Later this year I will celebrate my 10th year on the Blood Type Diet. Before the BTD I continually battled allergies. Nine months of the year I had post nasal drip. More mornings than not I woke with a scratchy throat. Certain foods gave me hives, and I sometimes had hives for no apparent reason. 

I can't say I noticed a dramatic change in my allergies when I first started the BTD, but within a year I realized I was taking fewer antihistamines. I itched less, had fewer sore throats, bought less Kleenex. I eventually tried chocolate - a beneficial type O food, but one that had given me hives since I was a little child. No hives!  I often treat myself to a square of unsweetened dark chocolate. You can't imagine how good that is unless allergies had prevented even a taste of chocolate for 30 years. 

Last week I had an allergy attack. I know what precipitated it. Friday after Christmas I spent almost two hours mowing the grass on the back part of our lot. It has been really dry, so the lawn mower kicked up lots of dust. The grass needed to be mowed because it went to seed late this year, due to the drought. The mulcher was flinging seeds and dry stalks everywhere. The cedar trees were pollenating. We have very few cedars on our property, but they are prominent in the Hill Country and the pollen count was high.

By 8:00 that night my throat was hurting. At first was impossible to tell whether it was a cold, the flu, or allergies. I took both antihistamines and cold-eze that night. By the next night, when I had no fever and the symptoms returned as the antihistamines wore off; I was confident that this was allergies. 

I added bromelain and stinging nettle from the BTD Encyclopedia allergy protocol and Vitamin C because it is good for so many things related to the immune system

My procedure for antihistamines is don't worry about the clock.  Take the next dose when symptoms start to return. For six days I knew precisely when the previous dose was wearing off. Friday morning slipped by without my noticing the time. I've been off them now for more than two days with just a hint of drainage

What I'm now asking myself is "Why?" after so many years, why the return of allergies now?  

Adelle Davis wrote that allergies are stress diseases. I think this may be the key. November and December were stressful. I didn't get enough sleep. I worried about things I couldn't control. I think my adrenal glands were tired and left me vulnerable to environmental factors that hadn't bothered me for several years

Cada día es un nuevo comienzo. En espíritu no hay tiempo ni espacio, pero en el calendario, este es el comienzo de otro año nuevo. Tradicionalmente, este es un momento para recapacitar y decidir cómo queremos forjar los próximos 365 días que nos han sido regalados.

Muchas veces nos gusta fijarnos "resoluciones" o metas en esta época del año. "Decidimos" bajar de peso, hacer más tiempo para nosotros mismos, comer más sano, crear relaciones más sólidas, mayor bienestar, aprender un nuevo idioma, o lo que sea que queramos lograr. Que estas resoluciones sean promesas a nosotros mismos, compromisos para lograr diferentes y mejores objetivos. Es una forma de aprender, crecer y alentarnos a alcanzar nuestras metas. Es importante que estos objetivos sean viables y útiles - para que podamos ir marcando nuestro progreso y celebrar los pequeños éxitos en el camino.

Esto es un buen momento para reflexionar acerca de lograr equilibrio y felicidad en la vida. Hay dos factores en nuestras vidas de los cuales tenemos control absoluto y hacen esto posible. Uno es el alimento que comemos. Y en realidad, no somos lo que comemos, somos lo que digerimos. Cuando nuestra digestión es buena, entonces nuestro sistema imunológico es fuerte. Somos más saludables! Hay muchos beneficios al seguir una dieta basada en alimentos frescos. Y con tantas alternativas en el mercado - realmente no hay excusa para no darnos esta oportunidad, además de lograr un impacto positivo al planeta y a sus recursos.

Otro compromiso de estilo de vida que podemos alcanzar es el meditar. La práctica de la meditación ayuda a mantenernos sanos y felices de muchas maneras y lo puede combinar con ejercicio que sea el adecuado a su fisiología y variables personales.

He creado una consultoria denominada "equilibrio y felicidad". Aquí aprenderá cómo estructurar su plan de alimentos de manera personalizada y nutrigenomica, acorde a los lineamientos del Dr D Adamo. Obtendrá por si fuera poco, un libro de recetas y consejos personalizado para poder lograr el estilo de vida preventivo y saludable. Además, aprenderá los conceptos básicos y la ciencia detrás de este software sin precedente, y cómo puede mejorar su aplicación de acuerdo a su fisiología única.

Aprenderá a distinguir la diferencia entre ‘tener hambre’ y estar aburrido. Mantenerse ocupado, haciendo aquello que le apasione, sin perder de vista su objetivo, siempre. Recuerde que el movimiento diario por pequeño que sea, es vida, como el hidratarse y el respirar!

"¿Cómo perder aquellos kilos de más?" o "Como echar a andar nuestros nuevos propósitos?” Debemos tomar pequeños pasos exitosos que nos lleven a cambios palpables. Utilicemos la energía que nos va dando el realizar dicho propósito, que sirva para alimentar dicha meta trazada. Debemos establecer un plan preventivo saludable, creando nuevas costumbres, rutinas sencillas que podamos transformar en hábitos, como lavarse los dientes cada mañana. Un compromiso a la salud, combatiendo al estrés en nuestras vidas. Solo estando bien con uno mismo, podremos poner el ejemplo a nuestros seres queridos enriqueciendo nuestro espíritu y desempeño en toda actividad.

Apliquemos métodos de desintoxicación para mantener los órganos en óptimo funcionamiento. Es sabido que el mundo en que vivimos está contaminado y que esto tiene efectos negativos sobre nuestra salud. Curiosamente, siguiendo los lineamientos de los planes alimenticios del Dr. D'Adamo lograremos esta desintoxicación paulatina y efectiva, asistiendo a nuestro organismo, eliminando inflamación crónica causada por malos hábitos alimenticios y de estilo de vida, adecuando nuestras dietas a nuestra fisiología y genética.

Hay todo un ecosistema de tejido inmune y bacterias, algunas "malas" otras "buenas". Las enfermedades digestivas y del sistema inmune se presentan cuando dicho ecosistema se encuentra fuera de balance debido a una dieta y hábitos deficientes y se expone a toxinas exógenas creando una condición de "dysbiósis". Las toxinas, sólo por nombrar unas cuantas, incluyen plagicidas, herbicidas, PCB y PVC de plásticos, hormonas y residuos de medicamentos farmacéuticos en nuestro suministro de agua y medio ambiente.

Toxinas suelen almacenarse en el tejido graso del cuerpo. Investigaciones recientes han encontrado que personas con sólo 10 libras de sobre-peso llevan probablemente una carga tóxica que está contribuyendo a problemas de salud en general. En otras palabras, la eliminación de toxinas debe ser una parte integral de cualquier programa saludable que uno adopte, sin olvidar el organo mas extenso; nuestra piel.

Las recomendaciones para desintoxicación o limpieza incluyen el uso de bacterias benéficas, o "probióticos" específicos homeopáticos formulados por el Dr. D'Adamo, en apoyo a los demás órganos de eliminación como son el hígado, riñones, pulmones y la piel. Cada persona tiene su punto débil, tanto los pulmones, o la piel entre otros y las formulas homeopáticas del Dr. D'Adamo se centran en cada uno de sus órganos, de manera integral.

La dieta del GenoTipo examina las posibilidades epigenéticas y el uso de dieta y nutrición para alterar la función de genes y destino genético de manera profunda y positiva.

Esto no es una dieta per se, sino un estilo de vida de acuerdo a la fisiología e individualidad genética de cada quien. Se trata de incorporar los alimentos que nos caen bien y que trabajen junto con nuestro cuerpo a nivel fisiológico, enseñándonos a comer de manera saludable y correcta.

Simplemente leer los libros y aplicar los lineamientos de acuerdo a la individualidad de cada quien es lo que les llevara al éxito para lograr que este nuevo año sea uno de salud plena y expresión global para realizar sus metas y proyectos visualizados.

Evitar aquellos alimentos perjudiciales, moderar aquellos neutros y concentrarse en alimentos beneficiosos. Inmediatamente obtienen más energía, mejoran su digestión, bajan o suben de peso, dependiendo del caso y se sentirán mejor ya que su cuerpo entra en un estado de equilibrio tan anhelado hoy en día por tantos.

El racionar las porciones en cada comida, es sinónimo de longevidad, y el Dr. D'Adamo nos indica dichas porciones a seguir dentro de cada grupo de alimentos y no exceder dicha individualidad. "Todos somos diferentes. Lo que es bueno para uno no es adecuado para el otro."

No dejes para mañana aquello que puedas comenzar hoy! Suerte!

Contáctenme con sus dudas en como aplicar los lineamientos conforme a su individualidad, utilizando las herramientas de reseteo genético y epigenético de las cuales nos viene ilustrando el Dr. D'Adamo desde la publicación de su controversial libro que tiene a los genetistas de cabeza.

Nuestra comunidad de apoyo en FB crece a pasos agigantados, los invito a darse una vuelta por allí! El grupo se denomina: "Genotipo, Grupos Sanguíneos y Alimentación".

“I can’t take it anymore! I HAVE to eat something!”

I was appalled when that came out of Jack’s mouth the other day, shortly before bedtime. He’s been starving himself? He's only 11! I thought I’d done a good job talking about healthy eating, with a big emphasis on “eating lots of fruits and veggies so you’re too full to overeat the heavy stuff.” How did my message not get through? How did I not notice warning signs earlier?

He’s been overweight for about a year. At his annual checkup last August, he’d grown 2 inches and gained 25 pounds- about 15 pounds more than he should have gained. Since that time, I've tried repeatedly to get him to be more active, as well as trying to get him to drink more water and eat more fruits and veggies. That worked for a time. He slimmed down a little this fall when I was strict about making him eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies each day, making sure he had protein at every meal, and got regular exercise. But then life got in the way, and the new habits were forgotten.

I really noticed his extra weight about a month ago, when we were going through some hand-me-down clothes. I realized that the only pair of dress pants that fit was a “husky.” As a toddler, he wore a “slim”! I commented on this, and mentioned that all 4 of us need to lose weight. After that, he started cutting back on portions. I was a little worried at first, as he seemed to be cutting back on total food intake without increasing his fruits and veggies. Is he getting enough nutrition? But then I figured, he’s probably been over-eating for the past year, and now maybe his appetite is more in balance with his actual caloric needs.

I can tell now that his belly is less padded than it was, and the scale shows a loss of 5 pounds. He’s clearly at a healthier weight, although he still needs to slim down some more. I thought everything was moving in the right direction until his comment at bedtime the other day- tense and hungry and stressed out- and immediately calmed down after having a bowl of cereal. That’s when I realized HOW he lost those 5 pounds- by cutting down his portions to the point where he always felt hungry. That’s not healthy eating- that’s the beginning of an eating disorder!

We had a nice, long talk about health and nutrition that evening, and those discussions are continuing. I explained to him that what he DOES eat is more important than what he doesn't eat. It’s never a good idea to end a meal feeling hungry- his body needs fuel for everyday activities as well as for growth. It’s good that he’s not over-eating; continuing to eat after he’s full is a bad habit, and likely what caused the weight gain in the first place. But he took it too far to the other extreme, and that’s not healthy either.

I've gotten him to eat more produce over the past few days. I’m encouraging him to drink more water, so he doesn't eat when he’s actually thirsty. Soon I want to get him exercising regularly.

I have been in a rut. When I was a bride I was a, resourceful cook. When I was a mother, I was a creative cook. When I started the BTD, I was an experimental cook. But since DD left home, I've cooked the same things over and over. It's healthy. It's BTD compliant. But it's getting boring.

So my one New Year's Resolution is to try at least two new recipes a week. I'm off to a good start, because I tried two recipes today.

The morning of New Year's Eve, I started soaking a pound of black eyed peas. The evening of New Year's Eve, I was getting them ready for the slow cooker when I realized I was out of onion. I always cook black eyed peas with onion.

Don't panic, I told myself. How do most people cook black eyed peas? The answer is with bacon or salt pork. Obviously I was not going to do that...but I had a package of Buddy's chicken sausage in the freezer. If you are not familiar with Buddy's, it is a company that sells hormone free chicken. Their sausage is free of nitrites and other preservatives. I put the frozen sausage in the slow cooker with the beans and 2 cloves of garlic. Served with a spinach salad, it was a perfect New Year's Day lunch.

For dinner, I was going to cook beets. Normally I season beats with ghee, ginger, agave. It is delicious. But remembering my resolution to get out of my rut - even if it is a delicious rut - I got out a German cookbook that I've had for years, but never used. There was a recipe for beets with orange sauce. Orange is avoid for both Type As and Type Os. I decided to substitute pineapple juice for the orange juice. The recipe called for cornstarch, but that is also avoid. I kept it simple tossing the cooked beets with a Tablespoon of ghee and a heaping Tablespoon of pineapple juice concentrate.

HH was watching football and I was reading during dinner. As he took his plate to the kitchen, he said, "That was a really good dinner." I'm not sure that it was all that good, but it was different. The fact that he noticed, reinforces my resolution.

As we drove home on a cold and blustery Christmas day, we stopped at a Subway sandwich shop for lunch. We were fortunate to find a place that was open. Most restaurants were giving their employees family time for Christmas. This Subway was inside a gas station, and I hope the employees who served us got a good Christmas bonus!

I had packed salmon, peas and carrots for my lunch. While my husband and son ordered their sandwiches I indifferently read the menu. I had no intention of ordering anything, until I saw chicken livers among the choices at the kiosk next to Subway.

I never ate liver as a child. I'm not sure whether my mother didn't cook it because she didn't like it or because she knew that I was such a picky eater that there was no chance I would get beyond the first bite. When I read my first book on nutrition (Let's Eat Right to Keep Fit) the author was very enthusiastic about liver. I learned that I liked liver in restaurants where it was a featured item. However, the liver I cooked at home was not very good.

I also learned that I like chicken liver better than beef liver, and my absolute favorite - before the BTD - was chicken fried chicken livers.

On Christmas Day, I approached the counter debating whether eating a little batter would be worth it to get the livers. Then I saw a tub of flour by the fryer. These was not a pre-processed, pre-battered food product. They made the livers fresh on site.

I had a brainstorm. I asked if they could fry some livers without batter. The poor server who was stuck working Christmas Day, looked at me like I was crazy. "Are you sure you want me to do that?" she asked. When I said yes she took my money. The livers were delicious. The oil made them slightly crisp on the outside, but there was no wheat.

I'm thinking I could do this at home. I have a mini fryer that I got as a wedding gift long ago. I haven't used it in years because oven frying is so much healthier. But if I used grape seed oil it might work.

Where did the tradition to have ham for Christmas dinner come from? We are celebrating the birth of Jesus - a Jew who never would have eaten pork in his life. Lamb would be appropriate, or fish. My sister's family likes steak for Christmas dinner. The Honey Baked Ham Company and other pork purveyors have certainly come up with a Christmas marketing coup.

For me personally, ham has always given me headaches. I remember as a little girl, being sick after eating ham. I liked the taste, but it did not agree with me. I do not see the point of eating pork ribs. They appear to be mostly fat and gristle. The sauce is good, but I'd rather have sauce on chicken or brisket, which is better quality meat. Pork chops were always to dry too be enjoyable. However, before the BTD, I really did like pork tenderloin.

There are two aspects to my decision about whether or not to eat pork - the religious and the nutritious. The Old Testament is pretty adamant about not eating pork. But the New Testament declares that all food made by God is allowable. So as a Christian, there is no religious requirement for me about eating or not eating pork. However, there was a lot of wisdom in the dietary laws given by God to the Jews in the Old Testament. For instance the rules about washing hands and utensils protected the Jews from the Black Plague in the 14th century. The prohibition against pork protected the Jews from parasites that were common in pork until the past 100 years.

From the nutritious standpoint, Dr. D says that pork is avoid for all types. When Dr. D and the Bible agree, that is good enough for me. I consider pork to be a double avoid.

Our Christmas dinner was a buffet at HH's Mom's house. His sisters had decided on ham and pork ribs. I didn't want to be contrary, but I wanted another option. I brought some deli sliced turkey. I rolled the turkey around fresh spinach and sliced it in one inch bites. I said they were turkey appetizers. At the end of the meal the platter was almost empty.

I found plenty of neutral and beneficial choices. There were sweet potatoes and baked beans. DD made pineapple cranberry sauce. She also made a pumpkin soufflé in a pie pan and called it crustless pumpkin pie. The only avoid I ate was a salad brought by one of our nieces. It was made with fresh grapes and walnuts tossed in a little dressing made from light cream cheese and light sour cream. I think at home I could do a dressing with almond milk custard that would make this delicious salad completely compliant.

We are home from a four day Christmas trip to see my Honorable Husband's family.

His Mom continues to recover from her broken neck. On top of her fragile bones, she has also battled mild nausea. The nausea is serious because it makes her eat less. Then she doesn't have the nutrients for her bones to heal, and she loses weight. The sisters told me that she had been back to the doctor and he suggested taking her off of milk, tomatoes, and cokes. He told her to take ginger drops. She is much better.

I told them I wasn't surprised; that tomatoes, milk, and cokes were all avoid foods for Type As and that ginger was beneficial. They looked at me like I had two heads.

It is hard to have knowledge that would help people physically, but they are unwilling to receive it.

There is an analogy here to the Christmas story and Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas time. Salvation is offered as a free gift to anyone who will receive it. But I had to understand that good works are not enough to get me into heaven, recognize that I needed a savior, and accept that Jesus' death took the punishment that I deserved for the wrong I have done.

It's pretty simple, really. It is knowledge that would help people spiritually, if they were willing to receive it.

If you want to feel better physically in 2013, investigate the Blood Type Diet with an open mind.
If you want to feel better spiritually in 2013, investigate the claims of Christ with an open mind.

I doubt that anyone does the BTD perfectly all the time. Even Dr. D has written that he has his favorite avoids and he indulges from time to time. I had one of those indulgent moments last night.

A friend was in from out of town and we went to our favorite steak restaurant for dinner. I love this restaurant because they serve sweet potatoes. I intended to have a 6 ounce sirloin, a salad with olive oil for dressing, and a sweet potato without margarine. (The server confessed that even though the menu says butter, they don't use the real thing.) It was a good and beneficial plan.

Our friend ordered onion rings as an appetizer. When onion rings are covered in thick dough, they are not a temptation. But when there is a lot of onion and a thin coating of spicy dough, my mouth starts to water. A basket of almost perfect onion rings arrived at our table.

Each of us tasted one. Our friend said, "Those are really spicy. I don't like spicy onion rings." My husband was too busy eating rolls to eat many of the onion rings. So I ate one, after another, after another. They were delicious.

I don't eat a lot of avoids. When I eat them I like to make them count. I don't waste my time on a dinner roll or a piece of pizza, much less a piece of toast. If I'm going to eat an avoid, I want to savor every bite. It should be memorable.

The timing on this splurge was probably good. Christmas dinner this year is going to be pot luck. There are a lot of people coming, so I'm sure there will be all kinds of wheat. But none of it will be as good as those onion rings. I'm thinking that it will be easy to bypass avoids and eat a healthy Christmas dinner.

Wishing for you a joyful Christmas focused on the important things - love of family and worship of the Christ child.