out on this person's front lawn for the possums to eat.

When you go through something like this that turns the world inside you upside down, it's a little difficult to sleep. I will tell you the magic sleep formula I used to lull me into nine hours of peace:

Two benadryl, two valerian, and two calcium citrate. I was about to add on the melatonin, but what do ya know? I fell asleep just fine without it.

And as for the diet, when I get stressed out, I'm not an emotional eater, I'm actually an emotional faster which I think is probably worse for a Type A who is supposed to get six small meals in a day, but it happens. All I "ate" yesterday was a big tall glass of iced green tea (unsweetened of course) and a small bottle of Green Goodness." And before bed, an egg. My gut was so disturbed by lack of sleep that I don't think I could take more than that. Today is a better day. I ate more because I slept more.

To all who have left comments in my guest book: I am not intentionally ignoring you. It's just that for many months, my Outlook Express was down so I couldn't just click on the link to your email address and respond promptly. That, and if you haven't noticed already, I'm kind of a long-winded writer. It's difficult for me to give a one line answer to your questions when there is a mad scientist brewing with all sorts of routes and detours in my head. However, once I get through the personal stuff in my life, I'd like to be a little more dedicated to my readers questions and concerns and offer more encouragement. The Blood Type Diet has brought so much health and inspiration into my life and I do want to give back. I send a lot of my patients to the website. One of the managers at my store had a baby and I actually lent my Eat Right for your Baby to his wife (even though I don't have any babies I still bought the book last year because I was fascinated!). She really digs it. I got to meet the baby today! What a cute baby!

That's all for now. Wish me luck in some extremely crucial interpersonal damage control.

2nd day of the Master Cleanse. Doing better with it today... Not so sapced out/dizzy... Tried something a bit different today... I went out and bought my self a GEROLSTEINER carbonated water... What's that you say? It's an avoid for us type A's!? I know... Carbonated water is an avoid for A's as it lowers their already too low stomach acid/intestinal alkaline phosphatase levels... NOT GOOD when it comes to digesting your food efficiently... But... I'm not eating any food! Ha! I'll be exploring a few more of these loopholes as I go...

Bought a citrus juicer at WAL*MART today... Way to support Big Corporation Jim... I'll return it after the fast. Ha ha! Use it, then bring it back... I just got sick of getting the juice out of all these damn lemons by hand... The organic ones are SO TINY! It takes quite a few.

Paul wrote an excellent blog on the cleansing fad. And, although I agree with him most of the way... I must say, the Master Cleanse is no fad... It's been around since 1940, and has been a blessing for MANY thousands of people. I can see how it may sound/seem strange to the uninitiated, but it's a very powerful tool to rid the body of waste that plagues it unbeknownst to you. People that binge, then detox are on a roller coaster from Hell... If you go back to an unhealthy lifestyle. The cleanse was all for not. I however, do follow a healthy lifestyle. I'm simply doing the cleanse as an adjunct to it. To make up for a time when I didn't lead such a healthy lifestyle. And to target a scary ailment that has been ailing me for some time...

Maple syrup and lemon juice are NOT nutritious enough to sustain a person for life. But if you do your research, you'll find that organic grade B maple syrup, and organic lemon juice contain all the vitamins and minerals the body needs to sustain itself througout the relatively short process (10-40+ days.)

I agree that people who binge, then cleanse, are no better than bulemics. But, when you use fasting/cleansing properly... It can do a world of good for the body... Even save lives. If only we all lived right for our type from day one... Huh...

I'm not gonna spell check this so... Sorry! Later gang. And thanks to those writing in with support and questions. I appreciate it! Thanks to Paul as well. He wrote me a nice note before posting his blog on cleansing... To soften the blow you could say... Hust kiddin' ya'. We all love 'em. Late!

I’m going to take the opportunity in todays blog to answer some questions that have been posed from a reader in the Netherlands. By the way thanks to all the European readers who regularly correspond, I hope you understand my English OK.

Which book should I use ? Eat Right or Live Right ?

Either option is going to be acceptable. I still use ER4YT as the basis for my lifestyle and eating. LR4YT goes into far more detail on food groups and secretor/non secretor status.

If you are just looking to follow a simple lifestyle use ER4YT , however if you are looking for specific goals and trying to address certain health issues then you need to get your head around the structure of LR4YT.

I want to lose weight on this diet

Simple answer to this one is eliminate the grains and cereals from your diet and watch the pounds/kilos begin to vanish.

As a Type A you probably should also include a low stress exercise regime. Perhaps Tai Chi, Yoga, Cycling, even a regular round of golf would probably help.

We type A’s are fragile things and shouldn’t subject our bodies to too much hard physical activity, which quite frankly suits me nicely.

I didn’t start this way of life to lose weight as I am comfortable with my body shape and weight. You will notice bread and grains are a common thread throughout my story for that very reason.

I’m A Positive is this the same as a Secretor ?

Short answer, No.

The Rhesus factor in your blood which signifies positive or negative has very little influence on the BTD.

The Secretor status has more to do with BTD and must be tested by either a blood test or saliva test. Only 15-20% of the population are non-secretor but if you want to Live Right 4 Your Type you probably should have the test.

We’ve discussed this before and found a lab in Australia that does the tests. I know there is a lab in the USA also. I believe there is one in the UK. I’m not sure about mainland Europe but if you would like to, drop a line to Cocky Van Hesteren.

Cocky works for the European distributor of NAP and if there is a lab anywhere in Europe for testing secretor status I’m sure she will know. Her contact details can be found at the top of her Blood relations page.

By the way I’d like to thank Louise who wrote to me after my article on substitutes for Tomato. Her suggestion was to take your favourite recipe for carrot or pumpkin soup and cook it down to reduce the volume and use as an alternative to tomato sauce or paste in recipes.

Sounds simple and with the addition of a health dollop of sweet paprika powder and a few fresh or dried herbs would work really well.

Thanks to everyone who writes, I don’t answer many of you personally but I do try to respond through my blog and I do read all your comments with interest.

It is often something you write that triggers the subject for my next or future epistle.

Today being a classic example.

Thanks again.

Ran clean out of food last night... With a bang... It's amazing what a psychological connection I have to food... I decided to go and purchase a last meal before starting the Master Cleanse. I went out and got 2 pints of blueberries, an organic avocado, half an organic green apple, 2 apricots, and even a small peice of organic chocolate! What a feast! Like a last meal on Death Row... Ate it at close to midnight last night while watching some Anime... Doomed Megalopolis. Interesting film...

17 hours into the Master Cleanse (feeling dizzy and fatigued). Here's a recap of what it is. 10-40+ days of nothing but "lemonade." The lemonade consists of 8oz pure warm water, 2Tbsp organic fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2Tbsp organic grade B maple syrup, and 1/10 tsp of cayenne pepper. You drink this mixture 8-12 times a day depending on how hungry you feel... The purpose of this is to cleanse/purify/rebuild the body. We'll see how I do. I'm shooting for 20 days... More if things go all right. Because your body uses 50+% of it's energy for digestion...

The idea here is that shutting down the digestive system, while still taking in enough nourishment for sustainment, you can use all the extra energy to rid the body of ailments caused by toxins, bacteria, viruses, excess mucous, impacted waste on the colon walls and in the intestines, mucoid plaque, etc... As there is no fiber in the cleanse, a laxative tea must be taken at night (senna based) and a salt water flush done in the morning to cleanse out all the crap and rinse clean the kidneys...

The first three days are supposed to be the hardest. Nausea, diziness, vision impairment, headaches, hunger pangs, etc. But after that, you actually have a clean, energized, light kind of feeling. I can't wait! I'm looking to sub the cayenne for ginger powder too... Don't want any avoids!

For the duration of this 'lil experiment, I'll pretty much just be giving updates on my progress and my condition. I'll try and throw in 'lil "Did you know?"'s that are relevant to the type A diet as well... Just to keep things kosher, ya' know?

To answer a few Q's:

1. Live Right $ Your Type is the way to go for ALL your BTD info. Weigh loss, up to date food lists, secretor vs. non-secretor info, etc.

Huh... I guess that's the only one... Wish me luck gang! And, sorry about the typos... I'm feeling slightly dizzy... Not all there kinda.... sorta.... Heh.

OK, here we go....

For months I've been meaning to volunteer the pharmaceutical knowledge of my brain. Here goes a very important blog.

The proton fallacy. Hopefully you have read the "type A and low stomach acid" blurb found below D'Adamo's blog on the home page.

If I had a dime for every patient who comes up to my consultation window at my pharmacy to ask about heartburn, I'd be a very, very rich woman.

To compound the issue, Prilosec OTC is on manufacturer backorder. Obviously the reasons for this are two-fold:

1)people are not eating and/or living right for their blood type.

2)THERE IS A "RING" OF PEOPLE IN THE TWIN CITIES WHO ARE STEALING PRILOSEC OTC AMONG OTHER OTC PHARMACEUTICAL ITEMS, HAHAHA......

We have mug shots of the suspects in our office. Oh dear....what is our world coming to?

So....everyone is whining and complaining about their heartburn. It's like the end is nigh.

"What will we do without Prilosec OTC?"

Well, I'll admit, sometimes I send people over to the H2 antagonists (pepcid, zantac, etc) or tell them to call their physician for a prescription (omeprazole generic, Nexium, protonix, aciphex, prevacid) because I'm being a dumb grumpy burnt out chain pharmacist.

However, as time is a precious commodity at my "factory" I give them the "real talk" when I DO have the time and the patient has the open-mind to listen to naturopathic reason. I am blessed to be working in a neighborhood full of people who are very open-minded.

The theme of my talk is, "despite popular pharmaceutical company induced opinion, stomach acid IS a good thing."

WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM TO BRING A SPECIAL REPORT FROM GRUBSTER:

"COFFEE CHUG X AM (MORNING) + BEER POUND X PM (EVENING)= OH S___, BAD ACID REFLUX DUDE."

NEXT TIME A LITTLE MORE DIETARY COMMON SENSE WOULD BE HELPFUL.

Back when he was 22 years old and surveyor for an engineering firm, this was his lifestyle during a summer internship. And five years later, gee, things have not changed much. He's drinking beer as we speak. Men....

Back to our regular program: