Where I'm At

[Guest guest]

Alright. I have some gripes and some general thoughts

I've got to get around to addressing so here goes.

I think most of the recipes for us are inherently wrong

in that there is a single, all-pervasive error that

sabotages us. It is the improper combination of foods,

either eaten together or COOKED together, meaning in the

recipe. Most of us have had some exposure to the

concepts of proper food combining. It is called

trophology. A good, quick explanation of this can be

found at:

http://www.hps-online.com/

look under " food and dieting " and you will see the

basics of food combining. This is as concise and easy-to-

understand explanation description I have found. I

implore you... PLEASE AT LEAST TAKE A LOOK!

As with almost everything I am in favor of, I have

personally followed the food combining guidelines, taken

note of the differences in my lived-experience as

compared to before, and then purposefully gone OFF the

food combining guidelines, and noticed quite clearly

some very interesting differences in my lived-experience

of my own body. Of all the guidelines, I have found that

it is the mixture of raw fruits and meats, and starches

and meats that are the most harmful of improper food

combinations. Essentially, if you've got a " digestion

situation " that involves animal flesh, you've got BIG

problems down the road, especially in the intestines and

colon. What disturbs me is the sheer quantity of

recipes, in the books, in the Cook Right 4 Your Type

mailing list, etc. that combine meat and starches. Meat

and starch is the worst! Don't believe me? You have to

stay " clean " for at least a few days, preferably a week,

then break the trophological rules and eat a meal such

as fish and rice, chicken and noodles, a hamburger,

steak and potatoes... you get the idea. Notice how long

it takes for your stomach to feel empty once again. When

does the appetite return? How did you sleep (if you

could)? How do you feel the next day? How about a food

journal? When you defecate 24-48 hours after that meat

and starch meal, how did it go? Did it go? How much of

it really did go? These are some potentially scary

questions, but sticking your head in the sand isn't

going to help. Atkins diet, Suzanne Somer's diet,

Protein Power diet, paleoithic diet, any low

carbohydrate diet is going to instantly help the body

become healthier and detoxify simply because they all

incorporate, to some degree, the limitation of eating

starch and concentrated animal proteins at the same

time. Do yourself a favor if you don't understand what

food combining is, try to learn enough basic chemistry

(and you should have no problem with this, this is the

internet after all folks) to understand what happens

when acids and alkalines mix. That is the basic reason

why animal proteins and starches do not mix; notice that

beans are high in protein and the bulk of their calories

are from starchy carbohydrates, but beans and that

classic combo beans and rice are not a no-no because

beans are not an animal protein, and have compatible

requirements of the human stomach for adequate digestion.

Having difficulty losing those last few pounds? Still

bothered with those aches and pains? Uncontrollable

urges got you in distress? Not to worry. If you aren't

already practicing proper food combining then now is the

time to start. If not, at least do some research on your

own.

My fellow O's, this Blood Type Diet suggests that we

have the oldest general " set-up " , we are the ones to

reap the full benefit of the paleoithic diet. Don't know

what I mean when I refer to " paleoithic diet " ? Then go

to this address: www.beyondveg.com This is the best

site I've seen for a down-to-earth explanation of what

our ancestors ate, our original diet, which is the diet

that our EVOLVED bodies are meant for. Only within the

last 10,000 years (some say 15k, others 5k), the onset

of the neolithic era, have we been eating these grains,

dairy, and other foods that upset the balance of our

ancient bio-chemistry. The peak of our brain-mass was

during the paleoithic era folks, the strongest bone

structure? Paleoithic era. Least occurence of

degenerative diseases typical of the western,

industrialized societies? Paleoithic. The nearest we

have today to our paleoithic ancestors is the few

remaining indigenous peoples who have retained the

hunter-gatherer way of life. And the results support

what the paleo-anthropoligists have been saying: we

were not meant for the typical modern diet that is high

in carbohydrates. Especially the flours, refined flours,

concentrated sugars and the like. They make us

susceptible to disease. They weaken us. For some people,

the consumption of high-carbohydrate foodstuffs such as

pastry and grains can be the principle CAUSE of such fun

diseases as adult-onset diabetes, which is has now been

given the status of " epidemic " disease in the good ole

United States of America. If you like to get your info

from books, I picked up the " Protein Power " book at a

local thrift store for twenty-five cents (!). " Protein

Power " was written by two doctors, a married couple by

the names Micheal Eades and Dan Eades. Very

informative, with more information about insulin's role

in our body than Atkin's " New Diet Revolution " . If you

read " Protein Power " and invest the mental energy to

comprehend its contents you will be ahead of the game.

Does it seem like I'm ranting? Maybe so. Why should I

care? After all, I'm an sickeningly healthy young twenty-

three year old man, the spittin' image of good health.

But all the sensitivity which those of us who have

followed the blood type diet have come to know, that

sensitivity, that clarity that allows us to KNOW that

wheat is bad for us, that difference between eating

wheat bread and going about the day oblivious to our own

bodies compared to being O compliant " clean " and then

getting those headaches, belly aches, bloating, and

lethargy that lasts into the next day that tells us

without a doubt that SOMETHING IS WRONG. That clarity is

just a step or two away from knowing the ultimate truth

about our (O)ld bodies. Proper food combining is key to

that next level. I hope you have the strength to pursue

this next level. Take it from me. Trust me. I've done

the cleansing/fasting. I've practiced hatha yoga enough

to really clean myself out, I've lived for weeks at a

time stressing my body with regular weight training and

jogging while looking into the truth about the foods we

commonly eat. I've lived in a manner that simulates the

conditions that we lived with when we were hunter-

gatherers and I can say with certainty for myself

(coming from a very healthy guy who can " get away with "

all sorts of BTD no-nos and become desensitized within

days and not really suffer, YET) that carbohydrate rich

foods are bad news. Only in moderation will I eat carbs

from now on (I hope!). The difference between the

regular diet and a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet

are nothing short of amazing. Growth hormone? Did you

like growth-hormone when you were young? Baby! Anyone

out there, ANYONE who has forgotten what it is like to

be young, just try this: go low-carb. Get the bulk of

your calories from fats, good fats like olive oil,

sesame, flax, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds,

mayonaisse (if not HFS good stuff then make your own!),

hemp seed oil (the king!), even canola and soy oil if

that's all you got. Eat meals consisting of 4-6 oz of

meat, 300-400 calories from fat, non-starchy veggies,

all the beneficial herbs and spices you can use. Try to

eat those nuts and seeds after soaking 'em for 8-24

hours. Don't eat those nuts and seeds with your meat.

NOW try lifting some weights, like squats, dead lifts,

front squats, etc. Any movement that exercises your

whole body. Got a kid? Put 'em on your back, squat with

them till you feel the burn! Work that body! Pretend

your running down a huge freakin' mastadon for your

tribe's dinner. Do anything to really work your back,

butt, legs, your whole body! Then eat a protein packed

meal with plenty of calories provided by wholesome fats!

I've woken up after three hours of sleep with such a

powerful surge of growth-hormone (I'm talkin' the

natural kind, not the kind artificially injected into

those poor US grade A cows and bulls in the feedlots

awaiting inhumane slaughter), where was I, yes, such a

powerful surge in growth hormone that my body raises its

temperature by thermogenesis because my body is burning

its reservoir of fat (lipolysis is the term here) to

such a degree that I wake up with an exhilirating sense

of power and energy. An illuminating experience. At

first I thought it was similar to the middle-of-the-

night carbohydrate cravings such as what I've

experienced after eating 600-1000 calories of ice cream

for an end of day meal (weight training can produce some

wicked cravings!!!). But now I know the difference.

Eating the high protein and high fat meals, with growth

hormone encouraging activities such as those recommended

by the good Doctor himself is the key to turning back

the clock in a dramatic way. I know, I'm young and am

not your typical case-study. I'm too far on the other

end of the spectrum to be related to in the real world.

But these things I've talked about I know as the truth.

Little 'ole grannies who are on the BTD because they

suffer from diverticulitis or IBS or whatever aren't

going to have the same enthusiasm for weight-training

(or being a " ride " for their grandchildren) as a

young 'un. But the results are the same, they may not be

of the same caliber, but grandma's bones will gain in

strength if not mass, and a definent, observable release

of growth hormone can be provoked with the right effort.

It can make a HUGE difference. At the very least, cut

out those destructive carbs! Then you won't even have to

worry about food combining. Carbohydrates are considered

a macronutrient, when really, for most people

carbohydrates can eventually be cut out almost

completely. Of course, that fresh bed of tender baby

spinach that your delicous basil-peppercorn-garlic

buffalo ground steak is resting on contains some carbs

(like 15 calories of carbs for two cups), but these

carbs are totally different from a cooked and mashed

potato.

I'm sick of seeing people talking about spelt-cookies,

spelt pizza dough (cheese and bread! yum! I can feel my

intestines stopping already!), or whatever BTD compliant

modifications to all these unnecessary and disease-

producing foods. Stop obsessing about inferior foods!

Expand your culinary repertoire into the realm of

wholesome meats, there are all sorts of herbs and

spices, forms, ethnic styles and variations to consider

in the world of meat. MEAT. My inner paleoithic

caveman's jowls are dripping with blood from a fresh

kill. I've tried the vegetarianism in earnest and I'm

guilt-free now. Now I'm running around the lake as an

early-morning pick-me-up instead of running away from a

saber-toothed tiger for my very survival. By the way, it

was US who hunted (that is: killed) the saber-toothed

tigers and mastadons to extinction. I'm not really

personally hunting down and killing any buffalo and then

eating their raw liver on-the-spot with the rest of my

cave-man posse. But I respect and acknowledge that in my

personal line of evolution that's what my ancestors were

doing more than anything else.

Speaking of cave-men. Ever noticed how much we love to

live in coastal areas? They have found corpses in the

Andes of indigenous peoples, hardy paleoithic people who

always had a little bag containing seaweed tied around

their necks. Why? Fruits and vegetables from our land

contain only about thirty of the fifty or so vitamins

and minerals and elements that our bodies REQUIRE to

LIVE. These people living in the Andes knew this of

course, they would go to great lengths to sustain trade

with coastal peoples in order to keep a little pouch of

seaweed with them at all times. I eat about a quarter

teaspoon of kelp everyday just to keep my pal, Mr. T

happy. 'Cause when Mr. T is happy then so am I. I don't

ever want to let Mr. T down, cause I depend on Mr. T for

my metabolism. I also like to make sure Mr. T stays very

well-stocked on iodine and the rest of my body on all

those essential nutrients because I don't like to absorb

radioactive elements into my vital organs and bone

matrix. It's scary reading about the elderly having

relatively poisen-safe diets and still having unsafe

levels of toxic, radioactive metals in their circulating

blood plasma. Why? Because of the foods they ate decades

ago that were absorbed into their bone matrix, now

they're old and losing bone mass, where's all that toxic

crap gonna go? It's in their f___'in blood now. The

various sea vegetables available to us in this

enlightened age have different nutritional profiles,

different strong-points. I highly suggest you become

acquanted with your friends, the sea vegetables. I found

two ounce bags of a wakame-like seaweed in my local

asian grocery store that sells for less than two bucks.

Two ounces doesn't sound like much but that's their

dehydrated weight. Those suckers expand man! The first

meat loaf I ever made was last week, it was a success.

The first ingredient I decided must be in that meatloaf

was seaweed. Nice and salty, a hint of the sea in my

meat please! A great book for info on our toxic

environment and foods is " Conscious Eating " by Dr.

Cousens. Forget the vegetarianism, but go with

the sea-vegetables and info on live nuts and seeds. Oh

yeah. Live nuts and seeds. I'll say it again: there is

a big difference between dormant, hard to digest nuts

and seeds and living nuts and seeds. When they're alive

they add tremendously to your enzymes. Enzymes are an

important part of your life. We produce our own, but if

we aren't eating living, enzymatically-rich foods, our

bodies must produce huge quantities of these enzymes in

order to properly assimilate our food. If it ain't

providin', it's depletin'. I do what I can, and the

results are well worth it.

So, in short, I'm sick of the lack of attention to

proper food combining. IMO a diet striving for health

yet ignoring the importance of our digestive environment

is a practice in self-defeat; granted that adhering to

the BTD is a step-up, wouldn't it make sense to take it

to the logical conclusion? Aren't we all trying to

attain good health? I'm also sick of the obsession with

carbohydrate-laden foods that we KNOW AS O'S aren't even

supposed to be in our diet. And if you think they do

have a dietarily significant place in your diet you've

GOT to go to www.beyondveg.com and learn for yourself.

I'm also concerned with the dearth of seaweed in our

food discussions. Sea vegetables are VERY important.

They, along with nuts and seeds and meat are our POWER

FOOD. Ancient man ate well of the creatures of the sea,

and the seaweed of the sea. I think seaWEED is a

terrible misnomer. Words affect our psychology, they can

make us quite biased. Seaweeds are especially important

now more than ever because of their anti-radiation

properties, cleansing and building properties, and the

fact that they contain ALL the minerals, vitamins,

elements and that primordial special something our

ancient bodies long for in this world where the majority

of our produce is grown on mineral-depleted soil to

begin with, thanks to our disgusting abuse of the land

with our modern agricultural practices. I'm sure a vast

majority of us are sadly ignorant of what it is like to

thrive on a diet that has nutritionally significant

quantities of those incredible plants from the sea.

Don't let your life pass you by. Eat some seaweed. See

if you can tell the difference.

Eat nuts and seeds (alive). Work that body. Eat seaweed.

Lay off those carbs. Eat lotsa meat. Make fat your

friend. If fat becomes your friend in your food, your

body can become a fat-burning machine. Get your EFAs,

omega-6 and omega-3, from fish or oil or nuts and seeds,

but get them into your body! Don't eat evil meat, only

get naturally-raised, hormone and antiobiotic free meat.

Free-range and grass-fed is best, and organs are

superior to muscle, heart being the exception.

And stop worrying so much when you do break the BTD

rules, because the good doctor himself has given us

written permission to do so occasionally, at least in

the copy of CR4YT that I own...

It's like in Buddhism. A teacher instructs a young monk

that he is allowed to think about anything that occurs

in his mind during meditation with one exception, the

monk is not to think about one thing: flying monkeys.

Several days go by and the young monk has become plagued

with thoughts about flying monkeys. Why? I don't know.

Just don't eat or even think about wheat. Cause you know

you're not supposed to. So there. End of rant.