having done the work i get paid for since 2010 {selling + advising about organic food}, i've seen my share of fad diets, and people who suddenly have a food 'intolerance' that they were never aware of before. some of course are totally genuine and it has been completely life-saving to have found what it was that was making them feel sick, or dreadful, some i'm not so sure about... but hey, who am i to question people's gut reaction...
i've come across {and done} Food Combining {no carbs with protein!!!}, seen all the gluten-free, lactose free, no nuts, only nuts, Paleo, Keto, superfoods, Pioppi etc. fads that have come on the market since then, can almost tell you the day that Quinoa and Goji berries were unattainable from the wholesalers cos the demand was suddenly so high, and then their price went through the roof as a result. veganism became hip and happening before my eyes and 'whole wheat bread' and 'full fat milk' became curse words. and then they became superfoods...
so when this thing called Blood Group Diet came across my radar, i was wary. not another one!! i can't recall where i read about it, but it caught my eye, and i read some more about it. and some more again. and it kind of made sense {but then, so does the Paleo diet...} but what was my blood group? i'd had a blood transfusion after i had given birth to my eldest son, so it was in my notes from the midwife - B+, it said in amongst some other things that mattered about my first pregnancy and subsequent birth. back to the literature. B+ is fairly rare in the west, it said, and B's are descendants from nomadic tribes from the Himalayas... right...
thing is, i am too heavy. i can't wear nice clothes {or at least, ones that i like, that don't immediately make me look like a middle-aged person who's given up on life...} and i HATE my reflection in the mirror... i used to weigh 56 kg. i can't recall the last time i weighed myself, cos i dread to see what the scales tell me. my trouser size in C&A says enough... i don't eat very healthy... despite working in a shop that sells EVERYTHING to keep me on the straight and narrow... i prefer the licorice and the chocolate, and the pastries and cakes... at least they're organic, i tell myself as a way to stop me from feeling even more crap... what's making it so hard for me to stop eating the treats, rather than the vegetables?!
the list of things i was 'allowed' to eat was encouraging - salmon, pineapple, bananas, spinach, yoghurt, goat's cheese, walnuts, broccoli, ginger, mackerel, oatmeal, licorice root and spelt were already things i liked, so not a wrench... the 'neutral' list was okay as well {yay! cheddar, brie, para nuts, pecans, asparagus, courgette, mango, chocolate, dates....} and would be allowed. now, the 'avoid' list was less fun... no more chicken, sunflower oil, cashews, pistache, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, lentils, soy in any form, corn, whole wheat, avocado, tomatoes, coconut, cinnamon or aloe vera..... what?!! but i tried for a while, to see what would happen. and i felt better.
what happens, apparently, is that the 'avoid' foods do things to your blood that make you feel ill. or lethargic, as they are slowly killing you. if you can skip them from your daily diet, you'll feel better, cos your body isn't trying to deal with these 'assassins', and in eating better you'll probably lose weight in the process.
i wasn't losing the weight... cos - damn it - my list of 'neutrals' had bread in it. white bread. and i love white bread... and i slowly slipped back into old eating habits, and forgot all about the diet... and was accepting that i felt awful {life, menopause, psychological disadvantage, upbringing...} cos it is easier than doing something about it.
and then i saw the booklet i got with all the lists of foods i am allowed, and gave it another go. if i wasn't losing the weight, at least i would feel better, physically. that was worth something?! and this time around something seems to have clicked - i'm no that bothered about the white bread anymore. the veggies seem more appealing... who knows....
[more can be read here]
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