Helpful Tips To Keep Your Body Strong & Healthy - Improve Your Immune System

1: The 3 ‘acid baddies’

1. Altered fats

1. Eliminate all sources of altered fats from your diet. This includes anything with hydrogenised fat or oil (sometimes called hydrogenised vegetable oil – present in many tinned and processed foods) and margarine. This also includes all dairy products other than raw dairy – i.e. any milk or dairy products that are homogenized or pasteurized.

2. Avoid potato chips, crisps and all fried foods as these are laden with altered fats (from high cooking temperatures) as well as the carcinogenic substance acrylamide. Never deep-fry food or overcook food by any method. Microwaving instantly alters good fats into trans-fats (never mind the damage it does to other foods).

3. Change to raw dairy. Blood types O and A would be better off on dairy substitutes like rice milk or nut/seed milk and butter (almond, sesame etc.).

2. Grains

The latest research has shown that grains are one of the most acidifying substances in our diet – and also one of the hardest elements to eliminate. However, for those seriously seeking optimal health and longevity, you need to reduce your intake of grains as much as possible2. This includes wheat, rye and all the other bread grains, rice, corn and potatoes (although not a grain, they have a very similar effect on the body). This obviously includes all refined grains, as these are the worst – white bread, rolls, buns, croissants, cakes, pies, donuts, biscuits etc.

Grains quickly convert to sugar in the body, with all the attendant symptoms of rapid insulin release, effect on blood sugar levels and weight gain.

We do need a certain amount of carbohydrates in our diets, but most people consume far too many. Vegetables and fruit, not carbohydrates, should be the source of our carbs. Often, grain-based carbohydrates can be replaced by vegetable-based ones – root vegetables like sweet potatoes, butternut, squashes and pumpkin (see Food Ideas for further ideas).

Certain blood types do however handle grains a lot more efficiently than others. O blood types are the worst off on grains; A types handle them the best.

Because of the low nutritional value of refined wheat products, the first transition is to replace all refined wheat products with wholegrain varieties.

The next transition is to change from wheat-based products to other types of grain – rye, buckwheat, millet etc. Try to vary your choice.

The next transition is to gradually reduce the quantity of bread or other grains eaten at every meal, eating more vegetables and protein foods instead; or replacing grains with legumes.

The next transition is to replace grains with ‘starchy’ vegetables like squashes, or with legumes (see Food Ideas for more ideas). Avoid vegetables and legumes that don’t suit your blood type.

Have a few vegetable-based breakfasts a week

3. Sugar

Getting off sugar as quickly as possible has benefits that far outweigh simple weight loss. We already know the effects that sugar has on the body. Sugar is the ideal food for the microforms in the body. As they thrive on it, they create toxic waste products that make your system acidic. In addition to this, sugar plays havoc with blood sugar levels, and as we have seen, this has a huge impact on weight loss, moods and health in so many ways.

The sugar in one can of soda pop depresses the immune system for up to 5 hours. So a simple change like cutting back on soft drinks is going to have an immediate positive effect on your health. Try halving the amount you consume, and work down from there. Aim to drink a little less every week. The ultimate goal is to eliminate them completely. In addition to the sugar in soft drinks, the gas they contain is carbon dioxide, which is a substance that your body eliminates as a waste product. It just doesn’t make sense to be drinking a ‘waste product’! Also don’t think you can simply substitute soda with diet soda. Artificial sweeteners convert to highly toxic acids that harm the brain, eyesight etc. The idea is rather to gradually re-train your taste buds, to wean them off the intense and unnatural sugar taste. As your taste buds re-educate themselves, you will start getting used to drinking (and enjoying!) pure water.

Next is the sugar you add to your coffee or tea. Ideally, start changing over to herbal teas as quickly as possible anyway, as these can be enjoyed without sugar. (Coffee is only really suitable for lucky blood types A and B1. The rest of us should really only drink it as an occasional treat, as it is highly acidic for the body – and highly addictive.) Changing to Xylitol instead of sugar as a sweetener if you have a sweet tooth is a healthy and tasty alternative – well worth the extra cost.

Change high-sugar breakfast cereals for low-sugar, wheat-free ones and gradually add a few vegetable-based breakfasts a week.

Break the habit of needing something sweet after dinner.

Tip 2: Junk Food

Honestly analyze your eating habits.

Start by replacing some of your junk food meals every week, with healthier choices, instead of cutting out all junk food immediately. Your taste buds will gradually adjust until you no longer crave them to such an extent. Watch a movie like Morgan Spurlock’s “Supersize Me”, about McDonald’s foods – this will help even the most hardened junk food addict with cravings!

Identify situations that make you crave junk food – a fight with your partner, pressure at work, boredom. Then apply the following two incredibly powerful principles:

1. Begin with your mind, and your body will follow.

Once you've discovered an old, negative habit you want to get rid of, the first step is to realize that it begins in your mind. The thought always gives birth to the action. Too many people focus on ‘forcing’ behaviors, but force negates and willpower fails you in the long term. The real power lies in the thoughts which create the habitual behaviors.

To change the behavior, you need to trace the behavior back to the thought patterns that created it – and change the thoughts. See here for more on habits and how to break them.

2. Replace negative habits with positive ones.

Nature abhors a vacuum. If you manage to simply remove a negative habit, it leaves a vacuum begging to be filled. Often the bad habit returns to re-occupy old space or another bad habit simply takes its place. The way to get rid of a bad habit forever is to replace it with a positive one. This is especially easy and effective when it comes to food choices. If there is a particular food you habitually eat and know you shouldn't, don't just try to eliminate it. Instead find a better choice to replace it with. Each time you feel the urge for the old food, reach for the new one instead. It's a simple process of substitution.

Tip 3: Become aware of your ‘plate’

Start aiming for half of whatever meal you eat to consist of fresh vegetables (preferably mostly raw), whether you are at home or eating at a restaurant. This can take a while to get used to and some days will be better than others, but keep it as a principle in the back of your mind. Before you know it, it will become automatic.

The ideal is to have of your plate containing fresh, raw, high-water content food. Salads are great for this and very refreshing in summer. Healthy dips and sauces make a great addition to many meals. And eating food raw does NOT mean it all has to be cold. There is a difference between warming food and cooking it. The main thing to consider is to not exceed 118 deg F or 50 deg C. Burning, crisping and browning food can convert it from something healthy into something toxic. Food is better steamed rather than cooked in oil. Make soups raw and heat them to under 118 deg F or 50 deg C just before serving. It’s worth a little experimentation to get the dish just right – the rewards are great health! It’s not a good idea to make this program so rigid that it becomes a hassle. Keep it flexible and you will soon be doing it instinctively.

Tip 4: Water

Develop the habit of drinking pure water (filter your own or buy mineral). Never leave home without a bottle of water in your car. Keep a liter jug or bottle on your desk at work. Keep a bottle in your gym bag and sip regularly throughout your workout. Take a bottle on your runs. Keep a glass of water next to your bed at night to sip if you wake up. Drink it on rising in the morning. Or start your day with a mug of hot water and lemon juice. Water is also a great way to aid your health efforts – add alkalizing base powder or mineral drops and your calcium supplement or oxygen drops. You will soon get used to the taste and your body will appreciate it! Drink herbal non-caffeine teas when it’s cold.

Tip 5: Eliminate your allergy foods

Identify and eliminate all foods to which you are allergic or sensitive. Get to know the way of eating that is ideal for your blood type, and the types of foods that suit and don’t suit you. Keep a list of these in your mobile phone or diary. Start making more and more food choices based on your blood type, even in restaurants. Learn your family’s types as well and how to prepare meals that will suit all types (see Blood Type Food Summaries to help you).

Tip 6: Exercise

Start an exercise program if you are not currently on one. The sicker you are, the more vital this is. If you are ill or elderly, start with the Tibetan and Tao stretching and longevity exercises (see Ancient Eastern Exercises for Youth and Vitality). As soon as you can, add some cardio and weight-bearing exercises. Join a gym or find a training partner. After cleaning up your diet, this is the best thing you can do to promote optimal health and achieve a long, disease- and symptom-free life.

Tip 7: Supplement

By now you should be convinced of the importance of supplementing. Everyone should be taking supplements daily that include:

A food-based multi-vitamin and –mineral supplement
Additional vitamin C
Omega-3 supplement (either salmon oil or flax seed)– 1000mg a day
A liquid trace mineral supplement
Probiotics
Digestive enzymes with every meal
A full-spectrum antioxidant
An immune-boosting supplement
Progesterone and testosterone cream for men and women over 30

Tip 8: Stocking the kitchen

Buy organic and free-range meat and chicken. Buy organic eggs, fruit and vegetables.
If you eat dairy, buy only raw dairy products.
Don’t buy any cold drinks. Rather squeeze your own fruit juice and dilute, or make into frozen pops for children. All store-bought fruit juice is pasteurized which destroys all the nutrients.
Start changing to wheat-free substitutes for your normal bread products.
Keep supplies of seeds and nuts suitable to your blood type. Make a seed mixture every few days and keep a jar in your fridge, for sprinkling on salads, cereals etc.
Replace wheat-based and high-sugar breakfast cereals with wheat-free and sugar-reduced varieties. Avoid corn breakfast cereals. Or make your own muesli (see Food Ideas for recipe). Gradually start changing your breakfasts to more vegetable-based ones.
Keep a bowl of chopped onion, celery and parsley in the fridge. This forms the basis of soups and salads and saves time when preparing these dishes.
Keep a bowl of washed, mixed lettuce and baby spinach, watercress etc. in the fridge. Again, this saves time when preparing salads.
Use Xylitol instead of sugar for sweetening, baking etc.
Keep organic dried raisins, cranberries and prunes, and walnuts, almonds or other nuts and pumpkin seeds for snacks instead of sweets.
Buy dark, organic chocolate instead of full-cream milk chocolate.
Buy small quantities of fresh fruit and vegetables more often in the week, to ensure you are getting produce as fresh as possible. It also helps to plan your meals in advance to limit waste.
Replace pork-based cold meats with similar, non-pork (preferably free-range or organic) products. Smoked fish is a good choice. Replace bacon with macon if you do eat it. Some countries have excellent wild game dried meats that are by definition organic. If you eat beef-based cold or dried meats, try to find a supplier of organic meat.
Keep a few tins of legumes that suit your blood type in the cupboard, to add to soups, salads or curries.
Buy butter and olive or grapeseed oil for frying. Use butter, tahini or nut butters for spreading. If the butter is too hard, look for butter with olive oil added, or make your own.
Invest in a good juicer so that you can start making your own fruit and vegetable juices. It is also essential for colon cleanses and juice fasts.
Use pumpkin seed and sesame oils to add flavor and nutrients to foods (not to cook with!).
Keep tins of fish (sardines are excellent as they are low in mercury) for a quick meal.
Keep a stock of root vegetables that suit your blood type. See Food Ideas for ways of transforming these into satisfying starchy meals instead of grains, once you are ready to start making this transition.
Always keep onions, garlic, ginger and lemons (or lemon juice when not in season) in your fridge or cupboard, as well as stocks of herbs and spices.