44 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition
greatly help this process of conquering “driven” addiction by altering the
body’s chemistry, balancing and overriding unwanted cravings.
The Options
When I think about food for myself and my family, when I talk about
foods with patients, I hope to represent the plant that fl owers cheerfully,
sways in the wind, and has a good root system that grounds and stabilizes
it. Food is there to be enjoyed and you need to be creative and fl exible in
order to do so. The basis of this should be a combination of intuition and
knowledge about what promotes good body chemistry and happy, healthy
beings.
Sometimes tremendous upheaval is needed in order to transform
sickness into health. To many people it appears to be too hard to change
long-established and often cherished patterns, tastes, and beliefs. Changes
in food can be bewildering and challenging and many people cannot, or
will not, attempt such changes. Getting outside help to devise what is
right for your individual body type, body weight, health, and culture will
further this often diffi cult process. For some, the love and joy of
nourishing their own bodies and respecting their own beings is simple;
others fi nd it more diffi cult. Some fi nd it easiest to make changes when
they are well. There are, however, some cases in which people become so
seriously ill that a drastic change of diet may be their only option. In these
situations, making this choice may prove to be a lifesaver.
But remember, eating is a loving and highly social process. Don’t
become unbalanced and neurotic about the often sad state of our food-
chain options. Do your best, enjoy what you have, and be grateful for
what your purse affords.
Blood Types and Digestive Enzymes
Blood group tests are available, which some professionals believe can give
you an indication of which foods suit your genetic makeup; more simply,
you can just ask your doctor what blood type you are and then follow the
general advice below.
Blood types can be broken down into group O, group A (which further
differentiates into A1 and A2), group B, and group AB.
diet for blood group o
Historically, the blood group O diet was apparently the fi rst to evolve and
is associated with hunter-gatherer societies. People who are Group O do
well on diets that are high in proteins such as meat, poultry, and fi sh.
Dairy products, corn, and most grains should be eliminated. Group O
food and nutrition 44