Changes....

I saw my regular doctor on Friday, and we had a frank discussion about the things I am going to have to do to get my health back on track. I was prepared for some of it; avoid red meat and simple carbs, no sweets or sugars, no soda, etc. etc. But Dr. April went one further by putting me on a diet for my blood type, aka the Eat Right for your Type, pioneered by one Dr. D’Adamo.

At the core of it, different blood chemistries respond differently to different foods.  For myself, an A-Positive,  apparently a vegetarian diet is ideal.  (The following excerpt is used from Dr. D’Adamo’s website without permission):

                ” Type As flourish on a vegetarian diet - if you are accustomed to eating meat, you will lose weight and have more energy once you eliminate the toxic foods from your diet. Many people find it difficult to move away from the typical meat and potato fare to soy proteins, grains and vegetables. But it is particularly important for sensitive Type As to eat their foods in as natural a state as possible: pure, fresh and organic.”

However, it is not enough to run down to the produce section at the local QFC and start cramming the cart full of greens. Dr. April provided me with an extensive list of foods divided into three categories: “Highly Beneficial”  “Neutral”, and “Avoid”.  A lot of it is common sense, but some of it took me by utter surprise.

Some avoids I expected?

 Bacon, Ham and American Cheese. Corn Oil. White flour and potatoes.

Some avoids that I didn’t?

Shredded Wheat,  Cabbage and Garbanzo beans. (Good bye hummus!!) Skim milk. Oranges and bananas.

As Samwise opined to Frodo upon first glimpsing the Stairs of Cirith Ungol. "Damn. This sucks." (I am paraphrasing.)

On the plus side, this is forcing me to investigate new nutritional avenues, and already I have found options that apparently are healthful, and pretty damn tasty.

Firstly, I would like to recommend “Ezekiel Bread”, (I guess the recipe comes from the bible, hence the name), which is made of sprouted grains and no flour or glutens. (I am currently unsure of the ramifications of this data….more reading ahead!!) At $4.50 a loaf at Whole Foods, it is a bit pricey for a single loaf, but for a slice of toast with my morning cereal and berries, it’s delish, and I don’t plan on knocking out any club sandwiches on it.

I also discovered roasted soy nuts this week.  Each one ounce serving contains a tiny 120 calories, but is packed with 11g of protein and 5g of dietary fiber. Throw some of these goodies on a salad in place of croutons, eat ‘em straight from the bag, or (in your case, not mine- GRIN) use ‘em to top a baked potato. They are a wonderful, delicious source of healthy protein (which will help keep you full!)

Happy Life and Much Love to You All!

~Charlie