-
- Taken today. Pale.
Today I embark on a month-long project, eating right for my blood type (O). I first heard about this book, which is over a decade old, from my acupuncture folks back in November. During my appointment my pulses were strong, my tongue was red, and my skin coloring was, well, colorful. Mind you, these ideal indicators were new after over 6 months of unproductive needling and herb-swilling. My non-western-inclined practitioners were excited and wanted to know what was different and were not surprised when I said: MEAT!
You see, I had just returned from visiting my South-American in-laws, who are meat-lovers, indeed. More than a week of pork, beef, and lamb served at almost every meal: delicious. But could this possibly be healthy? I was left craving things that were green, orange, or red, and eaten raw for heaven’s sake! Make no mistake, I’m not remotely vegetarian, but I cook most of my meals at home and usually exclude the meat food group from my culinary repertoire.
But maybe my idea of health was all wrong? It was briefly explained to me that people with type O blood actually do very well on a diet that emphasizes high quality animal protein products (along with a panoply of vegetables and fruits). When I checked the book out of the library last month to learn more, this pro-meat stance was confirmed and I also learned that foods like lentils, beans, wheat, corn, and dairy (all staples of my regular diet) are not digested well and contribute to weight gain and other indicators of poor mental and physical health.
Believing in a proper balance between skepticism and open-mindedness, I thought it would be a worth-while challenge to spend a month living the Type O lifestyle as touted by the book. Aside from dietary changes, I’ll also have to alter my exercise habits to include more vigorous workouts, possibly even get back to running again.
I haven’t been able to clearly articulate my goals for the project, but I know they include an improvement in my overall feeling of wellness. I would like to have more energy, feel stronger, sit straighter, and stand taller. Mood stabilization would be great, and perhaps a looser feeling around my waist where my pants are a little snug. Oh, and the tongue. Dark pink is what I’m going for.
