Dear Readers,

Can you be a successful vegetarian? This month I take an in-depth look at the challenges between different body types following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle.

Gallbladder body types are known for being helpful, loyal and consistent. This month we look at what's unique about the Gallbladder body type.

Present Time Essential Oil is the fifth of the 6 oils in the Young Living Feelings Collection, which we are exploring individually.

As always, I hope and trust that these newsletters help you enjoy a happier, healthier life.

Health and Happiness,
Dr. Carolyn Mein

Can You Be A Healthy Vegetarian?

The Gallbladder Body Type

Present Time Essential Oil

About 3.3% of American adults are vegetarians. Some are successful, while others lack the essential nutrients to keep them healthy. Lacking essential nutrients can be difficult to recognize, and can often take 10 years to become readily apparent. It can show up as fatigue, weight gain, chemical sensitivity, and/or immune system breakdown which can express as a person manifesting autoimmune conditions. How can you determine if you could be a healthy vegetarian?

Pros and Cons of Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism has been practiced since the 6th century BC in ancient Greece. In the Indian culture, the diet was closely connected with the attitude of nonviolence towards animals or tolerance towards all living beings. Many people choose vegetarianism because they are ethically opposed to treating animals as food. Others cite health benefits – including lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, lower cancer rates, sustainability, mood elevation, and even weight loss. Some studies have even suggested vegetarians live longer than their meat-eating counterparts. In general, vegetarians and vegans tend to be more deliberate in their food choices and less likely to binge eat or choose empty calorie foods. Research has shown people who eat a wide variety of vegetables contain a greater diversity of their intestinal microbiomes leading to better health.

Conversely, others say that vegetarians are missing out on the proteins, amino acids, and healthy saturated fats present in meats. They also say that eating meat is sustainable and humane, and is the best source for iron, B12 and essential omega-3 fatty acids. For every study citing longer life expectancies for vegetarians, there’s a study making the same claim for meat consumers.


Is Vegetarianism Suitable for Everyone?

The short answer is “no”. The 25 different body types have very unique and different nutritional needs. No diet works the same for everyone because each body type assimilates food differently. A vegetarian lifestyle will work well for some and could actually be harmful to others.

Of the 25 types, I find that half are not able to derive enough nutrition from a plant-based diet alone. Some body types require more protein, iron, or other nutrients that are more readily assimilated from meats than from plants. The body can absorb 15 – 35% of the heme iron in meat, but only 2 – 20% of the heme iron in leafy greens and beans, requiring the digestive system to process much more food to obtain the same amount of iron. And while B12 is found in eggs and dairy as well as in meat, studies find some two-thirds of vegetarians to be deficient in B12 compared to just one in 20 meat eaters.

On a personal note, I grew up in a meat-and-potatoes family. As early as grade school, I experienced bloating, intestinal gas, and abdominal weight gain. In college, I was introduced to a Macrobiotic diet and stopped eating beef, focusing on brown rice and vegetables. I was thrilled to be rid of the intestinal gas and bloating. Over the next 10 years I got the majority of my protein from cheeses. I slowly added back the 5 pounds I had initially eliminated plus a few more, but this time not only was it in my lower abdomen, but also in my thighs. I also noticed I was becoming sensitive to my eye make-up and my energy was not what it should be – my immune system was breaking down. I found myself in a situation where I needed to start adding dense protein back into my diet. I would eat small amounts of fish or chicken with a lot of vegetables and rice. I would scramble an egg with broccoli and or rice. As I started including dense protein, I was able to let go of the extra weight I had added. I was then introduced to a book which led me into the discovery of the 25 Body Type System. My body type is one that cannot sustain well on a purely vegetarian diet, as dairy should be kept to a minimum and I do not digest beans and other legumes well.

Can You Be A Vegetarian?

You should be able to thrive on a vegetarian diet if your body type supports it and you are not requiring additional protein to rebuild your body. If your body type is in the “no” column below, you may find it very difficult to sustain your health and vitality with a vegetarian diet:



How To Be a Healthy Vegetarian

Being a healthy vegetarian goes beyond getting enough protein and amino acids. Not all plant-based foods are necessarily supportive for you. Each body type has a specific list of foods that are “Ultra Supportive”, “Supportive”, or “Stressful”. Cucumbers are a “stressful” food for Adrenal body types – meaning they shouldn’t be consumed more than once a month. This is because they are more difficult to digest and take more energy away from the body than add. Although Adrenals can successfully be vegetarians, not all vegetables are supportive for them.

Are vegetables best eaten raw or cooked? The Adrenal body type does well with raw vegetables, because they are naturally high in sodium and need more potassium. Raw vegetables contain more potassium than when they are cooked. The Gallbladder body type has difficulty with a lot of raw vegetables and is better when the majority of vegetables are cooked or fermented.

Fruit is a whole food, so it’s always a beneficial food choice, right? Not necessarily. Fruit is high in sugar, and the best time of day to eat fruit varies by body type. This is because the fluctuations of energy vary from body type to body type.

It’s also helpful to listen to your body. After a meal, do you feel lethargic or energetic? Your body lets you know what is and is not supportive.

Determining your most supportive diet begins with knowing your body type.

Gallbladder Body Types are dependable, known for being helpful, loyal and consistent

Celebrities with Gallbladder body type include Bea Arthur, Maureen Stapleton, Jack Klugman and Harvey Korman.

Are you a Gallbladder body type? You might be, if:

• You are known for being helpful, reliable, loyal and dependable
• You feel most fulfilled when you are being useful
• You prefer to work “behind the scenes”
• You learn best through experience and love to be “hands on”
• You are happiest when life is steady, predictable and structured
• You prefer tasks that are already defined and laid out for you to do
• Peace and tranquility are a high priority for you

If this describes you, you could be a Gallbladder body type.


Appearance

Women having a Gallbladder body type are petite-to-average in height with a solid torso and shoulders relatively even with hips. They may have small, deep-set eyes. Initial weight gain is in lower abdomen, waist and upper hips. They have slender legs, gaining weight only in the upper inner thights.

Gallbladder body type men have a strong, stocky torso with a soft layer covering the abdoment, which makes it difficult to obtain muscular definition. They are of short-to-average height with medium-to-large bone structure and a short neck. Initial weight gain is soft rolls around the waist and soft abdominal musculature.


Personality, Relationships & Career

Gallbladder body types are generally patient, calm and gentle in nature. They generally prefer harmony and get along well with others, although their timidity or shyness keeps them closer to family and close friends. Being task-oriented, they prefer to have projects laid out for them to do, rather than assume a leadership or prominent role themselves. They often have difficulty dealing with their own emotions, and being somewhat self-contained they suppress them by disconnecting from people or situations.

The primary nature of Gallbladder body types is Emotional / Physical. Read more about these Points of Connection here.


Exercise

Gallbladder body types benefit most from exercise that clears the mind and accomplishes something productive - such as gardening, yard work, or house cleaning. Walking, swimming or bicycling are effective exercise, if they are enjoyable.

Nutrition, Diet & Weight

Gallbladder body types do best avoiding fruit at lunch, which should be the largest meal of the day for them. They do best with meals high in fat, low in protein. Vegetables that are cooked are more supportive for them than raw.

For weight loss, reduce breads, dairy and fruit (including dried fruit and fruit juice). Eliminate sugars. Counterintuitively, if fats fall below 20% of caloric intake, weight loss is inhibited.

Complete nutritional information including food lists for the Gallbladder body type can be found on the Gallbladder Quick Reference Card.


Core Emotional Issues

The core emotional issues for Gallbladder body types are Past (Fear of Repeating), Frustration, Resentment, and Letting Go.

The other side of Past (Fear of Repeating) is Awareness, and is released using Forgiveness Essential Oil and the affirmation "I learn from all of Life's experiences". Frustration can be transmuted into Accomplishment, using Lemon Essential Oil and "I move beyond my limitations". Resentment can be turned into Embracement, using Lemongrass Essential Oil and "I am wanted, loveable, and I am whole". Letting Go is transmuted into Happiness using Sage Essential Oil and "Let go and let live".


To learn more about the Gallbladder body type, see the Newsletter Archives.

The fifth oil in the Feelings Collection is Present Time. Present Time assists you to be Present. Changes can only occur when you are present with the situation and in the present time and space. Dis-ease develops when we live in the past and with regret. Being in present time is key to progressing and moving forward.

The Feelings Collection takes us step by step along the path of healing emotional wounds. The first step and the first oil is Forgiveness, which allows us to connect with the Truth, enabling us to learn from all of life’s experiences. The second oil Harmony, brings about Elevation giving us the opportunity to rise above the hurts to value life. The third oil Inner Child, brings about our Inner Connection which is our connection with our inner self that is at the core of who we are. The fourth oil Release, assists us to be On Purpose, enabling us to progress in a positive way. To go into the clearing process in more depth, see October, November, December 2017, and January 2018 newsletters.

The emotions that interfere with your ability to be Present in Present Time are: feeling Flustered, living in Illusion, Loss, Malice, Repressed or Stuffed Emotions, Resistance to Change, and feeling Taken for Granted. These emotions keep you locked in the past. The other side: Present, Clarity, Gain, Benevolence, Speak Out, Steady and Honored bring you into the moment or Present.

Present Time contains Ylang Ylang which balances male and female energies, restoring confidence and equilibrium. Black Spruce opens and releases emotional blocks, fostering a sense of balance and grounding, Bitter Orange and Sweet Almond oil.

For general applications, Present Time may be:

• Diffused
• Directly inhaled
• Add 2-4 drops to bath water
• Apply to sternum and thymus area, neck and forehead

For more information on the use of Essential Oils to release emotions, refer to Releasing Emotional Patterns with Essential Oils.