On The Diet with Heidi Merritt

I am Type O and have found eliminating wheat and dairy to be the most important improvement in my diet so far. I am concerned, however, about my "fear" of otherwise healthy fruits and vegetables not recomended for my blood type. One example is oranges. I have always enjoyed them and have never experienced any problems, but now am afraid to consume them with any regularity. Why are they not good for me? My confusion is heightened by the knowledge that I know of people who have cured themselves of cancer and other diseases by drinking large quantities of fresh squeezed orange juice as part of a juice fasting program. Can you explain? Thank you. Nancy

What did Nero Wolfe say... "I can avoid folly without backing into fear"? Rather than being afraid to consume them, just consider them food for others -- just as my neighbor might get a headache from a big beef stew, while I can eat it and prosper. They contain polyamines which contribute to bowel toxicity and pathological growth. Oranges are not good for you ~ it's just a fact of nature, like morning and night. But fear and longing go together, do they not? While you feel torn between different strategies, it is difficult to follow any path in confidence.

People have reported miraculous cures for centuries. Sometimes it was the result of prayer. Others have used a variety of protocols that wouldn’t sit well with the type O metabolism – water fasts, one-food diets and "juice cures" among them. It is quite possible that the orange’s polyamine effects were overwhelmed by the vast amounts of other substances in the bushels of vegetables and fruits they consumed in this manner. In some cases, the beginning of a juice cure represented the first time the individual had eaten a fresh plant in years. You can see how her health might then zoom to a (comparatively) high point.

At any rate, the reasons for various foods' status in the blood type diets have been explained at length in Ask Dr. D'Adamo (try the search at the bottom of the page) and largely reside in TYPEbase3. I'm sure you know a few of the reasons already, from reading the books. These plans provide a great variety of healthy foods, and give guidelines to be used daily in order to improve the health of those who use them -- they are not the "grapefruit diet"-type of extreme measures taken at death's door, nor are they structured on a deprivation model. There's plenty to eat for everyone! I hope that reading through this website will let you build up your confidence in this way of living, and soothe your anxieties about foods you miss.

What type of water should one be drinking? Spring water, tap water (usually not good) or distilled water (some say yes, and some say no because it depletes the minerals in your body), so what do you suggest? Julie

The topic is so fraught with learned treatises and combatants of every stripe that I have thrown them all out in favor of the simplest historical approach. What kind of water did we drink when the world was young and Evian didn't come in bottles?

We got fresh water from rivers, streams, springs, simple wells, and glaciers. Juicy plant life was another source of pure water -- doubly important for desert dwellers.

High-mineral-content water, or "Heilwasser," comes from many parts of the world. Depending on its individual profile, it can provide significant assimilable amounts of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and salt as well as trace elements. In the U.S., it is illegal to advertise mineral water as having health benefits... probably the work of pharmaceutical company lobbyists. :-) In Europe, mineral water has a venerable reputation for possessing healing properties.

Yes, you'll hear proponents of every approach, from "drink distilled water only" to "drink mineral water only." The "drink distilled" fans include those who take inert mineral supplements (not a good idea) and even put mineral drops into their distilled water. Hmmm... I conjecture that in a paleolithic life, mineral waters would be treasured for their salty taste and invigorating effect, in all their variety... to the extent of carrying them away in skins, and even inspiring settlements near their sources. Most of the water consumed in a lifetime by anyone travelling outside these areas, however, would be from the aforementioned streams, juicy foods, and springs or glacier-runoff.

For these reasons (back to the present with its cost considerations), I use filtered tap water for steaming food, and spring or mineral water for drinking, soups and the like. Distilled water is not a naturally-occuring substance, so I use it only for specific purposes, and not for drinking water. Primarily, I drink Poland Spring (I like the taste), occasionally San Pellegrino or Apollinaris. Sometimes I have a liter of Gerolsteiner a day... sometimes I go for weeks without it. If I think of it with a gleam in my eye, I drink some. If I'm tired of it, I go back to Poland Spring.

Many centuries before science told people what is good for them, they already knew. I think your most fruitful approach to deciding upon what kind of water to drink is to get as natural a source as possible; use highly-rated mineral waters when you can; and stay away from distilled water and other comestibles not found in nature. :-)

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!