Saturday

I apologize for my negligence in posting.....once more. I'll make no promises and just get to posting, stat!

As for Saturday, official details are as follows -
1pm-3pm
My house
$2 per person
Potluck!
Iridology

I was having severe problems trying to find a camera that would get a good picture of an eye, good enough to see things in it. So, it won't be happening me getting a picture of each person's eye in order to see then on screen on Saturday. I will continue to try, but it is really difficult with digital cameras. For something like this you really need the old cameras and let's face it, I don't have one anymore. But, we will look at pictures of eyeballs from people in my class that I took last month. That will suffice.

Please come if you can! Looking forward to it =]

Potential Class.....?

THIS IS A TEMPORARY CLASS MEETING. PLEASE RESPOND ASAP SO I CAN SEE IF THIS WILL BE THE BEST DATE. THANKS!
Saturday, June 14th 1pm-3pm, location currently TBA
This time we will talk about Iridology. Iridology is the study of the iris of the eye to see weaknesses in the body. The plan is to have everyone get a picture of their eye taken by me PRIOR to this class so that we can show them at the class and look at each one [anonymously of course]. If you don't want your eye to be shown to everyone else, I would still like to get a picture of it in order to discuss with you what we can see in your iris.

The cost is $2 per person.
This will also be a potluck so please bring something to share.
LET ME KNOW IF THIS DATE WORKS!
Thanks!


P.S. Tomorrow - I will post something that has NOTHING to do with classes or useless information. It is time to get back to regular posting. Let's do this =]

Muscle Testing

Now, those of you that were not at my class may ask, what IS muscle testing? It is a way to get a good picture of how the body is doing internally. It is a method of isolating a muscle (typically the arm muscle, but you can use practically any muscle) and testing its strength/weakness when energy is presented to an organ. It is difficult to get a good idea of what it is without showing you. But let me try....

Basically, all organs have energy because every molecule in our body has energy. If an organ is not being properly nourished and is not getting its waste eliminated properly, it will be weak. The weakness of an organ causes improper function. Improper function gives you pains, symptoms, abnormalities, etc. So, what we do is the tester [that would be me] presents their energy to an organ [just by touching the area, also known as a meridian]. Simultaneously, the person being tested [that would be you] locks up their arm muscle while the tester applies a slight pressure. If the organ is strong and properly nourished, the testee [read that one out loud, :) ] will be able to hold their arm up against the pressure because the circuits in the body are all go and that organ is healthy! But if the organ is malnourished and not functioning optimally, the system will be temporarily short circuited and the person will have more of a difficulty holding their arm up against the pressure from the tester. Either that or they will not be able to hold it up at all [that is for a more serious weakness]. That is because the malnourished organ is not used to the "good" energy because it has been neglected. So the "good" energy will throw it off which causes the muscle weakness in the arm.

I hope that description helped you understand it, but if not feel free to question away. It also helps to see it done or have it done to you. So if you would like to set up a time let me know and we can set something up. I am here to help YOU and it just so happens that for this instance, helping you helps me get some homework done! =]
SO
Feel free to contact me about doing some muscle testing. I am currently doing full evaluations for $10. We will look at each organ's strengths and weaknesses, as well as what supplementation could be beneficial and how much of it. [I also sell supplements but you do not have to buy them from me. It is only an option.]

I really do wish to help you find out why you are having certain things happen in your body and muscle testing is a good way to get a picture of your internal environment. Therefore, it is one of the first steps toward wellness.

REMINDER

REMINDER:
CLASS IS TOMORROW [Saturday, May 10th]
MY HOUSE
2PM-4PM [don't worry, there will be breaks]
BRING SOME FOOD [potluck style, wooo!]
$2 PER PERSON
SEE YOU THEN! [bring new people! this is going to be an interactive one and needs people]
CALL IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS [586-718-6191]

Days 8 and 9

Yesterday was day 8. Not a bad day at all. It went well, especially in the pooping department. I took about 6 herbal pooper helpers throughout the course of the day. I wasn't going like every hour or anything, but I definitely had it coming out. And let's just say it was obvious that I was getting stuff that had been stuck for awhile. So that was nice. Cramping wasn't too bad thankfully. Other then that nothing really remarkable in the day. Although......

I did decide last night that I would start breaking the fast today. Sometimes, when I think about it, I feel like a loser for stopping. And I received some comments that make me feel like that even more from people. But I am trying to look at the good rather then the bad. My pupils used to constantly be huge [which is a sign of stressed adrenal glands] and over that period they became normal size and I intend to keep them that way. I was able to overcome and see that I had willpower greater then I imagined. I also gave my body a chance to clean house and that was obvious to me. So, you know what, to all those who think I am lame for not going 3 weeks, you try not eating for 8 days and let me know how you feel!

I started out good today and ate slowly and cautiously. Still pooped some nice black stuff that was diarrhea-ish as it has been this whole time. So I am still cleaning - which is good. I did tonight, though, give in and get some frozen yogurt. Possibly not the best choice, but it was one of those things I really wanted. How was it? Not as good as I remembered. I think my body is finally doing what I want it to, craving the RIGHT stuff. I cannot wait for tomorrow when I can eat my strawberries and kiwi and asparagus and celery and ezekiel bread [did massive shopping today]. So, I will be giving my body those things and keeping things like frozen yogurt and brownies - though they may be organic, natural and not so horrid - to a minimum. I really crave for my body to be healthy. And I intend to feed it as such from now on. I won't be going to any of those places I mentioned in an earlier post that I really craved [except Inn Season because that goes along with what I am trying to do here] because they will not be of use to my body. I have found that eating is no longer about taste. Taste is important, but that is not why I eat. I eat to nourish and support this vessel God gave me.

P.S. I ate a carrot today - and enjoyed it. WHOA!

Day 7

It has been a week since I last ingested food. The closest thing I have come to in this week is this piece of gum I am currently chomping on. Tastes nice.

My tongue is looking SO much better. After I drink the concoction it gets more white and fuzzy, but when I'm not drinking it, it is barely white and barely very fuzzy. This means it is working. That makes me happy.

As for the bowel movements, it has gotten better today. The only unfortunate thing was that I had to work for 6 hours, 3 of which I was by myself so I couldn't just leave our little Starbucks fort. There were a few times when I felt it and knew it was going to come out, but I had to stop it because I was helping a customer. Then when they left I went to the bathroom and nothing came out. That was really frustrating. So, today, I started taking my herbal lower bowel stimulators to get things going. I think that is why it has gotten better. It's funny though just sitting here and hearing things going on in my intestines. Sounds like a typical stomach growl. And I swear I can hear chunks of compacted poop being broken apart. It's goofy. Well, I'm hoping I will get some good stuff out tomorrow so that I can work my way towards normal food on Thursday-ish. I just want to be normal [no hope for that in the future]. =]

This morning though was very rough. I woke up having a quickly beating heart, finding it difficult to catch my breath and had wobbly extremities. It was hard to walk and my arms shook. I don't know what that was all about! [Maybe my iced tea from last night] I mean yes, I should have drank more of the concoction yesterday, maybe that was it. But after drinking that stuff, it went away and I have felt fine since then.

When I was at work I was telling myself "I give up, I'm eating tomorrow". But I don't think that will happen. I really want to get more toxins out before I go back to eating, as badly as I want to. The thing that is nice to know is that I CAN control myself. I have enough willpower to withstand this difficult thing. I like that.

Hope this stuff isn't in any way discouraging to anyone that has ever considered this or something like it. I definitely recommend doing this cleanse, it is good stuff. You just have to stick it out and make it work. It is very beneficial.

Days Four, Five and Six

4 words: I WANT TO EAT! This is currently how I feel at this point in the cleanse. I really am not hungry at all, sometimes more nauseous then anything else. I just want to taste food, to chew it and enjoy it. I think it is more so the fact that I can't have it as to why I want it so bad. I have decided that I will not be going the full 21 days. At first, I felt like a copout for that decision. But then, after seriously thinking about it, it is unrealistic to expect that much from myself on the first time doing something like this. At this point I do not know exactly how long I will go, that is to be determined based on....poop.

I finally started pooping at least a little yesterday. After work I did a salt water flush [one quart of lukewarm water and 2 tsps of sea salt] and drank it all. Talk about nasty! I felt so gross afterwards and definitely felt bloated and, again, nauseous. It got me going a little bit, not much more then a little liquid coming out my butt. Then last night I drank some smooth move tea which is nothing to brag about. This morning I did another salt water flush. By this point, if you know much about bowel movements, 6 days of lots of cayenne pepper then this massive influx of smooth move and salt water should mean a fantastically moving bowel. Or not! Well, today I got some movement, not as much as I think I should have. Had a bit of diarrhea and some dark brown and dark yellow liquids coming out right along with it. That happened probably 3 times and since then, nothing.

I was doing some light touching on my intestines to help move things along. When I got to the transverse colon [part of the large intestine that goes from below liver to below stomach horizontally, respectively] I felt a little hard part that hurt. Compacted poop! So I rubbed it along and moved it probably half an inch or so. Let's hope it gets broken up by the things I am ingesting.

I also broke down today and drank some cold tea. [aka, iced tea] Had no caffeine and was nice and good for me. I just needed a different taste. It was a very little bit and i probably won't do it again, but today I just had to!

I also have been having mood swings of sorts. What I mean is internal mood swings. It's not like I am happy one minute and a meanie the next, I am stable in that respect. But one second I think to myself "this is okay, I can handle this not eating thing. I can do this." The next second, or maybe a few seconds later, I think, "I can't do this! I need to break this and eat something! I can no longer do this!" It is crazy how it changes. And it is not based on hunger at all. It is based on taste and jealousy I think. [Everyone else gets to eat.....]

I did some researching today for some good recipes. Not just good tasting, but healthy recipes. I got things like Penne with Grilled Balsamic Vegetables, Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins, All-Natural Taco Seasoning Mix, Spelt Bagels and the one I to share with you guys [I thought this was nifty]:

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Yield 16 Bars 4 cups of quick cooking organic oats 1/3 cup organic canola oil [make sure it is organic, if not use another oil] 2/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract 1/2 cup organic chocolate chips 1 cup chopped organic nuts (optional) Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread oats into an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Allow oats to cool to room temperature. Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled oats. Spread mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed or oiled, pressing down hard to compact it. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.

I'm excited to make those sometime. Plus my bajillion other recipes I found. I got all of them from www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes Check that out for other awesome recipes.

Day Three

Again, my mouth feels horrendously disgusting. I have brushed my mouth 3 times today which is more then I have ever done in my life in one day. Sad, I know. My mouth is just gross and in pain, oddly. Oh well.

I still have yet to have a real bowel movement. Must be real backed up in there. But tomorrow I will be doing the warm sea salt water drink to flush me out. Hopefully that will be successful. My kidneys are sure working though, peeing a lot.

I am pleased to report that I have yet to feel weak, or dizzy, or woozy, or anything! I was very afraid of my anemia getting the best of me during this time and kind of expected a sufficient amount of weakness or even possibly passing out. Thankfully, that has not happened and I don't think it will. I think my body is strong and can take it, because it will get stronger in this process. I am a bit tired, but that happens to me most days. I don't feel different then I normally do is all.

Tonight after the Stellar Kart concert we took the youth to Holiday Pizza to get some food and of course, I smell it all [because my sense of smell is currently supernatural]. It smelled and looked so good! I guess I am in more appreciation of food, but unfortunately at this time all I want to eat is unhealthy food. I could really go for some Ike's, Ruby Tuesday's, Red Robin, Fuddruckers, Arby's, Taco Bell, Dairy Queen, Pizza.....etc. I just want to gorge myself as soon as I can. But that is how I feel now; hope that goes away tomorrow!

Lastly, it is obvious that when you don't eat and are only bringing in about 800 calories a day, you will lose some fat reserves. I have not weighed myself in any fashion but I do feel a bit lighter. This is not my main goal in this venture of mine, but it is a nice bonus, right?!

Day Two

So day two is just about over for me here. The hunger pains were there, but very, very light today. This morning I had some cramping that was not too bad, but it was evident and irritating. I had a fear that I was coming upon that time of the month and wouldn't be able to do this during that. As far as I can tell, that is currently not the case. It was probably just my bowels trying to move.

Speaking of which, they haven't moved much today. I've had a few "rabbit turds" if you will, but no big movements. Kind of frustrating, I want it out!

The big thing today though is my mouth. It was feeling kind of mucusy and sticky earlier today. Then at one point I stuck out my tongue to look at it and noticed it was white. Now, from time to time tongues get white, but my whole tongue was a very bright white. I even just scrubbed my tongue (which I have never gotten in the habit of doing before bed, sadly) and it is still gross looking white. And even still, a white tongue is not healthy. They should be a pinkish color. It is like a residue on my tongue or something, really gross feeling. Then when I was driving back to school tonight, I noticed my teeth felt weird. The best way I can find to describe it is my mouth feels how it does after I eat a banana. I don't know if any of you experience this, but eating a banana makes my teeth feel kind of gritty and just gross. Guess my body is using any avenue to get rid of toxins. That is very true though, because my armpits smell funny at the end of this night. And my occasional farts have just been putrid and rotten-esque. Which normally they aren't THAT bad. Too much information? I hope not.

Then at youth group tonight I had a kid waving a pizza in my face. AND - we took the kids to Baskin Robbins for 31 cent scoop night. Honestly though, it didn't bother me to have about 20 people standing around me eating ice cream. And I really like ice cream!

One last thing, my sense of smell is very acute now. I was walking into the Target on Schoenherr and Hall Road and could smell food from Outback Steakhouse at least a football field away (and across the road). That was weird. But I find it nice smelling the foods. And it isn't hunger that makes me want foods, it's that I want to taste them!!

But, it's all in the name of cleaning out my body, and hopefully wiping away some fat reserves :]

CLASS/New Adventure

First of all, new class details:
Saturday, May 10th from 2pm-4pm
Same as before with the food thing, so I am copying and pasting those details....
Since this will be a long class during dinner time [kinda], how about we do a potluck? Everyone please bring something to eat to share with everyone. [I can't guarantee I will be making any food, and you will see why in a few paragraphs.] Cost is still $2/person.

We will be talking about Herbs and Muscle Response Testing. Please bring along with you any vitamins or supplements that you are taking or would like to start taking.

I look forward to this and hope you can make it out. Let me know. Thanks!

So for my "new adventure" - today my father and I embarked on the Master Cleanse. 21 days of drinking our special concoction [fresh squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper in water]. This is the first time i have ever done it and my dad has made it 14 days when he did it before. Needless to say, this shall be interesting. I will definitely keep you guys posted on it. I will be posting more in general anyways because school is over on Friday. =] As for now though, I am really hoping the hunger pains will go away. And I can't stop thinking about food. One day down.....20 to go

READ ME!

I will be changing the date of my class within the next few days, it just is not working out well. What days are good for you guys?

Class Update

Alright, so for Saturday, May 3rd, my class will be from 3:30pm-5:30pm. Since this will be a long class during dinner time, how about we do a potluck? Everyone please bring something to eat to share with everyone and I will make a few things as well. Cost is still $2/person.

We will be talking about Herbs and Muscle Response Testing. Please bring along with you any vitamins or supplements that you are taking or would like to start taking.

I look forward to this and hope you can make it out. Let me know. Thanks!

Next Class

Hello everyone. It is getting down to the wire here with my other school, thus my complete lack of anything on here! I'm really sorry! Just wait until May and I'll be all over it =]

As for my next class, I am planning on Saturday, May 3rd. This class will be at my house and will cost $2 per person. The plan is for it to last two hours because I have to discuss two different topics. The time is currently to be determined because I do not know when I work that day yet. I should be finding out soon though and can let you know. Hope you plan on attending. Any questions let me know! =]

Protein

First of all, let me begin by apologizing for my lack of entries. I am trying to finish up things here at my other school, so I haven't really had the time or effort to invest in it. But that will come back once I graduate (May 3rd - day of celebration indeed).

Next, remember how I said I would test the Vitamin C theory out for the next "aunt flow" visitation? Well, I am walking proof that it is effective. I usually want to tear open my abdomen with an old, rusty knife in order to take out my uterus on the first day. That is the pain I experience. I am happy to report it has been two days and I have not ingested even one pain killer (by now it would be at least 12 that I have taken! I know, excessive). I have taken approximately 4,000mg of Vitamin C each day and some extra Calcium and Magnesium. Don't get me wrong, I can still feel what is going on in my body, but it is not a debilitating pain. Thank God.

Moving on, protein. Protein is essential to your body - for rebuilding tissues, making enzymes and hormones and many other things. The thing is, some people think eating a lot of protein is beneficial. Unfortunately that is an incorrect assumption. The excess protein gets in the way of ones health. Protein naturally leaves an acidic ash when broken down, so too much of it will cause the acid in your body to build up and become toxic. The best way to keep your body on the alkaline end of things is to eat 80% alkaline foods - so plants/fruits/veggies/grains - and 20% acid foods - any animal products and a very FEW fruits. That would go on to show that those high protein diets do not much more then make you acidic inside and much more susceptible to disease.

Excess protein also disrupts the osmotic balance of the cells. Osmotic balance is essentially the equality of pressure between the fluids on either side of the cell membrane - inside and outside of the cell. When it is out of balance - because of an excess of protein inside the cell - the cell brings in more fluids. This is done in order to re-balance, but also to dilute the intracellular ("inside the cell") protein. This process of dilution is a "standard procedure" the body has for dealing with abnormally high amounts of any substance inside the cells. When a cell brings more water into it (and it is not usually just one cell doing this, several cells in an area will all have an excess of protein so will all bring in extra fluid), it results is something far too familiar for some of us - fluid retention (or edema). That would explain why someone I knew went on a cruise and ate a lot of different meats and proteins that his body wasn't used to and his legs swelled up. Makes sense now, doesn't it?

Next time, we will talk about how protein makes you feel like you have more energy. But is it really giving you energy? We will also discuss how excess protein is potentially hazardous paired with exercise.

School next weekend, that means another class to come soon! =]

Vitamin C - The Wonder Vitamin

Vitamin C - a very complex vitamin that our bodies cannot produce. It is coined the "Anti-Inflammatory" vitamin. It plays a huge role in collagen production and immune system function. On top of that, it is considered an anti-oxidant that is very important for tissue growth and repair, adrenal function and the maintenance of healthy gums. This, to me, is a wonder vitamin. It does so much and is so critical to our bodies health.

As I'm sure most of you know, it is very abundant in citrus fruits, but Vitamin C can also be found in pretty much all of your fruits and vegetables in at least some amount. I feel that this shows even more how integral it is to our bodies function. Also, if you find yourself to already be an acidic person, instead of consuming the aforementioned things for vitamin C, go for rose hips. They are a non-acidic source of the vitamin - which is particularly good for TYPE Os.

Want a really cool beauty secret? Taking 1,000mg/day of Vitamin C - and I am not talking synthetic here, I'm talking the real stuff that was not concocted in a lab somewhere - will decrease the formation of wrinkles. As I mentioned, Vitamin C plays a big role in collagen production, and collagen is the part of us that is responsible for keeping the skin elastic and strong. When it is lacking is when the wrinkles form.

This vitamin is also very superb for so many other things. It can help take care of - joint pain, impaired wound healing, brittle bones, edema, bleeding gums/loose teeth, etc.

Here is an interesting story. The Director of Education at NITE told us that when she broke her arm, she took 20,000mg-30,000mg of Vitamin C each day (supplemented but not synthetic). She only did this for about the first week, but still kept the Vitamin C up after that. She did this and did not take any pain medication. Not only did the C help repair her bone, it took the pain away, or at least decreased it to a bearable level. This makes me excited for the next time good 'ol "Aunt Flow" comes around so I can test that theory. I'll pump the Vitamin C and see how that goes as far as menstrual cramps. I'll let you know about that.

A few more fun facts about Vitamin C:
Helps relieve back pain (and as I have come to understand, all pain)
Decreases cholesterol levels
Fights cataracts, pyorrhea (advanced periodontal disease), aging, diabetes and gall stones.

Don't forget to read the previous post about my 2 classes coming up. Try and come if you can!

Class Numero Dos (2)

So I was thinking, and I realize I am doing this in a last minute sort of way - again, but would anyone be available to attend a class I would like to have on this:
Saturday, March 22nd at 6:30pm at my house?
It would be about Vitamins and Minerals: Where can I get them and what do their deficiencies look like?
I apologize again for the fact of late notice, but my work schedule is really sketchy and cannot be depended upon in any manner. How about a "not as late of notice" class? Well, I was thinking about doing another class, on top of that one, on
Saturday, March 29th at 6:30pm at my house.
It would be on Food Combining: How to eat in order to properly use nutrients.
I really am interested in feedback as to if these dates would work. They do not have to be set in stone yet. They only reason I need to know if they work is because it is required to get 10 people at a class in order for it to count as our homework. So if I can get 10 people at at least one of them that would be just fine. But if you are interested in a topic but cannot make it then I could see about changing it. So please, offer feedback.

Also, a little sidenote: attendance at the class will require a $2 fee. Don't let that scare you, if you are very interested but cannot come up with the $2, please still come. I am not so stringent on this, but it is one of those things I have to do (requirements with the school and such). I hope you can understand.

How about one interesting side note I learned this weekend?
So the new big thing nowadays is "Let's have low cholesterol! Cholesterol clogs your arteries and is bad!" And on and on it goes. Cholesterol will be one thing we can discuss at the food combining class, so I will not get into a lot of it, but did you know this? Cholesterol is what is used to create hormones (amongst other things). So, if your cholesterol is TOO LOW, you are not able to produce the hormones needed and what does that leave you with? A decreased, if not non-existent, SEX DRIVE. If you can't make the hormones to tell you that you desire sex, then you won't desire it. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Fevers

Why hello! I apologize for my extended time away. There were so many things going on and then i had my vacation, that it was just impossible to set aside time to write, let alone think of anything to write. But, I have quite the topic now. While away on vacation, I was reading for school (which did not last for too long with the sun shining of course!) and read about fevers. What do you know, that night I got one. Isn't it weird how things work like that?

Anyways, fevers: your body temperature going higher than normal. Seems like a simple concept. I assumed that everyone understood why it was this happened to people, that was until I went to my Nutrition class yesterday. My professor was talking about fevers and how horrible they are and can change the structure of things in your body and how they need to be brought down immediately. Of course, if a person has a high fever for a period of I would say more than 3 days, then yes, it should be checked out and tamed. But a fever for a period of a day is something that should not be taken down.

Our bodies raise the temperature inside of us for a purpose. That purpose is to kill off the bad bacteria that is floating around inside. It's kind of like the bad bacteria is getting bigger and stronger so the body needs to take a stronger measure in order to kill it. So why would you want to stop this innate mechanism your body has for protecting itself? You wouldn't!

After my fever was gone, the next day my tonsils were severely enlarged and hurt really bad! Why is that? Allow me to explain - through the high fever, my body was able to kill off those bacterias it didn't want inside. Then, it made use of my lymphatic system to transport all of the bad bacteria it killed as to get it out of the body. The tonsils are an emergency "dump site" for the lymphatic system. When the body has those little buggers inside, it kills them then moves them into lymph nodes to dispose of. Once the dead bacteria is inside my tonsils, the nasty stuff gets out of me one of two ways - a) drips down my throat then i end up pooping it out, or b) i cough and get those lovely mucous chunks out which house some of that dead bacteria. That is why when you get a nice, lumpy, green mucous chunk in your mouth when you cough (which happened to me twice!) you don't want to swallow it! It's better to just spit it out. If you don't, it will end up still being disposed of, through your poop. But give your body the easy way out and just spit it in the toilet and flush it!

So all in all, trust me, i KNOW that fevers are no fun - especially the headaches that come along with them. But if you try and take down the fever (by taking pain killers or any other method you choose to use) you are making it more difficult on your body. If you let it run it's course, while keeping an eye on it, you are enabling the body to do what it needs to do in order to heal you. Remember the body is capable of healing itself. There, I felt like making it short and sweet.

Thanks

To those of you that were able to make it, thanks for coming on Saturday. For those of you that couldn't make it, I hope you can come next time. The classes will become regular (i.e. every x week of the month on y day) in May just to make it more consistent and easy to plan for.

But, I will get back to writing as regular about this last class. I should be able to get in one or two posts before I go on vacation this coming Friday morning. Until then, it is my birthday and I am going to work the whole day =]

Any questions about ANYTHING? I like questions.....

CORRECTION ON PREVIOUS POST

I apologize for the confusion on this. My parents house is currently a wreck in trying to get our floors all fixed up. So, here are the NEW details for Saturday. These are final and will NOT change. I'm so sorry....

Saturday, Feb 23rd
3pm-4pm (can stay later, but that is the "official time")
There is no cost, but donations accepted for cost of materials
Will be held at:
Discover Church
45504 Cass Ave
Utica, MI 48317

Hope to see you there. Again, sorry for the confusion, this is the official and unchanging details =]

Journey to Health

Hey everyone, I am verifying that we are going to be moving forward with our class this Saturday, February 23rd from 3pm-4pm at my house. I want to get a consistency to these, like every such and such a week on this day....but at this point I can't do that. So for now, just plan on this one Saturday but hopefully by next month we can get some stability with that.

I have decided to call my classes "Journey to Health". I guess that could be kind of corny, but I like it.

Here is the situation though, I have to have an attendance of 10 people, so please be sure to let me know if you are coming. I will still have the class if I don't have 10, but I would like 10. So, see if you can please do. We will discuss lots of things - cholesterol, microwaves, GMOs, water, etc. Maybe we will hit all those and more, maybe not. I will be "lecturing" on a lot of things - considering the requirement is to lecture for 1 hour, but we will do it in more of a discussion format. That is how I prefer it I suppose - getting you involved.

Let me know if you need my address. Thanks =]

Class

So this weekend I have class again - so excited! This time I am taking Biology. One of the requirements of this and several other classes is to after the class, go home and teach a class at my house for people I know to share the information with them. It just so happens that my manager gave me next Saturday, February 23rd off which is weird, I usually work an 8 hour shift that day.

So my thought was to have a class that day, Feb 23, from approximately 3pm-4pm. That was my thought, would any of you be interested and able to come? Or maybe is there someone that is interested but not able to come then? I am willing to do more than one class, that's not a problem for me.

Just let me know your thoughts. Let's leave that as a tentative date because that would be a superb day to do it in my eyes. Let me know! =]

[Oh and I apologize for my lack of posting. I am cramming on finishing homework for this weekend and I don't have too much else to note. I will post after this weekend, but not too much especially if I have that class at my house on the 23rd. Then I would post after that class]

The Optimal Blood TYPE AB Diet

This will conclude our oh so LONG discussion on the book "Eat Right For Your Type" by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. But, if you have questions feel free to continue to ask.

If you care for the info, feel free to read. But since it is so long you may only want to read it unless you or someone you know is a TYPE AB. TYPE O & TYPE A & TYPE B were discussed in my previous posts. If you haven't checked it out in a few days, you should look the posts over because I have updated a lot.

The Skinny on a TYPE AB Person:
Modern Merging of A and B
Chameleon's Response to Changing Environmental and Dietary Conditions
Sensitive Digestive Tract
Overly Tolerant Immune System
Responds Best to Stress Spiritually, with Physical Verve and Creative Energy
An Evolutionary Mystery

This is the rarest and newest blood type - only about 2-5% of the population has this type. Thats why I debated even writing about it, but maybe one of you out there is an AB. If you are - please just leave a little comment and tell me, I want to meet an AB =] TYPE AB has qualities of TYPE A and TYPE B and neither. So in a lot of ways they will exhibit qualities of either type but sometimes have completely new qualities. Every blood type diet takes careful consideration and attention to food labels, but this one probably the most.

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT GAIN:
Red Meat - poorly digested (because ABs have the small amount of stomach acid that As have, but Bs adaptation to meat. That creates a bad mix when meat is consumed - it is just stored as fat), stored as fat, toxifies intestinal tract
Kidney Beans - inhibits insulin efficiency, causes hypoglycemia, slows metabolic rate
Lima Beans - inhibits insulin efficiency, causes hypoglycemia, slows metabolic rate
Seeds - causes hypoglycemia
Corn - inhibits insulin efficiency
Buckwheat - causes hypoglycemia
Wheat - decreases metabolism, inefficient use of calories, inhibits insulin efficiency

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT LOSS:
Tofu - promotes metabolic efficiency
Seafood - promotes metabolic efficiency
Dairy - improves insulin production
Green Vegetables - improves metabolic efficiency
Kelp - improves insulin production
Pineapple - aids digestion, stimulates intestinal mobility

MEATS AND POULTRY -
"Like Type A, you do not produce enough stomach acid to effectively digest too much animal protein. Yet, the key for you is portion size and frequency. Type ABs need some meat protein, especially the kinds of meat that represent your B-like heritage - lamb, mutton, rabbit, and turkey, instead of beef. The lectin that irritates the blood and digestive tracts of Type Bs has the same effect on you, so stay away from chicken. Also avoid all smoked or cured meats. These foods can cause stomach cancer in people with low levels of stomach acid, the trait you share with Type As."

Avoid:
Bacon, Beef, Buffalo, Chicken, Cornish Hens, Duck, Goose, Ham, Heart, Partridge, Pork, Veal, Venison, Quail

SEAFOOD -
Highly Beneficial:
Cod, Grouper, Hake, Mackerel, MahiMahi, Monkfish, Ocean Perch, Pickerel, Pike Porgy, Rainbow Trout, Red Snapper, Sailfish, Sardine, Sea Trout, Shad, Snail, Sturgeon, Tuna

Avoid:
Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Bluegill Bass, Clam, Conch, Crab, Crayfish, Eel, Flounder, Frog, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Lobster, Lox, Octopus, Oysters, Sea Bass, Shrimp, Sole, Striped Bass, Turtle, Yellowtail

DAIRY AND EGGS -
You people are lucky - you can easily digest dairy foods, so enjoy! The only thing to watch for is the whole mucus thing - just like TYPE As, TYPE ABs are overproducers of mucus and dairy encourages more mucus production. So watch out for that.

Highly Beneficial:
Cottage Cheese, Farmer, Feta, Goat Cheese, Goat Milk, Kefir, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Non-fat Sour Cream, Yogurt

Avoid:
American cheese (I see a trend here, looks like that is good for no one!), Blue Cheese, Brie, Butter, Buttermilk, Camembert, Ice Cream, Parmesan, Provolone, Sherbet, Whole Milk

OILS AND FATS -
Highly Beneficial:
Olive Oil

Avoid:
Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil

NUTS AND SEEDS -
"Eat them in small amounts and with caution. Although they can be a good supplementary protein source, all seeds contain the insulin-inhibiting lectins that make them a problem for Type Bs. On the other hand, you share the Type A preference for peanuts, which are powerful immune boosters. Type ABs also tend to suffer from gallbladder problems, so nut butters are preferable to whole nuts."

Highly Beneficial:
Chestnuts, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Walnuts

Avoid:
Filberts, Poppy Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sesame Butter (tahini), Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Butter, Sunflower Seeds

BEANS AND LEGUMES -
Highly Beneficial:
Navy, Pinto, Red and Soy Beans, Green Lentils

Avoid:
Aduke, Azuki, Black, Fava, Garbanzo, Kidney and Lima Beans, Black-eyed Peas

CEREALS -
"Generally, you do well on grains, even wheat, but need to limit your wheat consumption because the inner kernel of the wheat grain is highly acid forming for Type ABs. Wheat is also not advised if you are trying to lose weight....You'll have to experiment for yourself to determine how much wheat you can eat."

Highly Beneficial:
Millet, Oat Bran, Oatmeal, Rice Bran, Puffed Rice, Ryeberry, Spelt

Avoid:
Buckwheat, Cornflakes, Cornmeal, Kamut, Kasha

BREADS AND MUFFINS -
Highly Beneficial:
Brown Rice Bread, Essene Bread, Ezekiel Bread, Fin Crisp, Millet, Rice Cakes, 100% Rye Bread, Rye Crisps, Rye Vita, Soy Flour Bread, Sprouted Wheat Bread, Wasa Bread

Avoid:
Corn Muffins

GRAINS AND PASTA -
"Type AB benefits from a diet rich in rice rather than pasta, although you may have semolina or spinach pasta once or twice a week."

Highly Beneficial:
Oat Flour, Rice Flour, Rye Flour, Sprouted Wheat Flour, Basmati Rice, Brown Rice, White Rice, Wild Rice

Avoid:
Buckwheat kasha, Barley Flour, Artichoke Pasta, Soba Noodles

VEGETABLES -
"Fresh vegetables are an important source of phytochemicals, the natural substances in foods that have a tonic effect in cancer and heart disease prevention - diseases that afflict Type As and Type ABs more often as a result of weaker immune systems."

Avoid:
Artichoke, Avocado, Corn, Lima Beans, Black Olives, All Peppers, Radishes, Mung Sprouts, Radish Sprouts

FRUITS -
Avoid:
Bananas, Coconuts, Guava, Mangoes, Oranges, Persimmons, Pomegranates, Prickly Pears, Rhubarb, Starfruit

JUICES AND FLUIDS -
An interesting recommendation -
"Type AB should begin each day by drinking a glass of warm water with the freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon to cleanse the system of mucus accumulated while sleeping. The lemon water also aids elimination."

Highly Beneficial:
Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Black Cherry, Cranberry, Grape, Papaya

Avoid:
Orange

SPICES -
Avoid:
Allspice, Almond Extract, Anise, Barley Malt, Capers, Cornstarch, Corn Syrup, Gelatin, Pepper of all kinds, Tapioca, Vinegar - only white

CONDIMENTS -
Avoid:
Ketchup, Pickles of all kinds, Relish, Worcestershire Sauce

MISC BEVERAGES -
Highly Beneficial:
Coffee - Regular and Decaf, Green Tea

Avoid:
Liquor, Soda of all kinds, Black Tea - regular and decaf

There are exercise and supplement recommendations as well. If you are an AB and want that, give me your email address and I will email it to you! Remember that if a certain food in a food group is not listed, that means it is neutral to your body. Does no harm but does not have highly beneficial qualities. But don't not eat neutral foods! You need a balance so you have to eat the highly beneficials and neutrals. Don't let this scare you! Start at one place and go from there. It takes time and don't expect change to be immediate! =]

TYPE B Diet

If you care for the info, feel free to read. But since it is so long you may only want to read it unless you or someone you know is a TYPE B. TYPE O & TYPE A were discussed in my previous posts. If you haven't checked it out in a few days, you should look the posts over because I have updated a lot.

Characteristics of a B:
Balanced
Strong Immune System
Tolerant Digestive System
Most Flexible Dietary Choices
Dairy Eater
Responds Best to Stress with Creativity
Requires a Balance Between Physical and Mental Activity to Stay Lean and Sharp

"You might say that Type B represents a sophisticated refinement in the evolutionary journey, an effort to join together divergent peoples and cultures."

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT GAIN:
Corn - inhibits insulin efficiency, hampers metabolic rate, causes hypoglycemia
Lentils - inhibits insulin efficiency, hampers metabolic rate, causes hypoglycemia
Peanuts - inhibits liver function, hampers metabolic rate, causes hypoglycemia
Sesame Seeds - hampers metabolic rate, causes hypoglycemia
Buckwheat - inhibits digestion, hampers metabolic rate, causes hypoglycemia
Wheat - slows the digestive and metabolic processes, causes food to be stored as fat, not burned as energy, inhibits insulin efficiency

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT LOSS:
Green Vegetables - aid efficient metabolism
Meat - aid efficient metabolism
Liver - aid efficient metabolism
Eggs/Low-fat Dairy Products - aid efficient metabolism
Licorice Tea (NOT licorice supplements) - counters hypoglycemia

MEAT -
"Chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue. It you're accustomed to eating more poultry than red meat, you can eat other poultry such as turkey or pheasant. Although they are similar to chicken in many respects, neither contains the dangerous lectin."

Highly Beneficial:
Lamb, Mutton, Rabbit, Venison

Avoid:
Bacon, Chicken, Cornish Hens, Duck, Goose, Ham, Heart, Partridge, Pork, Quail

SEAFOOD -
Fish is wonderful for Bs. Lots of nutritious oils! But stay clear away from shellfish! No good...no good.

Highly Beneficial:
Cod, Flounder, Grouper, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Mackerel, Mahimahi, Monkfish, Ocean Perch, Pickerel, Pike, Porgy, Sardine, Sea Trout, Shad, Sole, Sturgeon and Sturgeon Eggs (Caviar)

Avoid:
Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Bluegill Bass, Clam, Conch, Crab, Crayfish, Eel, Frog, Lobster,Lox, Mussels, Octopus, Oysters, Sea Bass, Shrimp, Snail, Turtle, Yellowtail

DAIRY AND EGGS -
"Type B is the only blood type that can fully enjoy a variety of dairy foods. That's because the primary sugar in the Type B antigen is D-galactosamine, the very same sugar present in milk."
Also, if you like Soy as a B, that is no problem. They are not harmful to you, but they are also not helpful in anyway, so you shouldn't make it a huge part of your diet.

Highly Beneficial:
Cottage Cheese, Farmer, Feta, Goat Cheese, Goat Milk, Kefir, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Skim or 2% Milk, Yogurt, Frozen Yogurt

Avoid:
American Cheese, Blue Cheese, Ice Cream, String Cheese

OILS AND FATS -
Highly Beneficial:
Olive Oil

Avoid:
Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Peanut Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil, Sunflower Oil

NUTS AND SEEDS -
"Most nuts and seeds are not advised for Type Bs. Peanuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, among others, contain lectins that interfere with Type B insulin production."

Highly Beneficial:
None

Avoid:
Cashews, Filberts, Pine nuts, Pistachios, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Poppy seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sesame butter (tahini), sesame seeds, Sunflower butter, Sunflower seeds

BEANS AND LEGUMES -
There are a few that TYPE Bs can eat, but the ones on the avoid list do the same as those darn nuts and seeds - they mess up the production of insulin.

Highly Beneficial:
Kidney, Lima and Navy Beans

Avoid:
Aduke, Azuki, Black, Garbanzo, and Pinto Beans, Lentils (domestic, red and green), Black-eyed peas

CEREALS -
"When Type B is in good balance - that is, following the fundamental tenets of the diet - wheat may not be a problem. However, wheat is not tolerated well by most Type Bs. Wheat contains a lectin that attaches to the insulin receptors in the fat cells, prohibiting insulin from attaching. The result is reduced insulin efficiency and failure to stimulate fat 'burning'."

Highly Beneficial:
Millet, Oat bran, Oatmeal, Puffed Rice, Rice Bran, Spelt

Avoid:
Amaranth, Barley, Buckwheat, Cornflakes, Cornmeal, Cream of Wheat, Kamut, Kasha, Rye, Seven-grain, Shredded Wheat, Wheat Bran, Wheat Germ

BREADS AND MUFFINS -
Highly Beneficial:
Brown Rice Bread, Essene Bread, Ezekiel Bread, Fin Crisp, Millet, Rice Cakes, Wasa Bread

Avoid:
Wheat Bagels, Corn muffins, Durum Wheat, Multi-grain Bread, 100% Rye Bread, Rye Crisp, Rye Vit, Wheat Bran Muffins, Whole wheat bread

GRAINS AND PASTA -
"I would advise that you moderate your intake of pasta and rice. You won't need many of those nutrients if you're consuming the meat, seafood, and dairy products advised."

Highly Beneficial:
Oat Flour, Rice Flour

Avoid:
Buckwheat kasha, Couscous, Barley Flour, Bulgur Wheat Flour, Durum wheat Flour,Gluten Flour, Rye Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Artichoke Pasta, Soba Noodles, Wild Rice

VEGETABLES -
One very important thing:
"Eliminate tomatoes completely from your diet. The tomato is a rare vegetable called a pnhemaglutinan. That means it contains lectins that can agglutinate every blood type. While the tomato lectin has little effect on Type O and Type AB, both Type B and Type A suffer strong reactions, usually in the form of irritations of the stomach lining."
But other than that, feel free to enjoy vegetables - they are at your disposal!

But, AVOID:
Artichoke, Avocado, Corn, Olives, Pumpkin, Radishes, Sprouts, Tempeh, Tofu, Tomato

FRUITS -
Avoid:
Coconuts, Persimmons, Pomegranates, Prickly Pear, Rhubarb, Starfruit

JUICES AND FLUIDS -
Highly Beneficial:
Cabbage, Cranberry, Grape, Papaya, Pineapple

Avoid:
Tomato

SPICES -
Most spices are neutral for Bs.

Highly Beneficial:
Cayenne Pepper, Curry, Ginger, Horseradish, Parsley

Avoid:
Allspice, Almond extract, Barley Malt, Cinnamon, Cornstarch, Corn Syrup, Gelatin (plain), White and Black Ground Pepper, Tapioca

CONDIMENTS -
Avoid:
Ketchup

The rest are neutral.

MISC BEVERAGES -
Highly Beneficial:
Green Tea

Avoid:
Liquor, Seltzer Water, Sodas of all sorts

There are exercise and supplement recommendations as well. If you are a B and want that, give me your email address and I will email it to you! Remember that if a certain food in a food group is not listed, that means it is neutral to your body. Does no harm but does not have highly beneficial qualities. But don't not eat neutral foods! You need a balance so you have to eat the highly beneficials and neutrals. Don't let this scare you! Start at one place and go from there. It takes time and don't expect change to be immediate! =]

TYPE A Diet

If you care for the info, feel free to read. But since it is so long you may only want to read it unless you or someone you know is a TYPE A. TYPE O was discussed in my previous post. If you haven't checked it out in a few days, you should look the posts over because I have updated a lot.
Specifics on As:
The First Vegetarian
Reaps What He Sows
Sensitive Digestive Tracts
Tolerant Immune System
Adapts Well to Settled Dietary and Environmental Conditions
Responds Best to Stress with Calming Action
Requires Agrarian Diet to Stay Lean and Productive

TYPE A - that's my blood type! We As thrive on vegetarian diets. It is also better for us (and I'd say everyone) to stay away from refined and overly processed foods. We are naturally predisposed to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. But, with giving our body what it needs and can use and not be harmed by we do not have to endure those issues.

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT GAIN:
Meat - poorly digested, stored as fat, increases digestive toxins
Dairy Foods - inhibit nutrient metabolism, increases mucous secretion (which we already do more as As anyways)
Kidney Beans - interfere with digestive enzymes, slow metabolic rate
Lima Beans - interfere with digestive enzymes, slow metabolic rate
Wheat (in overabundance) - inhibits insulin efficiency, impairs calorie utilization

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT LOSS:
Vegetable Oils - aid efficient digestion, prevent fluid retention
Soy Foods - aid efficient digestion, metabolize quickly, optimize immune function
Vegetables - aid efficient metabolism, increase intestinal mobility
Pineapple - increases calorie utilization, increases intestinal mobility

MEAT -
Face it, meat is just no good for and can't be dealt with well by As. But take it slow. Add fish and take some time. BUT, "Stay completely away from processed meat products such as ham, frankfurters, and cold cuts. They contain nitrites, which promote stomach cancer in people with low levels of stomach acid - a Type A trait."

Avoid:
Bacon, Beef, Buffalo, Duck, Goose, Ham, Heart, Lamb, Liver, Mutton, Patridge, Pheasant, Pork, Rabbit, Veal, Venison, Quail

SEAFOOD -
Seafood is tolerable, but white fish should be avoided - it contains a lectin that can irritate the digestive tract. To get full nutrients from seafood, you should bake, broil or poach it. Here is an interesting tidbit regarding breast cancer, "If you are a Type A woman with a family history of breast cancer, consider introducing snails into your diet. The edible snail contains a powerful lectin that specifically agglutinates and is drawn to mutated Type A cells for two of the most common forms of breast cancer...This is a positive kind of agglutination; this lectin gets rid of sick cells."

Avoid:
Anchovy, Barracuda, Beluga, Bluefish, Bluegill bass, Catfish, Caviar, Clam, Conch, Crab, Crayfish, Eel, Flounder, Frog, Gray Sole, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Herring (fresh and pickled), Lobster, Lox, Mussels, Octopus, Oysters, Scallop, Shad, Shrimp, Sole, Squid, Striped bass, Tilefish, Turtle

EGGS AND DAIRY -
"Most dairy products are not digestible for Type As - for the simple reason that Type A blood creates antibodies to the primary sugar in whole milk - D-galactosamine." So if you must have milk, don't do Whole milk products. Naturally TYPE As produce more mucus, to protect their too friendly immune systems. Dairy products greatly increase mucus production and excess mucus is not good - bacteria live off of it.

Highly Beneficial:
Soy Cheese, Soy Milk

Avoid:
American Cheese, Blue Cheese, Brie, Butter, Buttermilk, Camembert, Casein, Cheddar, Colby, Cottage, Cream Cheese, Edam, Emmenthal, Gouda, Gruyere, Ice Cream, Jarlsberg, Monterey Jack, Munster, Parmesan, Provolone, Neufchatel, Sherbert, Skim or 2% milk, Swiss, Whey, Whole milk

I recommend replacing the oh so tasty ice cream with frozen yogurt. =]

OILS AND FATS -
Highly Beneficial:
Linseed (Flaxseed) Oil, Olive Oil

Avoid:
Corn Oil, Cottonseed Oil, Peanut Oil, Safflower Oil, Sesame Oil

NUTS AND SEEDS -
These are an important source of protein for As. Peanuts rock! - because they contain a cancer-fighting lectin. And for those of you As with gallbladder issues, try using nut butters rather then the whole nuts.

Highly Beneficial:
Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Pumpkin Seeds

Avoid:
Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Pistachios

BEANS AND LEGUMES -
Highly Beneficial:
Aduke, Azuki, Black, Green, Pinto,and Red Soy Beans, Lentils (green, red and domestic), Black-eyed peas

Avoid:
Copper, Garbanzo, Kidney, Lima, Navy, Red, and Tamarind Beans

No garbanzo beans.....do you know what that means? Not hummus - that is the most difficult thing for me, hands down!

CEREALS -
Highly Beneficial:
Amaranth, Buckwheat

Avoid:
Cream of Wheat, Familia, Farina, Granola, Grape Nuts, Wheat Germ, Seven grain, Shredded Wheat, Wheat Bran

BREADS AND MUFFINS -
"The Type A guidelines for breads and muffins are similar to those for cereals and grains. They are generally favorable foods, but if you produce excessive mucous or are overweight, these conditions make whole wheat inadvisable. Soy and rice flour are good substitutes for you."

Avoid:
English muffins, High-protein bread, Wheat Matzos, Multi-grain bread, Pumpernickel, Wheat bran muffins, Whole wheat bread

GRAINS AND PASTA -
Highly Beneficial:
Buckwheat, Oat Flour, Rice Flour, Rye Flour, Soba Noodles, Artichoke Pasta

Avoid:
White Flour, Whole Wheat Flour, Semolina Pasta, Spinach Pasta

VEGETABLES -
These are so vital! But get them in as raw a state as possible - that will give you all the benefits you can receive from them. Garlic is so good for not only TYPE As, but all blood types! "It's a natural antibiotic and immune system booster, and its good for your blood."...."And, of course, tofu is the staple of the Type A diet. Tofu is a nutritionally complete food that is both filling and inexpensive."

If you want the highly beneficial list, ask me for it, it is kind of long. That's a good thing though!

Avoid:
Cabbage, Eggplant, Lima Beans, Mushroom, Olives (all except green), Peppers, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Yams

FRUITS -
Highly Beneficial:
Most of them!

Avoid:
Bananas, Coconuts, Mangoes, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Oranges, Papayas, Plantains, Rhubarb, Tangerines

JUICES AND FLUIDS -
An interesting recommendation -
"Type As should start every day with a small glass of warm water into which they have squeezed the juice of one-half lemon. This will help you reduce the mucus that has accumulated overnight in the more sluggish Type A digestive tract and stimulate normal elimination."

Highly Beneficial:
Apricot, Carrot, Celery, Black Cherry, Grapefruit, Pineapple, Prune, Water (w/ lemon)

Avoid:
Orange, Papaya, Tomato

SPICES -
Highly Beneficial:
Barley Malt, Blackstrap Molasses, Garlic, Ginger, Miso, Soy Sauce, Tamari

Avoid:
Capers, Gelatin, Black, Cayenne, Peppercorn, Red Flakes and White Pepper, Vinegar, Wintergreen

CONDIMENTS -
Avoid:
Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Pickles, Pickle Relish, Worcestershire sauce

MISC BEVERAGES -
Highly Beneficial:
Coffee - decaf and regular, Green Tea, Red Wine

Avoid:
Beer, Liquor, Seltzer Water, Soda of all types, Black Tea - regular and decaf

There are exercise and supplement recommendations as well. If you are an A and want that, give me your email address and I will email it to you! Remember that if a certain food in a food group is not listed, that means it is neutral to your body. Does no harm but does not have highly beneficial qualities. But don't not eat neutral foods! You need a balance so you have to eat the highly beneficials and neutrals. Don't let this scare you! Start at one place and go from there. It takes time and don't expect change to be immediate! =]

Blood Type O

If you care for the info, feel free to read. But since it is so long you may only want to read it unless you or someone you know is a TYPE O. What can I say, gotta share the info!

The DL on O's:
Meat Eater
Hardy Digestive Tract
Overactive Immune System
Intolerant to Dietary and Environmental Adaptations
Responds Best to Stress with Intense Physical Activity
Requires an Efficient Metabolism to Stay Lean and Energetic

"TYPE O's thrive on intense physical activity and animal protein." The reason it is discouraged to consume large amounts of animal proteins in this world is that they are fatty and pumped with chemicals. So, if you are an O, that means chose lean, chemical free, organic, free range meats, poultry and fish!

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT GAIN:
Wheat Gluten - interferes with insulin efficiency and slows metabolic rate
Corn - interferes with insulin efficiency and slows metabolic rate
Kidney Beans - impairs calorie utilization
Navy Beans - impairs calorie utilization
Lentils - inhibits proper nutrient metabolism
Cabbage - inhibits thyroid hormone
Brussel Sprouts - inhibits thyroid hormone
Cauliflower - inhibits thyroid hormone
Mustard Greens - inhibits thyroid production

FOODS THAT ENCOURAGE WEIGHT LOSS:
Kelp - contains iodine, increases thyroid hormone production
Seafood - contains iodine, increases thyroid hormone production
Iodized Salt - contains iodine, increases thyroid hormone production
Liver - B-vitamin source, aids efficient metabolism
Red Meat - aids efficient metabolism
Kale, Spinach, Broccoli - aids efficient metabolism

MEAT -
Highly Beneficial:
Beef, Buffalo, Heart, Lamb, Liver, Mutton, Veal,Venison

Avoid:
Bacon, Goose, Ham, Pork

Be aware of portion sizes! Don't eat 20oz of meat at a meal or anything! Try to stick with 6oz/meal. TYPE O's can effectively digest meats and proteins because of high amounts of stomach acid. If meat consumption is not balanced with a proper amount of veggies and fruits, you will have over-acidification which can cause irritation and ulcers.

SEAFOOD -
Avoid:
Barracuda, Catfish, Caviar, Conch, Herring (pickled), Lox (smoked salmon), Octopus

"Fish oils can be very effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, such as colitis [inflammed colon] or Crohn's disease, to which Type Os are susceptible. Many seafoods are also excellent sources of iodine, which regulates the thyroid function. Type Os typically have unstable thyroid functions, which cause metabolic problems and weight gain. Make seafood a major component of the Type O diet."

DAIRY AND EGGS -
"Type Os should severely restrict their use of dairy products. Their system is ill designed for their proper metabolism, and there are no highly beneficial foods in this group."

Avoid:
American Cheese, Blue Cheese, Brie, Buttermilk, Camembert, Casein, Cheddar, Colby, Cottage, Cream Cheese, Edam, Emmenthal, Goat milk, Gouda, Gruyere, Ice Cream, Jarlsburg, Kefir, Monterey jack, Munster, Parmesan, Provolone, Neufchatel, Ricotta, Skim or 2% milk, String Cheese, Swiss, Whey, Whole Milk, Yogurt - all varieties

OILS AND FATS -
Highly Beneficial:
Linseed (Flaxseed) Oil, Olive Oil

Avoid:
Corn oil, Cottonseed oil, Peanut oil, Safflower oil

Oils can aid in elimination (POOP!) as well as have positive effects on heart and blood vessels. Could even help reduce cholesterol!

NUTS AND SEEDS -
Highly Beneficial:
Pumpkin Seeds, Walnuts

Avoid:
Brazil, Cashew, Litchi, Peanuts, Peanut Butter, Pistachios, Poppy Seeds

BEANS AND LEGUMES -
Highly Beneficial:
Aduke Beans, Azuki Beans, Pinto Beans, Black-eyed Peas

Avoid:
Copper Beans, Kidney Beans, Navy Beans, Tamarind Beans, Lentils (green, red and domestic)

"In general, beans inhibit the metabolism of other more important nutrients, such as those found in meat. They also tend to make muscle tissue slightly less acidic, and Type Os usually perform better when muscle tissues are somewhat more acidic. This is not to be confused with the acid/alkaline reaction that occurs in your stomach. In that case, the few highly beneficial beans are exceptions. They actually promote the strengthening of the digestive tract and promote healing of ulcerations - a Type O problem because of the high levels of stomach acid. Even so, eat beans in moderation, as an occasional side dish."

CEREALS -
Whole wheat products do not fare well for you Os. Remember lectins? Well, whole wheat products contain lectins in them that react with your blood and digestive tract and prevents absorption of beneficial nutrients that are being consumed. As a result, it is recommended to completely rid a TYPE O diet of whole wheats.

Avoid:
Cornflakes, Cornmeal, Cream of Wheat, Familia, Farina, Grape Nuts, Seven-grain, Shredded Wheat, Wheat bran, Wheat germ

BREADS AND MUFFINS -
Highly Beneficial:
Essene Bread, Ezekiel Bread (both in frozen food section)

Avoid:
Wheat Bagels, Corn muffins, Durum wheat, English muffins, High-protein bread, Wheat Matzos, Multi-grain bread, Pumpernickel, Sprouted Wheat bread, Wheat bran muffins, Whole wheat bread

GRAINS AND PASTA -
Avoid:
Bulgur wheat flour, Couscous flour, Durum wheat flour, Gluten flour, Graham flour, Soba noodles, Semolina pasta, Spinach Pasta, White Flour, Whole Wheat Flour

VEGETABLES -
If you want the highly beneficial list, ask me for it, it is kind of long. That's a good thing though!

Avoid:
Avocado, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Corn, Eggplant, Mushroom, Mustard Greens, Olives, Potatoes, Sprouts

FRUITS -
Highly Beneficial:
Figs - dried and fresh, Plums - dark, green or red, prunes

Avoid:
Blackberries, Coconuts, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Oranges, Plantains, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tangerines

JUICES AND FLUIDS -
Highly Beneficial:
Black Cherry, Pineapple, Prune

Avoid:
Apple, Apple cider, Cabbage, Orange

SPICES -
Highly Beneficial:
Carob, Curry, Dulse, Kelp, Parsley, Cayenne Pepper, Turmeric

Avoid:
Capers, Cinnamon, Cornstarch, Corn Syrup, Nutmeg, Black ground and white pepper, Vanilla, Vinegar of all sorts

CONDIMENTS -
Avoid:
Ketchup, Dill, sweet, kosher and sour pickles, Mayonnaise, Relish

MISC BEVERAGES -
Highly Beneficial:
Seltzer Water

Avoid:
Coffee - regular and decaf, liquor, all sodas, Black Tea - regular and decaf

There are exercise and supplement recommendations as well. If you are an O and want that, give me your email address and I will email it to you! Remember that if a certain food in a food group is not listed, that means it is neutral to your body. Does no harm but does not have highly beneficial qualities. But don't not eat neutral foods! You need a balance so you have to eat the highly beneficials and neutrals. Don't let this scare you! Start at one place and go from there. It takes time and don't expect change to be immediate! =]

"The Blueprint of Blood Type"

Our blood carries the DNA blueprint of our body. Therefore, "your blood type is the key to your body's entire immune system. It controls the influence of viruses, bacteria, infections, chemicals, stress, and the entire assortment of invaders and conditions that might compromise your immune system." What exactly does the immune system do? The immune system's duties, in all simplicity, are to define what is "self" and what is "non-self". Once defined, "self" is to be protected, while "non-self" is to be destroyed. Without this basic function, our body could destroy itself or allow harmful organisms to attack us.

So, the question arises, how do we define "self" from "non-self"? Our body is well equipped to take care of this. One of the methods involves chemical markers, also known as antigens. "Every life-form, from the simplest virus to humans themselves, has unique antigens that form a part of its chemical fingerprint. One of the most powerful antigens in the human body is the one that determines your blood type. The different blood type antigens are so sensitive that when they are operating effectively, they are the immune system's greatest security system. When your immune system sizes up a suspicious character, one of the first things it looks for is your blood type antigen to tell it whether the intruder is friend or foe."

When a foe is detected, the first thing the blood does is create antibodies to that antigen. So for example, Blood Type A has A antigens. If a virus with B antigens enters a body with blood type A, the body will create antibodies to the B antigens. These antibodies are designed to identify and connect to a particular foreign antigen. The antibodies and foreign antigens engage in a battle. The antibodies attack while the foreign antigens try and mutate or change to look like a friend of the body. When this happens, the body just increases the antibodies it is creating.

When the antibodies and foreign antigen come in contact, a process called agglutination occurs. That word literally means gluing. The antibody makes the foreign guy very sticky and when these get sticky, they stick together. This is the bodies easy way of disposing of those jerks.

Not only do the good antigens in our blood recognize viruses and intruders, they also recognize and create antibodies against other blood types. Here is how it goes:

"BLOOD TYPE A carries anti-B antibodies. TYPE B would be rejected by TYPE A
BLOOD TYPE B carried anti-A antibodies. TYPE A would be rejected by TYPE B
So TYPE A and TYPE B cannot exchange blood.
BLOOD TYPE AB carries no antibodies. The universal receiver, it would accept any other blood type! But because it carries both A and B antigens, it would be rejected by all other blood types.
BLOOD TYPE O carries anti-A and anti-B antibodies. TYPE A, TYPE B, and TYPE AB would be rejected. Thus, TYPE O could not receive blood from anyone but another TYPE O. But free of A-like and B-like antigens, TYPE O could give blood to everyone else. TYPE O is the universal donor. "

Now what the heck does this have to do with what we eat? Here is the connection -
Certain foods that we eat contain those A-like or B-like antigens. When we eat them, depending on our blood type and what antigens our blood has, our body could reject the food and see it as an invader or it could see it as a friend. So some foods can be harmful to certain blood types while the same food could be beneficial to another blood type.

There is also a protein in foods called lectins. Lectins have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. So "when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or bodily system and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area." Lectins do not get properly broken down in a body with a blood type that is incompatible with the lectin. When the still intact lectin settles somewhere in your body, it has a magnetic like effect on the cells in that area of your body. The cells get drawn together and clump and are then targeted for destruction - because the body knows that when there is a clump of cells, they are to be destroyed because they are the bad guy. This clumping is the reason for a lot of problems we have.

Thankfully, our body protects us from most lectins - 95% are rid from the body. But that 5% that is not rid from the body is absorbed into the blood stream and goes about destroying white and red blood cells. The way to stop our red and white blood cells from being destroyed is to avoid those foods with lectins in them that are harmful to your blood type. That is the basis for this whole diet. So, for the next few days when I discuss what Dr. D'Adamo recommends to avoid for your blood type, it is all based on the lectins and antigens contained in those foods.

That is about it - that is what is behind this whole thing. This was the most difficult part to explain and it took me almost an hour to do so. I took a lot of quotes from his book because he put it well. If you have any questions or things don't make sense, let me know and I will try and elaborate. Coming up next - WHAT SHOULD YOU AVOID?? I guess it would first help to know your blood type, wouldn't it? =]

Ancestry of Blood Types

Alright, let's dive into this blood type thing. First, I want to say that this entire "series" of posts regarding blood type are not my own knowledge (unless I note in some way that something is), everything is information I received from this book (which I gave the details of in the previous post). So whenever I randomly place a sentence or thought in quotations, unless specified, it is directly from the book. Just wanted to clear that up so everyone knew I wasn't plagiarizing or anything =]

Let's begin with a quote from the book. This quote is from the authors father, James D'Adamo. Both he and the author are naturopathic physicians - what a career choice!
"I believed that no two people on the face of the earth were alike; no two people have the same fingerprints, lip prints, or voice prints...Because I felt that all people were different from one another, I did not think it was logical that they should eat the same foods. It became clear to me that since each person was housed in a special body with different strengths, weaknesses, and nutritional requirements, the only way to maintain health or cure illness was to accommodate to that particular patient's specific needs." - James

Based on James' belief, he did years and years of research on his hypothesis. His son, Peter, took his findings and made the information available to the public, in the form of this book. One thing that is pertinent to understand is that your blood type is not just one little small fact about you that has no relevance. "It is a genetic blueprint for who you are, a guide to how you can live most healthfully."

How did we get these four different blood types - O, A, B, AB? Well, although I am not an advocate of the evolutionary theory of people deriving from apes, I am a believer in the fact that humans have changed - or evolved - over time based on their environment. In the early days, our ancestors were fighting to survive and would have to eat the food sources they came upon. As our ancestors changed what they ate over time, their immune systems and digestive tracts had to adapt to be able to number one, survive and then be able to thrive on the foods being consumed. Here is a breakdown, taken directly from the text, of these adaptations:
1. The ascent of humans to the top of the food chain (evolution of Type O to its fullest expression)
2. The change from hunter-gatherer to a more domesticated agrarian (essentially - farming/plant eating) lifestyle (appearance of Type A)
3. The merging and migration of the races from the African homeland to Europe, Asia and the Americas (development of Type B)
4. The modern intermingling of disparate groups (the arrival of Type AB)

The book spends several pages discussing more in depth how these types came about and what it was like as they were adapting. I do not find it necessary to present that here. So, if you are interested, check out the book. But, let me just give you the general characteristics of the blood types, based on their "evolution":
TYPE O: The oldest and most basic blood type, the survivor at the top of the food chain, with a strong and ornery immune system willing to and capable of destroying anyone, friend or foe.
TYPE A: The first immigrants, forced by the necessity of migration to adapt to a more agrarian (again, farming/plant eating) diet and lifestyle...with a more cooperative personality to get along in crowded communities.
TYPE B: The assimilator, adapting to new climates and the mingling of populations; representing nature's quest for a more balanced force between the tensions of the mind and the demands of the immune system.
TYPE AB: The delicate offspring of a rare merger between the tolerant Type A and the formerly barbaric but more balanced Type B.

"Our ancestors left each of us a special legacy, imprinted in our blood types. This legacy exists permanently in the nucleus of each cell. It is here that the anthropology and science of our blood meet."

Well, take time to digest this information for now. Next I will explain exactly how it is that our blood deals with different foods differently. This will be a difficult thing to do, because there are a lot of difficult concepts that I can somewhat understand, but it can be hard to reiterate the information to you. I will do my best. For now, read this and ask any questions you have!

Goal

Hello my faithful readers. So, my last post was about eating right for your blood type. I had been without that book of mine for a few days and just got it back. I flipped through it and decided that there is so much information in there that I want to read it through completely before explaining it on here. I know that it shouldn't be a problem for me to grasp and understand it and then explain it to you. Face it, it's nice to know that maybe we should eat differently based on our blood type - but why? This book addresses that and I want to get the why before we go further. So here is my goal/promise to you. I will take the next week to read it and then will give you guys the information in a condensed version. I will probably do different posts for the different blood types. So, by next Wednesday at 1pm, I will have posted on all 4 of the blood types. Do we have a deal? Good. Also, if you are interested in picking up the book for yourself, it is pretty cheap on amazon.com. Here are the details on it:

"Eat Right For Your Type" - The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight
By: Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo with Catherine Whitney

There are several other interesting books by them on this topic - such as "Cook Right For Your Type". So if you want to check it out feel free. But I will make sure to give you all the info you need in my future posts so that you won't HAVE to read it.

Later this evening I will talk about lymph! =]

Eat Right for Your Blood Type

I am quickly losing topics to discuss. We did talk about a whole lot on my first weekend at school, but a lot of it was laying the foundation for things to come. It was an anatomy class and we went over all the systems of the body. Therefore there wasn't all that much that I can share with you that would be interesting to you. But, I have a few more I think I can touch on later.

I recently bought a book called "Eat Right for Your Blood Type". I have barely read it, so I won't even try to get too in depth - I will do that after I read some more. But, what a concept? Having a diet specific to YOUR blood type. Makes sense, doesn't it? When you eat, your digestive tract, but mainly small intestines, absorb the nutrients and they are taken right into your bloodstream. Well, if your blood has or doesn't have certain cells or attributes of those cells, that would affect the way in which your body handles the things you are bringing in. That is why they are careful when taking blood, donating blood or giving a person someone else's blood - because the types are all different. They have different qualities, therefore they do things differently.

I am a blood type A. I found this out from a blood type test. We had to prick my finger and squeeze out some blood on test sheets. I couldn't do it myself, so my dad did it for me. (I can't handle blood at all! That's why I got into this sort of health care =] ) Based on the results I am an A. So I have been doing a lot of in depth research on my blood type - then I will learn about the rest. As for me and my blood, we thrive on vegetarian diets. Not only no meat, but also no dairy (or very, very small amounts) - so more of a vegan diet. That has been pretty hard. I am focusing on those first - cutting out the dairy and bringing in soy and cutting out the meat. After I get a handle on that, I will get into avoiding the other foods it recommends I avoid. It is tough for sure. I have never really been much of a meat eater, but for some reason knowing that it would not be good for me to have it makes it worse. And guess what else? Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are NEGATIVE to my health because of my certain lectins they have in them. Do you understand the significance of that? NO HUMMUS! I almost cried. That is basically the best food ever. And no olives or pickles or mangos. That is really rough but that isn't even the half of it. I know it sounds weird, but those foods, although some are healthy and natural, they have certain qualities that inhibit the health of us type As.

It is one hard pill to swallow this whole thing, but I see the benefit of eating according to your blood type. This shows why diets work for some people and not others. If you know your blood type, let me know and I can give you some details on what to avoid.

Toxic Stress Cycle

We learned a lot about the Toxic Stress Cycle. This was the first I had heard about such a thing as this, so I'm sure some of you may not know what it is. The Toxic Stress Cycle is how your body deals with stresses that come upon it. Now stresses are not necessarily always just mental or emotional stress. You know the kind when you say "I'M SO STRESSED!" The body also gets stressed from the following few things:

depleted food – this includes processed foods, microwave foods, foods that aren’t naturally occurring for the most part;

poor food combinations – the way you combine the foods you eat totally affects the way they are digested. For instance, carbs and fruits do not digest well if eaten together. AKA – pie is not good for and can stress your body;

liquids with meals – drinking while eating dilutes digestive juices so they do not work to their full extent. Also, the body can only assimilate (make proper use of) 3oz. of water at a time. So, you should be drinking inbetween meals not more than 3 oz per 15 minutes. If you drink more than that – it does NOTHING to hydrate you. Consider that the next time you guzzle down some water when you are really thirsty.

pollutants – (this one is interesting) Pollutants are things like insecticides, hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, stuff like that, that are in our foods. When these are in your body, your body has no way of breaking them down or dealing with them, so they just sit there. When they sit there for awhile, the body will encase them as to prevent the body from further harm. These encased pollutants are……any guesses? Tumors! (The exclamation is not a happy one, because this is not a happy thing. But a surprised, interested, shocked and amazed one);

additives and preservatives - remember, prematurely preserving the body;

genetically modified organisms - these are foods that have been messed up (DNA crossed and things of that nature) in order to produce results that are not naturally occurring;

improper chewing - face it, if you don't chew something fully then it is much more difficult for your body to work with. focus on chewing more and eating slower!;

and a poor mental attitude - you know it. when you are down in the dumps and don't have a good attitude, it takes a toll on your body. Your body LISTENS to you. That's right. If you keep telling yourself you are sick, you will be sick (hypochondriacs). There is much power in words.

So, those are the things that stress our bodies, here is the order in which the stresses begin to affect parts of our body:

1. The digestive system is initially affected

2. The colon is affected by the undigested food and becomes toxic.

3. The liver and gallbladder are the first to be affected by the toxic colon.

4. The kidneys and bladder are then affected.

5. The lungs are toxified by kidney weakness.

6. The circulation is next to be affected.

7. The heart and spleen are then affected.

8. The muscles and soft tissue are next to be affected.

9. The spine is then affected.

10. The brain and nerves are then affected.

11. The endocrine glands are last to be affected.

12. To be about restoration, the body heals in the reverse order of the above.

So if these stresses are not dealt with - they can kill you. Seriously. Any questions?

Nerves

So, the nervous system. Let's start with the "fight or flight" response. This is a response that our body has when we have a stimulus that is out of the ordinary and exhibits some sort of danger to us. You've felt it before - you are driving in a car and someone pulls out in front of you and you slam on your brakes as to not hit them. Your heart rate increases, you may sweat a little, your body tightens. You know what I mean. Unfortunately and fortunately, when a stimulus like this comes in, our body treats it as life or death. That includes any stresses that come in. Our body reacts as if "if we don't get out, we could die". Things move into overdrive - pump that adrenaline and get things going so we can do what we need to to get out of this situation. That's how frail old grandmas lift up cars that their grandchild is stuck under. When this happens, part of our nervous system tells everything to get into defensive mode.
You know your tail bone? It is called the coccyx and is at the end of the spine inside the opening of your pelvis. It is four tiny little bones that curve a little, but not too much. The outer covering of the brain and spinal cord end at the coccyx. When this life or death reaction occurs, the coccyx curls forward and tightens that outer covering of the brain and spinal cord that is connected to it. It does this so that if our body endures some type of trauma, the brain and spinal cord will be more protected from sloshing around and busting.
Our bodies were not designed to be constantly in this fight or flight mode. We cannot always have a tense body with a high heart rate and lots of adrenaline flowing. Therefore, God gave us the ability to go back to normal! Now you may ask, how does the body know to let go and turn adrenaline production and heart rate and all that back to normal? There is another section of the nervous system called the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part that resets everything back to normal and tones things down. It basically comes in and says "its over, now chill out and go back to normal".
Now, as I mentioned, when any stresses from our daily life come in, we react with this life or death response. This causes our bodies to constantly be going in and out of "man I'm gonna die!" and "dude chill out!" When we keep calling on this response, the fight or flight, our body can get stuck in that mode and literally ignore or not allow the parasympathetic (chill out) to do its job. That results in people not getting over their stresses very well. They live in conditions that their body was not intended to live in as constantly as it does. That results in fried nerves. What happens when we get fried nerves? Muscle spasms, more stress, heart problems, seizures, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Dementia, slower reaction time.
So, what do we do? Good question, I'm still trying to figure it out. This is my big problem - I get stressed and stuck in this mode and get chest pains. I have found that I am deficient in a neurotransmitter that tells my body to chill out. I guess all I can offer as a suggestion is to take more time to chill out. Talk to people about your stresses. Take time to relax. One awesome way to help things along is to lay on the floor with your feet up against a wall. It gets all your blood back to your core. You can't be angry in that position either. Try me!

(If you have any questions, please ask! I try to make as much sense as possible but if I don't, I won't know unless you say! I TRIED to make it shorter!)

CRAP!

So, poop. Well I guess first of all, what really IS poop. I mean, everybody knows they get this nasty brown stuff (most of the time brown. if its black you've got even more problems...) that comes out of their butt everyday. For some, it doesn't come out everyday. And I have to say that though that may be more normal as of late, it is NOT healthy. You may think that you are okay just because you friends poop every other day just like you, but sometimes what is common is not right. So that is the case here. But poop is really remnants of our food that our body could not make use of from that meal.
As gross as it may sound to some, from your mouth to your anus, it is one continuous tube. It changes shape, direction and pH along the way, has some valves that block off certain sections, but it is one continuous tube. A great way to think of this tract (called the gastrointestinal tract or GI tract) is as a conveyor belt. You put the food in the top, it moves through the esophagus, stomach, small intestines and colon and then comes out the anus. Now, if you are eating the real natural nutrients your body needs, you won't have too much to come out. But let's face it, in this world there is no way that anyone of you (or me) is eating 100% natural and organic foods every meal of everyday of every week of every month.......you get the picture. We are all taking in fake nutrients and preservatives and some stuff that our body can do absolutely nothing with.
----SIDE NOTE: Did you know that morticians are having to use less and less chemicals to preserve bodies when people die? Do you know why? Because we are beginning the process of body preserving by eating preservatives - we are helping the future morticians that will have to embalm our bodies. Preservatives are in anything (for the most part) that sits on the shelves at the grocery store. Those things are preserved so they will have a long shelf life. It does the same thing to our body that it does to the food.
Anyways, our body absorbs and takes all the nutrients that it wants and can make use of and then what happens to the rest? It goes into the large intestine, moves up, over and down - gets some of the water sucked out of it and comes out our butt. That's if all is working well. If you are not drinking enough water everyday you will have problems pooping. Well, what is enough water? Here's a little equation to help. Take your weight and divide it in half. Now take that number, you should drink that many ounces per day. Here is a visual, lets say someone weighs 200 pounds:
200/2=100, so that person should drink 100 oz. of water per day. Make sense?
So that is one thing that will help.
Another thing that could help you get your poop regular is enough calcium and magnesium. Calcium causes the contraction to move the poop along, and Magnesium causes the relaxation. But in order to make use of calcium, you have to have Vitamin D. Honestly, eat a variety of vegetables and you will get that thing moving.
Another problem could be parasites. Parasites like to live in the valves and feed on the stuff that comes through. They can leave the valves open which will cause the stench of the poop to come up the GI tract which would result in a person's breath smelling like poop.
Why does our poop smell? Because the fecal matter is literally rotting and fermenting inside the warm environment of your intestines. But, if you get that poop out constantly and don't let it sit there, you won't have smelly poop. Not only that, but you won't have smelly armpits! That's right, the rotting fermenting fecal matter in our bowels omits its smell from not only our butts,but our armpits as well. If you allow your GI tract to really work like a conveyor belt - 1 meal in and 1 meal out - you will not have smelly armpits or smelly sweat. What a deal!
So what if you eat and are still hungry? Well, it is your body saying that it needs more nutrients because it didn't get it in the meal you just provided. An obvious way that this can happen is if you ate something that had no nutritional value in it whatsoever. But what if you just consumed some really healthy, natural foods? Here is an explanation: Our small intestines has several folds and hairs in them that help create a larger surface area of nutrient absorption. But if you eat a lot of foods that are sticky and hard to break down (not like a fruit roll up, but that their components are sticky and hard to break down in the GI tract), they will fill in the folds and create a smaller surface area of nutrient absorption. Things that do that are white flour, white sugar, pop, french fries, cheese, processed foods, etc. Just take it from me - in all cases those foods are not your friend. Wheat is also a huge NOT FRIEND! But that is another story for another day.
Now, if you have been eating that way your whole life, which most of us have, doing a cleanse is a good thing - it gets all that crap (no pun intended) out of you. You really should be doing regular body maintenance every spring and fall. You do regular maintenance on your car, why not on your body which is much more important? But don't cleanse in the winter, you won't get rid of nearly as much as you cold in the Spring or Fall.
Tomorrow - the nervous system and STRESS! =] Well, maybe not tomorrow, but the next time I post, how about that?

Also, a little disclaimer I forgot to share: This information is intended for educational purposes only - not to diagnose or prescribe anything. If you feel you have a serious medical condition, consult a professional in that field.

Here it Goes....

Whoa. The blood is pumping, adrenals working overtime, brain overloaded, heart leaping and mind worrying. It’s a “like whoa” time. I am interested, I am engaged, I’m ready to go. There is so much information that I have obtained over the last 3 days that it is hard to remember it all. But, as I was in there taking feverish notes, I was thinking of you all the whole time. “What can I remember that will be beneficial to them?” So many things. These first twenty hours of class kickstarted the next four years of my life. It showed me how much of a ride this is going to be; how different I will be at the end. I already feel a little different. I won’t be using the microwave anymore or eating anything from it, I won’t be drinking while I eat and I won’t drink out of water bottles-just to name a few changes. I can see the changes I will be slowly making. I am so geeked to share it all with you. Unfortunately (yet very fortunately) there is way more than I can say in one posting. You guys will get bored and stop reading. So, for the next week – or however long it may take – I will tackle certain topics that we touched on and that I have information on.

Let me just give you for now a little tidbit and then an excerpt of my journal that I wrote on the first day. The first tidbit regards this wonderful creation that we are living in. Yes, I believe in God and creation and all that good stuff, but Christianity has little to do with what I am about to say. It plays a part, but if you wish to look at it scientifically, go for it. Think about this body, this vessel that we all own. They are all so different, yet so the same. We all have, with mutations and losses and problems set aside, the same body inside. They were all created to do the same things – to digest, to pump blood, to move, and on and on it goes. This, my friends, did not come about by chance. How could it? Our bodies are capable of functioning without our input. All of the things that our bodies do to keep us alive, we don’t have to tell them to do - they do it on “auto-pilot”. You don’t have to say – “Okay gallbladder, some fats are coming so release the bile so I can digest it” – no! The body does it on its own! It is spectacular my friends, spectacular. It gives me a better appreciation of what I have been given. And a better understanding of what I need to do. We need to take care of it. We cannot pump it with preservatives, fluoride-infested water, artificial sugars and fat enlaced foods and expect it to function properly. If you want your body to do what it is supposed to, you need to help it out by giving it the nourishment it needs. That’s what this whole journey of mine is about – figuring out how to treat our bodies right so they function correctly and we live the long and healthy life we were intended to.

So here’s the condensed version of my journal from day one:

“Well, day one. Not necessarily the best day ever – extenuating circumstances and all. But, I made it and am here. The Bed and Breakfast I am staying in is really cute, homey and smells good-just the way I like things. =] And would you believe there is not a Starbucks in sight?! I work at a Starbucks yet when I am there I don’t really want anything to drink. But when I have no access, I immediately get odd cravings. Hate that….

So, 4:50pm comes along and it is time for me to go into the school. Typical first day anxieties – where is my classroom? Will I have anyone to sit by? Do I have everything I need? On and on the doubts, fears and anxieties go. But, I figured that out in not too long of a time and was in my class. We got this one book that the instructor (who also started the school) made regarding the whole topic of this class, which is officially entitled – Body Systems, Anatomy and Physiology. Of course, my book was put together wrong and the pages are all out of order and in the wrong direction. Just my luck, right? Oh well, I can still read and comprehend it. The class got off to an unfortunate yet understandable late start. One of the instructors/students suddenly passed away this week and our instructor needed to tell the other class about it. It is my first day, I do not know who this woman was at all yet my eyes tear up. Things like that make me think “I guess I am cut out for this, I have a little bit of that empathy they are talking about.” Not to toot my own horn or anything, I have a LOT to learn in the empathy department, but I think I have some. I just hurt for people when things like that happen.

So we started class. I happened to be the one who traveled the furthest – 2.5 hours. Lucky me. So the instructor, her name is Bessheen, gave the background story of he she came upon Naturopathy and starting the school and all that. It is a fascinating story that I would do no justice to in any fashion by trying to tell it. It was totally a God thing though. The only thing I can repeat that she said was “You know how you come to the point where you finally realize what path you are on? Then you look back and find out you were on it all along but just didn’t realize it at the time?” (My paraphrase mind you. She said so much there is no way I could really quote anything she said) It’s so true. I am not nearly far along my path at all and there is a lot that I still am not recognizing yet. But looking back on things, I can see how I was on this path the whole time.”

That’s it for now. Not all that much interesting stuff, but enough for you to read for now. How about a teaser for tomorrow’s entry? Okay:

Did you know that Americans have 5-60lbs of rotting fecal matter in their bowels? Well they do! And tomorrow I will discuss my recent knowledge on poop and the intestines!