Published: Saturday, 19 September 2009
After a recent doctor appointment and being advised to get blood drawn, a phlebotomist (blood technician) friend of mine asked if the blood type diet would be a good idea for me to try. With some investigation as to exactly what “eating for my blood type” meant, the results were interesting enough to share.
Even if you are not having health problems, knowing your blood type and being able to decipher the best health plan for your diet are good things to know. A doctor by the name of Peter J. D’Adamo was brought up by his father to learn that people have different blood types and based on those blood types specific diet patterns work better with certain types of blood. In 1996, Dr. D’Adamo published a book called Eat Right 4 Your Type (ER4YT) that won awards in the health sector including being named one of the "10 Most Important Health Books Ever Written." After the success with ER4YT, Dr. D’Adamo followed up his book in 2007 with a new diet called The GenoType Diet, aimed at further investigation of diets based on your blood type and genotype according to your specific genes.
Dr. D’Adamo recommends a unique blend of food for each of the main blood types: A, B, AB, and O. Studies have been outstanding and one in particular shows that three out of every four people reported a vast improvement in their health. A lot of the recorded improvements have been weight loss along with better digestion, less stress, more energy, and clearer mental stability out of the 6,500 individuals who tracked their blood type diet over the course of at least one month.
People with type A blood are asked to follow a lower fat, vegetarian-based diet full of fruits and vegetables because they have thicker blood, sensitive immunity, and a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, or diabetes.
Recommendations for Type B blood include an omnivorous diet consisting of a balance between plants and meats because they have the best chance of avoiding serious diseases.
Type AB should follow a strict vegetarian program.
Type O—the most universal blood type—should consume a larger percentage of proteins, meats, vegetables, etc. and a smaller percentage of carbohydrates like pasta and breads. Type O blood should stay away from wheat, dairy, and nut products as people carrying this blood are more prone to hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) and acidic conditions like stomach ulcers.
Although critics cite lack of scientific evidence for the reason why this program isn’t sweeping the nation, it seems that followers of the blood type diet love the idea of not having to track points, calories, fat grams, or carbs while sticking to a food and drink regimen perfect for the blood circulating throughout his or her system. Allergies, diet changes according to age, and other restrictions based on medical problems also have no basis on this diet because the rules do not apply.
However, this does not mean that Dr. D’Adamo is wrong in his hypothesi,s but it does mean that along with any other diet adding subtle healthy changes will most likely have positive benefits. The downside to only being able to have one type of diet is that because it is based on a specific unchanging variable (your blood) the diet cannot be changed which could cause problems such as iron or protein deficiencies down the line. I have yet to take my friend’s advice and check out the blood type diet on my own, but now I know that a primarily vegetarian diet and low-resistance exercise are suggested for my Type A blood.
Source & Picture: www.healthnews.com