I have been looking for essene bread everywhere. Is their a brand name or a way I can track it down. I've gone to all the healthfood stores around here. I love the diet and feel great! I'd love to try the essene bread. Debbie ~

Sure! Nature's Path makes it, and they have a working website. Use this link, scroll down to "Manna breads" -- that's what they call them -- and click the various kinds to see their ingredient lists. You could also ask your HFS manager to get on the blower and order it for you. It comes frozen, and keeps well in the freezer or fridge. I used to move half the loaf into a baggie in the fridge, and leave the rest in the freeze until I finished the first half.

There are a number of varieties. My favorite is the 100% sprouted rye (still a little sweet, but less so than some of the others). Some have nuts, carrots, raisins, seeds, etc. Some are just sprouted grain, water & salt. Sprouting, or "malting," the grain makes it naturally sweet, and produces a dense, moist, chewy bread. Good hunting to you, and I hope you enjoy it!

Hi Heidi! This is a great way to have you and all of your knowledge available without the message board. Great idea!! On to my question. I have a friend who is being guided by her naturopath to adhere to the B diet. She is finding it very difficult because she is also a vegetarian and is adamant about not eating meat. The restrictions in the B diet correspond to many of her old staples. Any suggestions? Especially for main dishes with enough protein to sustain her. Thanks a million!! Sharon

You're very kind, Sharon. :-)

I am not surprised she is having difficulty getting enough protein. The B diet rules out a bevy of classic vegetarian protein dishes, which she has probably relied upon for years. Many beans (including soy), nuts and seeds/butters fall into the B avoid bin, making a compliant vegetarian lifestyle quite a challenge. However, she has the discipline to maintain vegetarianism, so she can undoubtedly get over the initial habit-hurdles to succeed with this plan as well.

I don't know if she eats any flesh foods at all (fowl or fish); if she does, then Beneficial fish choices will fill the protein bill nicely. Small hope, I suspect ~ right?

If she is willing to eat unfertilized eggs and high-protein dairy products like cottage, farmer, ricotta and various goat cheeses, we're golden. Fermented dairy foods should be emphasized. Lucky for us, she has never followed the B diet as written, so she won't have that experience to compare to her vegetarian-style B regime. She can continue to feel improvements -- and that's what it's all about on a day-to-day basis, after all.

If she is vegan, my advice-cupboard is looking bare. The benefits she gains as a result of avoiding problematic foods may not be immediately evident... while the healing and energizing qualities of animal foods she refuses to eat will be denied her. Tough row to hoe! So, build meals around:

(1) beans such as kidney, navy, lima, fava, cannellinis ~ these can be baked in a casserole with beneficial vegetables, served cold in salads, or blended into a paste with herbs, lemon and garlic and used as a spread or dip;

(2) sprouted breads like Essene and Ezekiel, as well as millet, oats, spelt and rice -- but try to observe the grain frequency/serving notes in Live Right (avoid starchitarianism);

(3) nuts -- walnuts, almonds, chestnuts -- plain, used as nutbutter, or chopped into cooked rice and vegetable dishes. Nuts can be sprouted, too;

(4) and a daily protein drink using the old Membrane Fluidizer model: flax oil, lecithin, juice and a dollop of nutbutter & scoop of vegan rice protein powder. Peter's "Harmonia" drink powder contains protein and beneficial fruits -- it would be a nice addition to the MFC. Blending in some fermented home-sprouted grain is an option, as well. The original MFC recipe is formulated for a specific purpose, so I'd recommend having the plain version now and again, as well.

There are vegetarian recipes and recipe books all over the place which can be adapted for any blood type. I've had lots of success by just picking out a recipe, changing it around to suit me, and tasting as I go. After a while, substitutions are second nature. A great outlet for creativity!

Sharon, thanks for your note, and your concern for your friend. My best wishes to both of you!

The closest practioner in our database is a naturopath, Angela Goldstein, ND, in Lake Forest. It's a bit of a trek from you -- about 80 miles north of San Diego, near Laguna Nigel -- but it may be well worth the travel. The next closest would be in Ventura (about 8 miles north of Oxnard) and the next in Solvang, about 25 miles north of Santa Barbara just on the 101.

I hope one of these folks will fill your needs. Do call and interview the office you'd like to visit before travelling there, to get a "feel" for the people who would be involved in your treatment. There are more and more people using Dr. D'Adamo's plans in their practice all the time, and I'm sure not all of them are listed in our database. Try looking in your local phone book and asking nutritionists and health food store employees in your area if they know anyone who uses this system. You might find someone closer to home.

Cheremoya fruit has not been tested for ABO reactivity. Technically, that means it is an "unknown" and can be treated as neutral. That said, if you are facing health challenges it is wise to treat "unknowns" with caution. Don't make them your main food source. :-) An efficient, if risky, way to test an unrated food is to eat a good quantity of it in the evening, a few hours away from other food, and see how you feel. If you notice discomfort, at least you have some evidence that the food is not for you.

Thank you for writing, and good luck!