Good morning! Hello. Welcome. It's exciting to be part of this project. (Not to mention a bit intimidating). Here are my thoughts for the world to see......

I started the BTD about 18 months ago. I wanted to lose 30 pounds (baby weight) and I wanted to improve my overall health and the health of my family. I cannot logically explain why I felt so strongly about the blood type diet. After all, I had not had the time to research Dr. D'Adamo's philosophies or research opposing opinions. All I can honestly say, is that the more I read, the more it just felt right to me. At this point the BTD forum did not exist, and I really didn't have any local support. In fact, I was straining against the current. I did not grow up experiencing the "A" blood type diet. I grew up with red meat, potatoes, vegetables and corn. When I first became a mother, my son wanted the crunchiest, crispiest food. (Breads, crackers, fried fish, etc. Did I mention that he is an O?)

But somehow, the BTD books kept grabbing my attention. It felt right. Since I had nothing to lose and only new insights to gain, I threw myself into the diet. Several months later, all of the weight came off, and my 35 year old physical test results were just .... wonderful. When I looked in the mirror, I had proof that this particular diet helped my body function properly. When I looked at my test results, I had proof that internally, my system was doing very well. And last, but not least, my taste buds were overjoyed.... Garlic!! Olive oil! Onions!! I could go on and on, but I had been missing positive sensory input for years!!

As a mother of two children, nutrition has always been at the top of my list. But this past year, it has held special significance. I have had to run to the emergency room twice, because my little one would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. X-rays and several doctors later, the specialist informed me that he was "full of poop!" Ok. Thanks. How do I stop his pain? Our family doctor referred us to a specialist who ruled out certain possibilites. Unfortunately, that is all the specialist could do and finally diagnosed my son with "toddler's diarrhea." (Did I mention that he had one 17 day stint of non stop diarrhea?) Two blood tests, mutliple phone calls and visits- and he was literally given a diagnosis for "I don't know what to call this or what you should feed him - so we are done." My family has spent a lot of money (not to mention our insurance company), and yet we ended up without answers.

Both the btd forum and the official D'adamo web site came to my aid. I was able to hook up with a local btd consultant as well as talk to other mothers who had similiar experiences. After lots of brainstorming, I finally feel hope. My little one is currently on the elimination diet (the book can be found at Barnes and Nobles) and the probiotic manufactured by D'Adamo. Within 24 hours of administerring the probiotic, there was an obvious improvement. Thanks to the elimination diet, I have determined two foods which are problematic for him and which we will avoid at all costs. And thanks to my local btd consultant, I can now shop at the local grocery store with confidence.

So I guess my very first blog is a testamonial. I AM a healthier person that I used to be. My son is no longer cramping up in the middle of the night. I no longer feel helpless. There is nothing worse than seeing your child experiencing pain and knowing that the food I feed him is probably causing it! Thank goodness that part is over. Thank goodness for people who are open-minded and willing to share.