Blood type diet

[Rosie_0801]

I've been reading "Eat 4 your Type." I don't need anyone to point out how dodgy his science is; I'm strictly looking for chattiness ;)

 

I'm down with the idea that the amounts of meat or grains required varies considerably between people. It may just be coincidence that those requirements fall according to blood type at our place, but that's how it is. I'm wondering if others find the same? What I'm really curious about, though, is whether anyone has noticed improvements in themselves, or their family, by cutting out other "no no's." I have a hard time believing a pot of hummus can do me damage! (Shop bought may offend my tastebuds, however :tongue_smilie:)

 

 

Rosie

[Melinda in VT]

I haven't looked at this diet since I was a teenager, so I don't remember many of the details.

 

At the time, I was attracted to the idea of vegetarianism, so I was a bit upset that meat and lots of it seemed to be the recommendation for me (0+). The bits that made me swear off the diet, however, were the suggestions for liver (eat once a week :ack2:) and blueberries (avoid :huh:).

 

Interestingly, I've discovered as an adult that I do best on a lower-carb diet with plenty of animal protein.

[Greta]

It may just be coincidence that those requirements fall according to blood type at our place, but that's how it is. I'm wondering if others find the same?

 

Well, to be perfectly honest . . . I have blood Type A, and that diet was hands-down, bar none, absolutely the number one WORST diet I ever tried in my life. I've never been so unwell, before or since.

 

It seems like the only people I know who stick with that diet for very long are Type O.

[DawnM]

I have a friend who swears by this diet for her.

 

I am A+ which is more of a vegetarian diet.

 

Dawn

[joannqn]

I looked through the book several years ago, and I remember that my blood type required me to eat all of the foods I generally dislike and give up everything I enjoy.

 

I have an older friend (in her 60s) who really believes the book. She has a long list of things she "can't" eat and treats it like she's allergic to them. Occasionally, she'll let herself be "bad" and eat those items. She thinks she's going to lose weight with the diet, but over the eight years I've known her, she hasn't lost any significant amount of weight...only a few pounds that she puts right back on.

[Rosie_0801]

Well, to be perfectly honest . . . I have blood Type A, and that diet was hands-down, bar none, absolutely the number one WORST diet I ever tried in my life. I've never been so unwell, before or since.

 

It seems like the only people I know who stick with that diet for very long are Type O.

 

I was hoping you'd chime in because your current diet is "very O." I'm A too and your diet would make me die of a broken heart. :lol: I'm assuming by "that diet" you mean the meat and grain recommendations? Or did you try going all out and giving up chickpeas and oranges? Really, how can a chickpea hurt anyone?

 

Rosie

[Greta]

I was hoping you'd chime in because your current diet is "very O." I'm A too and your diet would make me die of a broken heart. :lol: I'm assuming by "that diet" you mean the meat and grain recommendations? Or did you try going all out and giving up chickpeas and oranges? Really, how can a chickpea hurt anyone?

 

Rosie

 

:D Come to the dark side, Rosie. The low-carb O diet rocks!

 

I'm guessing your broken heart would be from missing the grains? I get punished so severely when I slip up and eat them that I no longer miss them or feel tempted to try. Basic Pavlovian response, I guess. Pain stimulus --> avoidance. But if you don't have that issue, then I can understand your reluctance. My body no longer gives me much choice about following the diet that is best for it. :)

 

Anyway, back to the point. I really went all out with the blood type diet, and followed the "rules" very strictly. If you believe what he's saying about lectins, then it follows that you would avoid some foods that would otherwise seem harmless or even healthy. So I guess the question is, do you agree with his argument about lectins? Or do you simply find that the general idea, the basic outline of the Type A diet, works for you? If you are just looking for a semi-vegetarian diet, I think there are plenty of other programs/books/etc. out there. What draws you to the blood type approach?

[Peela]

I am an 0+ and reluctantly admit to identifying with the dietary recommendations except that I just don't like that much meat, nor do I enjoy being in "ketosis"- it makes me feel awful.

However I do do best with no dairy and minimal gluten grains, and although at the moment I am barely eating any meat (just a little fish rarely), the no dairy and no gluten feels very good on my system.

I have ethical reasons for wanting to minimise meat, also, which makes it always a bit of conflict for me, but I have to admit to loving liver!

I have the book in front of me- I forgot but I also eat sprouted essene bread virtually exclusively, which is the only recommended bread for 0s.

I do relate to it somewhat although I haven't followed it consciously for years.

We don't know what dh is but we know he isn't O- and he has very different dietary preferences to me. He eats a lot of dairy and has been vegetarian for years. However he is also overweight.

If you go onto Mercola's website he has a test you can do to determine your type as well- not related to blood type- and I did that recently and came out as a protein type. I wish I weren't because I don't like to eat dead animals, but it does help me make sure I eat enough protein. If you study Dr Gabrielle Cousen's work he has found that most people can actually thrive on a raw vegan diet that is adapted for their type, along with some supplements- but he does admit that there are always a few people who just don't thrive on it.

[kalanamak]

I've been reading "Eat 4 your Type." I don't need anyone to point out how dodgy his science is; I'm strictly looking for chattiness ;)

 

 

Well, for chattiness, I wasn't aware of this fad until long after the general populace was, nor was a friend of mine from college, who happened to be looking for a mail order bride from Russia. She kept asking him his blood type. We joked that she was looking for a kidney donor, not a hubby, but it turned out there was this fad in Russia of matching people via their blood types, the way some people here look for a mate who is a Leo or a Cancer.

 

I like to think that a thousand years from now, humans will think this on par with phrenology and blood letting, but the bigger they come, the harder they fall, and I don't assume the human race will be in a pretty spot a thousand years from now. :)

[jld]

Well, for chattiness, I wasn't aware of this fad until long after the general populace was, nor was a friend of mine from college, who happened to be looking for a mail order bride from Russia. She kept asking him his blood type. We joked that she was looking for a kidney donor, not a hubby, but it turned out there was this fad in Russia of matching people via their blood types, the way some people here look for a mate who is a Leo or a Cancer.

 

I like to think that a thousand years from now, humans will think this on par with phrenology and blood letting, but the bigger they come, the harder they fall, and I don't assume the human race will be in a pretty spot a thousand years from now. :)

 

:lol:

[Rosie_0801]

:D Come to the dark side, Rosie. The low-carb O diet rocks! I'm guessing your broken heart would be from missing the grains?

 

Not for me it doesn't! I had to go off grains while I was gestationally diabetic and it was awful, awful, awful. Well, gestational diabetes was awful even when I was still able to eat grains, but I was miserable without them. I certainly have to limit my intake. Too little and I go on rampage around the house trying to eat any simple carb I can get my paws on, and we dont' keep much junk around here, so I can't even satisfy the craving that way. :tongue_smilie: If I eat too much grain based food I feel sluggish. I work best if I eat the necessary amount of grains and fill the rest of my carb needs with legumes.

 

I get punished so severely when I slip up and eat them that I no longer miss them or feel tempted to try. Basic Pavlovian response, I guess. Pain stimulus --> avoidance. But if you don't have that issue, then I can understand your reluctance. My body no longer gives me much choice about following the diet that is best for it. :)

I'm this way with red meat now. I find I don't really like meat any more. If I'm craving it, it's my body's way of saying "Naughty girl, you should be eating more salad. Green leafies, Girl, and you know it!" I only crave meat when I'm being lazy about salads. Any more then the occasional meat pie and I'll, well, let's just say I know better than to do that any more!

 

Anyway, back to the point. I really went all out with the blood type diet, and followed the "rules" very strictly. If you believe what he's saying about lectins, then it follows that you would avoid some foods that would otherwise seem harmless or even healthy. So I guess the question is, do you agree with his argument about lectins?

The idea is plausible. He's not saying something blatantly outrageous like "eat the wrong lectins and you'll blow up like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I haven't read any science to convince me it is true, I can't see any trend in my own body that chickpeas or oranges make me feel bad, and no one else seems to have anything supportive to say about those sorts of details either, so I'm sceptical about those details.

 

Or do you simply find that the general idea, the basic outline of the Type A diet, works for you? If you are just looking for a semi-vegetarian diet, I think there are plenty of other programs/books/etc. out there. What draws you to the blood type approach?

Yes, the general outline as far as meat, grain and dairy seems to work for dh and I. We've been fairly happy with the way we've been eating with our low animal product diet, and not overdoing the grains, but I'm a foodie so I'm interested in this stuff anyway :D However dh does require more meat than I do, so it was the coincidence value that drew me to looking at this blood type diet. If he's right about these elements (for us,) might he have anything else valuable for us? He mentions wheat being a large contributing factor for weight gain in type Os and dh is overweight, so I'm interested in that idea.

 

:lol: at Kalamanak! So you think the 7 year itch could be caused by blood type differences? :lol: Maybe not. :lol: The guy mentions this in his book, but takes care not to say he endorses it :tongue_smilie:

 

I'll have a squizz at those later, Peela. Thanks.

 

Rosie

Edited February 19, 2011 by Rosie_0801

[jld]

Rosie, how about substituting roots (potatoes or sweet potatoes, for example) in for grains? Do they affect you the same way?

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, how about substituting roots (potatoes or sweet potatoes, for example) in for grains? Do they affect you the same way?

 

Nope, that doesn't work. I can eat the biggest bowl of beans and root veggies, and still go on rampage through the kitchen looking for toast. Anyway, root veggies have a high GI value, so they don't keep you feeling full for long. That isn't a reason not to eat them, of course, unless you are diabetic, but I certainly can't sub them for grains and feel happy.

 

Oh, nutritional information is so exciting :D

 

Rosie

[LisaKinVA]

I will confess to skimming the diet for my blood type (AB+). It made me want to cry. It seemed to lack any type of balance... and while I do know that genetics do play a role in what foods may be great for some and awful for others, I found it hard to believe that ABs were "born" to be essentially Vegan (I think I was also supposed to avoid PB...) The studies would have to simply be overwhelming, and intense in their comparisons (not just to no diet and BT diet, but AB on BT diet for A, B, and O). I'd have to be looking at a wide margin of difference between an AB on the AB diet vs. what I'm currently doing to even consider it.

 

It wasn't something I could live with. Maybe for 30 days, but not a lifetime. Also, how in the HECK would one prepare a "healthy" family meal that way? Sorry bubba, but you're B blood type. You can eat A & B, but don't dare touch C. Kat, you're A eat C and B, but don't touch A. Buddy and Boo -- you can have whatever you want, because you're O, like your Dad. Totally hypothetical, but you get my drift, right?

[Greta]

Not for me it doesn't! I had to go off grains while I was gestationally diabetic and it was awful, awful, awful. Well, gestational diabetes was awful even when I was still able to eat grains, but I was miserable without them. I certainly have to limit my intake. Too little and I go on rampage around the house trying to eat any simple carb I can get my paws on, and we dont' keep much junk around here, so I can't even satisfy the craving that way. :tongue_smilie: If I eat too much grain based food I feel sluggish. I work best if I eat the necessary amount of grains and fill the rest of my carb needs with legumes.

 

Wow, that's very interesting. I am the opposite! I can survive happily without grains for weeks, months at a time. Then, I slip and have some rice, and it's all over. Suddenly, I could eat my weight in carbohydrates and not feel satisfied. And darn it, I really like rice! :crying: (Rice doesn't cause the problems for me that the gluten-containing grains do. And it's just so yummy. But I still can't it eat. It isn't fair!)

 

I'm this way with red meat now. I find I don't really like meat any more. If I'm craving it, it's my body's way of saying "Naughty girl, you should be eating more salad. Green leafies, Girl, and you know it!" I only crave meat when I'm being lazy about salads. Any more then the occasional meat pie and I'll, well, let's just say I know better than to do that any more!

 

When I'm hungry for red meat, there's no amount of leafy greens that are going to cut it! :lol: Especially when I was pregnant, I would crave a big, juicy steak so badly . . . and feel so energetic and so much better the next day! Now, don't get me wrong, I like my leafy greens. I'm just saying, there's no substitute for a delmonico marinated and grilled to perfection.

 

The idea is plausible. He's not saying something blatantly outrageous like "eat the wrong lectins and you'll blow up like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." I haven't read any science to convince me it is true, I can't see any trend in my own body that chickpeas or oranges make me feel bad, and no one else seems to have anything supportive to say about those sorts of details either, so I'm sceptical about those details.

 

I see. You may have already tried this, or it may be too much trouble, but all I know to tell you if you really want to know for sure is to try cutting out *all* of the foods that he says you should avoid, for a few weeks, and then add them back one at a time and see how they affect you. I know that for me, it's the adding it back part that really reveals how my body feels about that particular food. But you have to go without the food for long enough to give your body a break, and that way you really test your reaction.

 

I don't know how useful that is, but that's all I've got. Good luck, and keep me informed. I'm absolutely fascinated that someone could have almost the exact opposite food preferences reactions to foods that I do! :001_huh: :001_smile:

[Audrey]

I have been following it since last April. I've lost a LOT of weight and have never felt better. I'm type O.

[Peela]

OK you got me researching online. Two of the most popular and influential raw food vegans, David Wolfe and Dr Gabriel Cousens, are type 0. They have done heaps of research into this stuff. It makes me feel better and I do remember that Dr Cousens talks about blood types in one of his books which I have around here somewhere.

IN one of the links below it talks about a study someone did with 5000 people and one of the conclusions is that a Type A who doesn't keep to a mainly vegetarian diet will limit their lifespan to an average of 61 years (something like that). They have a much higher likelihood of getting western diseases from eating a meat/dairy diet. But a Type 0 person, no matter what they eat, has an average lifespan of 86 years. Thats pretty interesting. It seems type 0s have the most robust health irrespective to what they eat. Who knows!

And ok you just want to chat but can I say something else? Please:) ? Where did we get this idea that primitive peoples ate mostly meat? There is plenty of evidence to suggest they ate a diet that was closer to chimpanzees who are predominantly vegetarian.

(I am not trying to dispute anyone's IRL experience with the blood type diet, but I have a moral objection to eating meat so I look for ways around it :) )

 

 

 

 

 

books.google.com.au/books?id=vdJT6BksUJ4C&pg=PA260&lpg=PA260&dq=Gabriel+Cousens+blood+type+diet&source=bl&ots=rhoz2on9IQ&sig=QrrEq_kUkfKcD7PE3K05DEUiDdY&hl=en&ei=t4RgTauaEMKXcdaZrfwJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD8Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Gabriel%20Cousens%20blood%20type%20diet&f=false

 

books.google.com.au/books?id=7NQYFlwT56QC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=Gabriel+Cousens+blood+type+diet&source=bl&ots=aTXJp8s5Xw&sig=RWOGUxdmOLLT5MuZoqD93l9nJLo&hl=en&ei=t4RgTauaEMKXcdaZrfwJ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Gabriel%20Cousens%20blood%20type%20diet&f=false

Edited February 20, 2011 by Peela

[Rosie_0801]

Now, don't get me wrong, I like my leafy greens. I'm just saying, there's no substitute for a delmonico marinated and grilled to perfection.

 

Are you sure you're type A? Don't take this as a personal attack, but you sound like a typo :lol: There totally is a substitute for marinated steak, grilled to perfection and that's a nice big salad including rocket and baby spinach, with a home made mustard dressing. Yum yum. :drool5: Except according to this theory, I'm not allowed to eat mustard because of the vinegar. :glare:

 

I see. You may have already tried this, or it may be too much trouble, but all I know to tell you if you really want to know for sure is to try cutting out *all* of the foods that he says you should avoid, for a few weeks, and then add them back one at a time and see how they affect you. I know that for me, it's the adding it back part that really reveals how my body feels about that particular food. But you have to go without the food for long enough to give your body a break, and that way you really test your reaction.

Yeah. Like Lisa was just saying, what a heck of a lot of trouble. We're going to have to sit and think about all this and work out some sort of plan. I haven't actually finished the book yet, so while I've known the general idea for years, the details are new to me. What's really annoying is finding, after digging through the kids' baby books, that their blood type isn't listed. How many times did they jab the poor kids to test for this and that very rare disease that you really want to know about asap, and they didn't think to check their blood type?

 

Good luck, and keep me informed. I'm absolutely fascinated that someone could have almost the exact opposite food preferences reactions to foods that I do!

I know the feeling. I read all of your posts about the wonders of grain-free because my foodie curiosity won't let me skip them and I feel stress each time :D

 

I will confess to skimming the diet for my blood type (AB+). It made me want to cry. It wasn't something I could live with. Maybe for 30 days, but not a lifetime.

 

You'd actually be surprised. Pretend, for a minute, that this blood type diet was 100% true. If you ate that way for 30 days, you'd spend the next few months deciding you don't like those things you oughn't be eating very much any more. Then you'd spend a few months deciding that it really isn't worth getting a bellyache over your old favourites and you'd conclude, sad as it is, you just aren't best friends anymore :lol:

 

Also, how in the HECK would one prepare a "healthy" family meal that way? Sorry bubba, but you're B blood type. You can eat A & B, but don't dare touch C. Kat, you're A eat C and B, but don't touch A. Buddy and Boo -- you can have whatever you want, because you're O, like your Dad. Totally hypothetical, but you get my drift, right?

I've not much to say other than if you truly think it is the right thing to do, no matter how grudgingly you think it, you figure out a way to get pretty darn close. I guess with time you learn to streamline. Only buy the sort of beans everyone can eat, but give different sized servings of it, for example. Unless you have some serious immune system problems going on, there aren't going to be major catastrophes from eating a small serve of something naughty now and then.

 

And ok you just want to chat but can I say something else? Please:) ? Where did we get this idea that primitive peoples ate mostly meat? There is plenty of evidence to suggest they ate a diet that was closer to chimpanzees who are predominantly vegetarian.

 

Well, that is chat as far as I'm concerned :D

 

We're all in total denial because it takes a lot of hard work for even type As to find salad more attractive than steak?

 

Dh used to be one of those who'd go out for dinner and happily eat a steak the size of a dinner plate and would have been delighted to do that every day of the week. We've been "mostly" vegan for roughly two years, only eating animal products if we really felt like it, not as a default. Talking to him about the blood type diet recommendations last night, he said he eats meat as part of his lunch about three days a week and if it was "allowed" he'd eat it one or perhaps two more days, and we don't have any at home on the weekends. so it seems his natural inclination now is to eat about the amount and frequency recommended in this blood type diet. He said he'd be happy to eat a huge steak on a special occasion like a birthday, then immediately changed his mind and thought he'd really rather not eat that much meat after all. From reading, even the "high" meat O recommendations are pretty low compared to the SAD.

 

You've even provided links. What a darling you are!

 

:)

Rosie

 

 

Edit: There's some really interesting stuff in there, Peela. I'm all for raising serotonin and have been trying to tweak my diet to enhance that. The more info I can find on that, the merrier. The mention of eating more reducing the lifespan is pretty interesting too; not something I've heard before.

Edited February 20, 2011 by Rosie_0801

[Greta]

Are you sure you're type A? Don't take this as a personal attack, but you sound like a typo :lol:

 

:lol: That's me, a living breathing typo. :D

 

I had it somewhere in the back of my head that I was A when I read his book; but I tested to be sure, and I was indeed.

 

There totally is a substitute for marinated steak, grilled to perfection and that's a nice big salad including rocket and baby spinach, with a home made mustard dressing. Yum yum. :drool5:

That sounds absolutely lovely alongside the steak. ;)

 

Except according to this theory, I'm not allowed to eat mustard because of the vinegar. :glare:

I had forgotten that was one of the forbidden foods. That's interesting because many health food gurus advocate vinegar for a number of benefits - to the point that I know some people who simply drink some apple cider vinegar in water every day. I don't push it that way myself, but I don't avoid it either.

 

 

I know the feeling. I read all of your posts about the wonders of grain-free because my foodie curiosity won't let me skip them and I feel stress each time :D

Oh, no! Don't let me stress you! My diet is right for my body - and I have no doubts about that because of how awful I feel and how outright sick I get when I eat things I know I shouldn't. Now it seems to me that what with us all being the same species, we should have pretty similar dietary needs!!! And yet, I have to honor others' personal experiences when they say their body needs foods that mine can't handle. I can't explain it, but I can respect it. I always want to say "listen to your body, trust your instincts" but the problem with that advice is that sometimes our bodies can crave things that are not good for us - our instincts get muddled and/or we misinterpret them. So it's hard to know. But if you are healthy, with good energy, good sleep patterns, good digestion, and good emotional balance, then all is probably well.

[Snickerdoodle]

 

The Healthy Skeptic mentioned why he thought the diet was bunk in his recent podcast.

[ocelotmom]

I have type A blood. I feel best and lose weight easily on more of a Type B or Type O diet. Grains (especially wheat) definitely make me feel tired and run-down, and I gain weight much more easily when eating them (sometimes this is a good thing - I may have to add grains back into my diet soon if my weight loss doesn't slow down). I'm unsure about dairy and legumes.

[Rosie_0801]

Did anyone else read the sample from Gabriel Cousens Peela posted yesterday? What do you think of that? I'd love to read more. It sounded as though it meshed far better with what I've learned elsewhere.

 

Rosie

[TKDmom]

Okay, I've never read the book because the whole premise has always seemed too ridiculous to warrant reading a whole book about it. But from what I gather about this conversation, my dh and I are about the opposite of what it recommends.

 

I'm O-, and dh and all the kids are A+. DH has come to the conclusion that he can only lose weight on a low-carb diet (South Beach Diet, not Atkins, is the preference at our house). When dh first stated SBD, I made it almost 24 hours without cheating. ;)

 

I would be perfectly happy having meat about once a week, I love beans, and I cannot live without bread. I don't much like most veggies, either. Most of the kids are more like me in their food preferences. DH often throws up his hands during dinner exclaiming, "How can I live in the same house with you people!?"

 

Is there a diet where I can just eat fruit, bread, and milk products (you know, like ice cream...)? :D

[ocelotmom]

My totally anecdotal response to Peela's post (not having read the links) is that my family history does not support that theory (presumably at least a few others in my family are type A), and I really can't imagine eating a grain-based vegetarian diet would improve my health (though possibly a non-grain-based one would work, but that's getting pretty limited).

[Ibbygirl]

I'm curious about this diet as well. It's an interesting concept. I haven't read the book though (yet). Does the author talk about drinks as well or only foods? Does he mention coffee and things like that?? Thanks. :)

[Rosie_0801]

I'm curious about this diet as well. It's an interesting concept. I haven't read the book though (yet). Does the author talk about drinks as well or only foods? Does he mention coffee and things like that?? Thanks. :)

 

Oh yeah. He mentions all the annoying details :tongue_smilie:

 

It's certainly interesting. How much of the population it actually works for is another thing entirely. Clearly Gretalynne isn't the only "mutant" :D It's just like everything else, I guess. Do it if it works for you, don't do it if it doesn't. What I liked about the meat heavy O recommendations is they really don't include much meat when compared to the Standard American Diet. I want to get my hands on info that compares these sorts of recommendations with the "animal protein will give you a long list of nasty diseases" information. Even if we assume someone's body requires meat, and plenty do, there must be such thing as too much. How much is too much? It is probably going to be different for different people, but is there a line to be crossed? This much is too much for everyone?

 

Keep to your beans and rice, Love. If you can stay up until 4am ironing, they must be good for you. ;)

 

Rosie

[Ibbygirl]

Oh yeah. He mentions all the annoying details :tongue_smilie:

:lol::lol:

 

It's certainly interesting. How much of the population it actually works for is another thing entirely. Clearly Gretalynne isn't the only "mutant" :D It's just like everything else, I guess. Do it if it works for you, don't do it if it doesn't. What I liked about the meat heavy O recommendations is they really don't include much meat when compared to the Standard American Diet. I want to get my hands on info that compares these sorts of recommendations with the "animal protein will give you a long list of nasty diseases" information. Even if we assume someone's body requires meat, and plenty do, there must be such thing as too much. How much is too much? It is probably going to be different for different people, but is there a line to be crossed? This much is too much for everyone?

I've been mulling over this thread in my mind and thinking about everybody's different experiences and it made me wonder about my dh. He has a lot of food intolerances that I don't have and he also isn't happy unless he eats a lot of meat. He's O+. I am A- and although I like meat, I really don't need much of it and can really eat it a lot less than my dh does and not even really miss it. I don't know if I could be a full on vegetarian, but I could definitely eat meat only 1-2 a week and be satisfied and I'm defining "meat" here as mostly poultry since that's really what I eat most days. I do eat some red meat, but not a lot. I don't know if our food preferences/tastes and my dh's intolerances match up with the diet recommendations for the blood types though. Again I haven't read the book yet.

 

Keep to your beans and rice, Love. If you can stay up until 4am ironing, they must be good for you. ;)

 

Rosie

 

:lol::lol: LOL Oh yes, I love my black beans and rice. My yuca too. yummy. You see, those are the things I'll get cravings for... things like yuca, beans and rice guava or fruits, I don't often get cravings for meat and when I do it's usually for a steak. Is that weird?? :001_huh:

[jld]

 

 

:lol::lol: LOL Oh yes, I love my black beans and rice. My yuca too. yummy. You see, those are the things I'll get cravings for... things like yuca, beans and rice guava or fruits, I don't often get cravings for meat and when I do it's usually for a steak. Is that weird?? :001_huh:

 

Care to share your black beans and rice recipe?:)

[Ibbygirl]

Care to share your black beans and rice recipe?:)

 

LOL Sure. Well the rice is just... rice. lol I boil some water with a little salt and some oil and throw in a couple cups of clean, white rice and let it simmer until the water is just about gone and then cover it and put it on low to steam.

 

The beans, I buy a 2lb bag of dried beans, go through them to get rid of little stones or junk that doesn't belong in there and get rid of broken beans or funky ones. Then I rinse them good with water and drain them then fill the pot up to the top with water to let them soak overnight.

 

In the morning I dump out the soak water, rinse the beans again and then fill up the pot to maybe an inch- inch and a halfish above where the beans are. I throw in a few bay leaves and cover them and let them cook on low-medium until they are soft.

 

In a sauce pan I put three ham hocks with enough water to cover them and throw a few bay leaves in there as well and cook them covered on medium (I start them the same time as the beans) until they meat is falling off the bone and the water is almost evaporated. They're pretty much done at the same time that the beans are done.

 

Then I lift the ham hocks out of the pot with a slotted spoon and set them in a bowl to cool and strain the remaining ham hock liquid into the bean pot. When the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, I take all the meat off the bones and add it to the bean pot and throw the bones and fat away.

 

Then in a large frying pan I put maybe 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil into a cold pan and add an entire head of minced garlic. I turn the heat on to say about medium or slightly lower heat and slowly heat the garlic up. When the garlic is soft, but not brown I add two cut up bell peppers, 2 cut up vidalia onions and 2 habanero peppers (seeds removed). (Make sure you coat your hands with oil or use gloves if you're going to use Hanabero peppers, they're really hot, but taste soooooo gooooood. :) ) I sautee all of that in the oil until they are soft, then I turn off the heat and pass the mixture through a blender in small batches (you don't want to get burned :) ) until it is all smooth and I add it to the bean pot. If you need water for the blender use the soup from the bean pot to blend them. Then I add maybe a teapoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon or two of fresh lime juice, salt (to taste), pepper (if needed), cumin powder (to taste) and more olive oil (if necessary) to the bean pot. Give it a good stir. Let it cook maybe another 25-30 minutes more and that's it.

 

Serve it over the rice and garnish it with fresh minced onion if you like. :)

 

buen provecho. :)

 

P.S. I make a big batch at a time and then freeze them in those square tupperware containers. They freeze really good and it's easy to just take down a tupperware in the morning and let them defrost to have with dinner that night. :) I'm actually cooking some tomorrow. :)

Edited February 22, 2011 by Ibbygirl
se me olvido poner unos detalles. :)

[SeekingSimplicity]

I'm type O and I feel best when I eat a lot of fruits and grains. I gain weight the quickest when I eat meats. I spent a year as a raw foodist after my last child was born, and also during part of my childhood, and it was wonderful. When I've tried low carb diets or eating more meat/protein I get constipated and cranky. Not necessarily in that order. LOL

[ocelotmom]

I'm type O and I feel best when I eat a lot of fruits and grains. I gain weight the quickest when I eat meats. I spent a year as a raw foodist after my last child was born, and also during part of my childhood, and it was wonderful. When I've tried low carb diets or eating more meat/protein I get constipated and cranky. Not necessarily in that order. LOL

I guess they must be switching our blood samples :)

[Giraffe]

Also, how in the HECK would one prepare a "healthy" family meal that way? Sorry bubba, but you're B blood type. You can eat A & B, but don't dare touch C. Kat, you're A eat C and B, but don't touch A. Buddy and Boo -- you can have whatever you want, because you're O, like your Dad. Totally hypothetical, but you get my drift, right?

 

Actually, my brother and his family have been following the diet and have all four blood types in their family. SIL laid out the food lists, found the intersections, and works from that. She does, I think, cook extra sides so that everyone has the "right" foods. This is a family that does not go in for fads or other "nonsense" eating. Heck, my brother is a wannabe redneck. But once he admitted he's a Type A (I think, I can't remember who's who) and started eating almost completely vegetarian his IBS went away. Completely. He lived his first 40 years a red meat & potatoes guy but embraced the diet and feels amazing. My mom got everyone on it.

 

DH, DD, and I are all Type Os so in theory we would have an easy time of it, but we love all the wrong veggies. So we don't follow it.

[Peela]

I'm type O and I feel best when I eat a lot of fruits and grains. I gain weight the quickest when I eat meats. I spent a year as a raw foodist after my last child was born, and also during part of my childhood, and it was wonderful. When I've tried low carb diets or eating more meat/protein I get constipated and cranky. Not necessarily in that order. LOL

 

I would say this is me too. But it's only recently I have cut out all meat so I will see how that goes.

 

But as Rosie points out- the meat allowance is not especially high, although its higher than I feel good on. In Mercola's protein type diet it is even lower.

 

I do, as an O, relate to having strong digestion- I call it a cast iron stomach- and I digest meat very well- I digest most things very well actually and rarely have digestive issues.

 

Another factor is that eating raw food or a vegetarian diet high in vegetables tends to be more alkalising for the system- meat is acidifying. In many traditional societies there are/were always times of the year when supplies would be low and the diet would be meagre and virtual fasting would occur- in other words, there were times when people would naturally not have much meat. It wasn't necessarily day in day out their whole life- the abundance of game would come and go. its possible that many of us prefer to not eat meat for periods of our life because our systems need a break from it and that is natural too. I think most modern meat is probably pretty toxic, too, and its possible we are instinctive that it just isn't so healthy all the time. So there are all those factors too.

My favourite meat is kangaroo. When we give it to our animals though they go crazy- they go nuts over it. They want more. It is very low in fat. I suspect that is a very different quality of meat to even our Aussie grass fed cows.

[IsabelC]

I heard of this concept some years ago and dismissed is an another bit of creative woowoo. But I've recently read a sort of scientific explanation for it that seems to make some sense. Apparently the theory is that the different blood types evolved at different stages in human evolution, and the diet that is more likely to suit is related to the dominant diet at that stage. So in theory, O was the original universal blood type, it arose in the earliest, hunter gatherer stage, so O people are more likely to thrive on the paleo type diet. Or something like that, I don't quite remember.

 

Having said that, though, I'd still only ever take *any* diet as a suggestion, not a prescription. Apart from the Pollan (or was it someone else) advice to "eat food. not to much. mostly plants.", I think it's all open to individual variation.

[Rosie_0801]

Another factor is that eating raw food or a vegetarian diet high in vegetables tends to be more alkalising for the system- meat is acidifying.

 

That was another thing. He said that type Os need to be a bit more acidic than everyone else. That sounds incredibly weird to me, but hey, I'm no biochemist so maybe it does make sense :confused:

 

Which Cousens book did you recommend, Peela? The Rainbow Green Life food one? Have you read many of his? I'm sure there has to be general recommendations that fit everyone, with sub-categories because bodies really do need different proportions of different food groups. This chap seems to be offering another model along those lines, from the sample you linked the other day.

 

Ha. I love foodiness. They could all be crazily wrong and I'd still find it fun to read. :lol:

 

Rosie

[Peela]

Which Cousens book did you recommend, Peela? The Rainbow Green Life food one? Have you read many of his? I'm sure there has to be general recommendations that fit everyone, with sub-categories because bodies really do need different proportions of different food groups. This chap seems to be offering another model along those lines, from the sample you linked the other day.

 

 

Thats the one i have Rosie and I think its the most recent one. It has a lot of good information (can also get technical), then recipes.

I havent read his others but i have browsed through them at our organic shop and decided that until I have a bottomless supply of money it is enough.

If you haven't read into the raw food movement, you might find him very interesting- he is very, very well researched and knows his stuff.

[Rosie_0801]

Thats the one i have Rosie and I think its the most recent one. It has a lot of good information (can also get technical), then recipes.

I havent read his others but i have browsed through them at our organic shop and decided that until I have a bottomless supply of money it is enough.

If you haven't read into the raw food movement, you might find him very interesting- he is very, very well researched and knows his stuff.

 

 

I have read some stuff about the raw food movement, but not enough good work. Most of the books in the library were all about juice fasts and I'm not interested in that. Shame I didn't start this thread two days earlier. I could have snuck that book in with the last of our school books. I'm sure, given a bit of thought, I can find a way to justify another purchase ;)

 

Rosie

[jld]

Gracias, Ibbygirl. Somos vegetarianos, pero me interesa la receta de todos modos. Me parece rica.

 

Y gracias otra vez por tomar el tiempo de escribirlo todo.:)

[Liz CA]

I generally shy away from things like that but I do think that different people require different things. I can live without meat for days but I have to have veggies, fruit and eggs but not necessarily a lot of carbs (I am A+ just for your info). Dh (who is 0+) cannot live without meat in some form and carbs. He loses weight consistently with exercise and homemade food whereas I make sure carbs are low and I quit eating when I am full.

 

Any of this chive with the blood type diet?

[Liz CA]

Nope, that doesn't work. I can eat the biggest bowl of beans and root veggies, and still go on rampage through the kitchen looking for toast. Anyway, root veggies have a high GI value, so they don't keep you feeling full for long. That isn't a reason not to eat them, of course, unless you are diabetic, but I certainly can't sub them for grains and feel happy.

 

Oh, nutritional information is so exciting :D

 

Rosie

 

Have you tried buckwheat groats? They are technically a herb but taste like grain. They are also high in nitrilosides which is supposed to be good - and fairly low on the GI scale.

[Ibbygirl]

Gracias, Ibbygirl. Somos vegetarianos, pero me interesa la receta de todos modos. Me parece rica.

 

Y gracias otra vez por tomar el tiempo de escribirlo todo.:)

 

A tus ordenes. :) Tu puedes evitar la pezuna para hacerlos vegetarianos sin problema. Aun salen bien. :)

[Rosie_0801]

Have you tried buckwheat groats? They are technically a herb but taste like grain. They are also high in nitrilosides which is supposed to be good - and fairly low on the GI scale.

 

Never heard of a nitriloside!

 

Yeah, we do eat buckwheat on occasion. It counts as a grain as far as my body is concerned.

 

Well I'm totally bummed. I got up this morning and found someone had broken the window. "Aha!" said I. "That's what went crash when hubby and I were yakking last night." So the money I was going to spend buying that book Peela recommended went on that :(

 

Maybe next pay :)

 

Rosie

[Ibbygirl]

Never heard of a nitriloside!

 

Yeah, we do eat buckwheat on occasion. It counts as a grain as far as my body is concerned.

 

Well I'm totally bummed. I got up this morning and found someone had broken the window. "Aha!" said I. "That's what went crash when hubby and I were yakking last night." So the money I was going to spend buying that book Peela recommended went on that :(

 

Maybe next pay :)

 

Rosie

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

[Devotional Soul]

Ayurveda is the ancient science of life that explains the proper diet to be based on body type, not blood type. Find out your dosha (body type) and check out the recommended diet. Your library probably has books on it as well.

 

Find your dosha (body type):

http://doshaquiz.chopra.com/

 

This website has food choices and diet balancing recommendations under the 'explore' tab at the top.

http://www.ayurbalance.com/

 

According to what I've learned about Ayurveda, raw food and vegetarian diets are in the mode of goodness. Overcooked and meat diets are in the modes of passion and ignorance. Vegetarianism is recommended for all body types for better health. Animal proteins are available from dairy products instead of meat.

 

Regarding grains, have you tried quinoa? It's technically a seed-like fruit and is a complete protein.

[Rosie_0801]

Now Ayurveda is one of those things I've thought I ought to have a look at, but haven't actually made it to yet.

 

Yup, we eat a lot of quinoa. I like the texture.

 

Why would dairy products be a better source of animal protein than meat? Is this a spiritual issue, or a health issue?

 

Rosie

[Negin]

Now Ayurveda is one of those things I've thought I ought to have a look at, but haven't actually made it to yet.

Me too. I find this whole topic fascinating. I just find it frustrating that I have too little time these days to research the way I really would like.

I do have the Eat Right 4 Your Type book sitting on my shelf. I've barely opened it. I don't even know my blood type :lol:. I keep telling dh that I need at least 6 weeks locked in a room to do all the research I would so love to do.

[Peela]

 

Why would dairy products be a better source of animal protein than meat? Is this a spiritual issue, or a health issue?

 

 

 

Ayurveda is a health system that is deeply rooted in the Vedas and Indian culture and approach to spirituality. Ahisma, the concept of doing no harm, is an integral part of that. So to kill another being for food when it is not necessary, is to do harm, which will bring bad karma as well as to lower ones spiritual vibration. Dairy products however come from the sacred cow, and the milk should be given willingly after the calf has drunk, ideally. No harm is done and in fact the cow is relieved and it is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

I have heard many times though that modern, especially western dairy products are hardly the pure foods that traditional ayurveda recommends and are not recommended.

The ayurvedic system also recommend sugar and sweet foods as being very "sattvic"- they raise your vibration- but this needs to be seen in context. In the past, sweet foods were much harder to access and were treasured- nowadays, sweet foods abound and too many are eaten, so that changes the effect.

[Rosie_0801]

Ayurveda is a health system that is deeply rooted in the Vedas and Indian culture and approach to spirituality. Ahisma, the concept of doing no harm, is an integral part of that. So to kill another being for food when it is not necessary, is to do harm, which will bring bad karma as well as to lower ones spiritual vibration. Dairy products however come from the sacred cow, and the milk should be given willingly after the calf has drunk, ideally. No harm is done and in fact the cow is relieved and it is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

I have heard many times though that modern, especially western dairy products are hardly the pure foods that traditional ayurveda recommends and are not recommended.

 

Groovy. I thought it would be something along those lines.

 

The ayurvedic system also recommend sugar and sweet foods as being very "sattvic"- they raise your vibration- but this needs to be seen in context. In the past, sweet foods were much harder to access and were treasured- nowadays, sweet foods abound and too many are eaten, so that changes the effect.

 

Mm. Sweets. Yum yum. Oh that's bad isn't it? Oops. I'm not eating sweets for breakfast, really. I'm eating lentils and flatbread. I promise! Eating iceberg lettuce too because it arrived in our box. Blergh. It's not so nice when you are used to spinach and rocket.

 

6 weeks locked in a library? Sounds like my idea of heaven!

 

:)

Rosie

[Devotional Soul]

Thank, Peela, for answering those questions!

 

Animal fat and protein can be obtained from milk, cheese, butter, ghee, whey, and yogurt, and does not require the killing of innocent animals. Since fresh, unpastorized milk is hard to come by, organic milk products are the closest most of us can get to the dairy that is good for us. Many fermented cheeses are not vegetarian because they have animal rennet, which comes from the lining of cow's stomachs . Some cheeses are vegetarian and say 'no animal rennet' or 'vegetable enzymes'.

 

In ayurveda, cow is not recommended for anyone to eat. This is for both spiritual and material health. Human's intestines are much longer than those of a carnivorous animal, and clean intestines are important for overall health. Iron and protein are easily accessible from plants. Spiritual health is said to make more progress with less sinfulness and unnecessary violence, and slaughterhouses are considered violent.

 

There's tridoshic foods that are good for all doshas/body types. Green mung beans, basmati rice, cumin seed, coriander seed, fennel seed, and tahini to name a few. Here's a site with some recipes for all doshas:

http://www.ayurvedicyogi.com/recipes/

 

Here's the Bhagavad Gita quotes about foods that are in the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance for those who are interested.

 

BG 17.8: Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.

 

BG 17.9: Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease.

 

BG 17.10: Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

Edited February 26, 2011 by Devotional Soul

[Rosie_0801]

There's tridoshic foods that are good for all doshas/body types. Green mung beans, basmati rice, cumin seed, coriander seed, fennel seed, and tahini to name a few.

 

That's my idea of food...

 

I've toyed with the idea of using ghee for cooking on and off for ages. It would certainly suit us because it doesn't need refrigerating.

 

Rosie