I had my parents over for the holidays and every time they come over to my house which is only once a year(you’ll figure out why it’s not so often in a moment) …I usually get the Italian mother inspection as to how her single (4years since my separation) boy is coping…if any of you have Italian or Jewish mother (I don’t mean to put them all in one category much like most diet books put people into one category) … they never want to feel that they are not needed by their “boys”. Well anyway she was doing the... what’s in the fridge/cupboard routine?.. to see if I had enough food in the house. After about 10 minutes of this as my father and I are sharing some red wine (he’s a type O too), my mother comes back in living room with a giant bag…and I do mean giant…of walnuts (beneficial for type O’s)… still in shell…and says…”Have you turned into a "scoiattolo"?”...that’s "squirrel" in Italian. I said "yes…look how big my cheeks are now"(filling my cheeks with all the air I can muster)… and went on to describe the BTD to her… after about 20 minutes, I mentioned that I don’t eat regular pasta made from wheat or Italian bread anymore. Well…this set her off…. it was like I just killed the Pope…”What no Pasta???…That’s why you lost 20 pounds”. After saying this, I stand up and lift my sweater to reveal my toned stomach and all I get is…”You’re too skinny” Needless to say, my mother is not a big proponent of the BTD diet when I first described it too her. Anyway I thought I would use this tale to describe what I always keep in stock in my type “O” kitchen………….preferably as Organic as possible in all categories even though it’s still difficult to do…. blueberries, bananas, pineapple, figs, prunes (don’t eat these in front of people…you’ll get strange looks!), plums…broccoli, sweet potatoes (sweet potato fries are the best!!!!), dandelion (rapinni), romaine lettuce, red peppers………….walnuts (good for the joints), pumpkin seeds (good for the prostate and any male type “o” over 40 should eat these)…..adzuki and back eye beans(make these with a lamb based chili in large pot every so often…good for the single “O’ guys on the move(not recommended for single guys who have gas problems.. if you know what I mean)……..red wine, club soda, teas(green, peppermint and ginger), soy milk…..eggs……cherry juice, prune juice(do not put this beside the beer in the fridge when you have company over…you’ll get strange looks!!)….meats, got to be naturally fed..(ground beef, steaks, lamb...my favorite meat.). and some neutrals like rice...preferably brown and 100% rye bread with flaxseeds when I crave the starches. For a treat and to boost my mood if need be, I eat dark chocolate (70% cocoa.. no milk in it). Now I am not 100% compliant on the diet…it’s very hard to do...as you all must experience… but my advice is keep enough of the beneficials around as much as possible …this will keep you from dipping into the avoids. Last but not least…fish… I always buy beneficial fish fresh because it’s the only way you should buy it!!

All this talk of food is making me hungry...bye for now