I have just read a large portion of the "Eat Right For Your Type Encyclopedia", and I have several questions. I will ask them all, and you can decide how many of them you would like to give time to answering. Thank you!

1) I notice "green, yellow and jalapeno peppers" are on the "avoid" list for type A's. I am assuming these are all hot peppers, and cannot seem to find bell peppers listed in the encyclopedia. Do you know if they are on the "avoid, neutral, or beneficial" list for my type?

The green and yellow peppers in the list are bell peppers, as is the "Red" of "Red/Cayenne." They are different items grouped together, not different names for one food. Bell peppers of all kinds are avoids for type A secretors.

2) Do you sell all the products you recommend on the protocals? Can more than one protocal be done at once? Why are they only 4/6/8 weeks long? Are we to repeat them later?

There are multiple herbs/phytosupplements for each protocol, which has its own time span designed to maximize its effectiveness. Some of the protocols have a repeat option with time in between, to let the herbs work to greatest benefit. It's recommended to use only two or three at one time, at most. Better to do them one at a time. North American Pharmacal does not carry all of the herbs and supplements, but virtually all of them can be found with a websearch and/or a trip to your local supp shop.

3) I suffered from depression for 14 years due to a very high stress level over a long period of time. I have made much improvement over the years, and am now finally off the medication. Though I do not feel depressed, I seem to still struggle a great deal with fatigue. I read about the cortisol levels, and wondered what can be done to lower high levels of cortisol if indeed this is what I am battling with.

Yoga, specifically Hatha Yoga, is a potent cortisol reducer. A product called Cortiguard, which you can purchase at our online store, is highly effective as well. The lifestyle recommendations in Live Right 4 Your Type go into the stress reduction part of the blood type plans in detail. There are many dietary aspects in depression and fatigue, and reconsidering the grains in your diet as well as adding essential fatty acids through using flax oil may be the keys to your healing.

4) I know every person is different, but how long should a person give this change in diet toward blood type before deciding if it is an answer for them? My diet has been very clean (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, no dairy or meat) for about 5 years now. I exercise regularly as well.

This is truly a very individual matter. It depends upon where you are in comparison to where you want to be. I would expect to see improvements by following the Live Right plan for your secretor status for a month. If your regular fare has included whole wheat for a number of years, it can take a number of months before the lectin damage can be swept away. However, you should experience more energy in a week or two, as your system accustoms itself to your new diet.

thank you for the note! :-)

also lists partridge, pheasant and quail as avoids ~~ for secretor Type As only. However, others such as squab, grouse, guinea hen and turkey (including wild turkey) are neutral for secretors.

Some fowl are to be avoided due to a high fat content, others because of lectin activity -- more properly, "galectin," or animal- rather than plant-sourced lectins. Chicken, for instance, contains a lectin which reacts only with blood groups having a B antigen: types B and AB.

It is well worth getting your secretor status, either with a saliva test or through Lewis testing, for the Meat and Poultry food group alone: 10 items with an avoid rating for secretors are neutral for nonsecretors, and one entry moves from neutral to beneficial. In any case, the food lists in Live Right are expanded from those in Eat Right. Certainly widens the field for the feathered game fanciers!

First, the bad news: I know of no commercial frozen yogurt that does not contain corn sweeteners and/or lectin-accelerating gums and/or milk from cattle raised with growth hormones and antibiotics. Most of the frozen desserts on the market have one baddie or another. Perhaps some of you type ABs and Bs out there will write in with brand suggestions, including the ingredient list? I’ll post them here if they meet your exacting standards!

Now, the better news: perhaps I could interest you in a great web page with simple recipes for fabulous summer desserts? With nothing more than a freezer and an electric mixer, you can make your own organic goodies, including frozen yogurt, sorbet, mousses, sherbet, Italian ices, even a full-blown ice cream sundae. Doesn’t take long, tastes wonderful, and you’ll know exactly what’s in it.

Here are a couple of tips:

· Substitute pineapple juice with a touch of lemon where orange juice is called for.

· Ripe plantains are nearly identical in taste and texture to bananas, and they’re Neutrals for you.

· Use some vegetable glycerine in place of sugar or honey (which is fine for AB secretors, but not for nons). It has a beneficial effect on blood sugar, and helps create the creaminess accomplished by gums in commercial frozen yogurt and ice cream. You can find it in health food stores, usually in the cosmetics section.

· Yogurt can be added to most of these recipes... and using the yard-long fruit list from Live Right 4 Your Type, you can dream up all kinds of things. You might freeze the yogurt first, and make a fresh, cold sauce of your favorite fruit to top it with.

· You can even go wild and use a dollop of cream cheese (you people have me licking my chops here) in place of the heavy cream in some recipes. Ain't it nice to be AB?

There are recipes for frozen confections made from rice, almond or soy milk scattered here and there in the Message Board Archives and in RECIbase® ~ use the search term “ice,” you’ll find ‘em! Some require little more than a blender and an appetite. Enjoy!