The Total Self – Eating For Your Bloodtype

Sunday, June 18, 2017
Kente Bates, Oregon Sports News

This article is a part of The Total Self subset. This article is all about bloodtypes and how to eat for your bloodtype. How to make the most of your body is understanding what exactly you are made of. This is part and parcel of “the basics always win”.

There are books based on this premise. One by Steven Weissberg and Joseph Christiano, The Answer is in Your Bloodtype, talks extensively on this. The Blood Type Diet, by naturopathic physician Peter J. D’Adamo.  D’Adamo claims that the foods you eat react chemically with your blood type. If you follow a diet designed for your blood type, your body will digest food more efficiently. You’ll lose weight, have more energy, and help prevent disease. This article touches on the best foods to eat based on bloodtypes A, AB, O, and AB.

What You Can Eat

What CAN you eat on this diet? That depends on your blood type. Here’s what D’Adamo recommends for each type:

Type O blood: A high-protein diet heavy on lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and light on grains, beans, and dairy. D’Adamo also recommends various supplements to help with tummy troubles and other issues he says people with type O tend to have.

Type A blood: A meat-free diet based on fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains — ideally, organic and fresh, because D’Adamo says people with type A blood have a sensitive immune system.

Type B blood: Avoid corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Chicken is also problematic, D’Adamo says. He encourages eating green vegetables, eggs, certain meats, and low-fat dairy.

Type AB blood: Foods to focus on include tofu, seafood, dairy, and green vegetables. He says people with type AB blood tend to have low stomach acid. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoked or cured meats.

Level of Effort: High

If you don’t already know your blood type, you’ll need to find that out. The results will determine exactly what you need to do.

Limitations: Depending on your blood type, you may have to severely restrict the foods you eat.

Cooking and shopping: Your blood type will determine your shopping list and your choices when eating out.

Packaged foods or meals? None required.

In-person meetings? No.

Exercise: The Blood Type Diet recommends exercises based on your blood type. For instance, it suggests yoga or tai chi for type A’s, and vigorous aerobic exercises like jogging or biking for up to an hour a day for type O’s.

Does It Allow for Dietary Restrictions or Preferences?

Because the diet dictates that you eat very specific types of food based on your blood type, it doesn’t allow much for personal tastes.

For instance, if you’re a big fan of meat and potatoes, you won’t be very happy on the type A diet, which is mostly vegetarian.

There are also recommendations about the types of spices and condiments you can use.

If you’re looking for a diet that’s gluten-free, you should know that this diet doesn’t ban gluten. You may be able to make choices that are gluten-free, if you read food labels carefully.

What You Need to Know

Cost: D’Adamo recommends a lot of specialty/organic foods (such as soy milk and carob chip cookies), which are usually expensive. Vitamin and herbal supplements are also part of the diet.

Support: NONE. You do this diet on your own.

Does It Really Work?

One study found that adults eating the type A diet showed improved health markers, but this occurred in everyone, not just those with type A blood type. In 2013, a major review concluded that no evidence exists to support benefits of blood type diets.

However, it is likely that you would lose weight, though, because the diet can be very restrictive.

Is It Good for Certain Conditions?

The Blood Type Diet makes recommendations based solely on your blood type. So if you have a chronic condition (like diabetes), you may be told to eat high protein, while another person with diabetes may have to avoid dairy or chicken. This may conflict with your diabetes treatment plan.

The American Diabetes Association recommends a more practical approach to your day-to-day eating. It also cautions against focusing on specific foods. In most cases it doesn’t recommend cutting out any major food groups.

The Blood Type Diet also fails to address other conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or cholesterol. Any needed weight loss is sure to have a positive impact on these conditions. But no matter your blood type, you should follow the same guidelines issued by The American Heart Association (AHA) for a low-fat and low-salt diet.

Also, everyone should aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and at least 2 days of strength training per week.

On the Blood Type Diet, you’ll avoid processed food and simple carbs. That may be enough to help you lose some weight. But any weight loss on this diet has not been linked to your blood type.

There’s also no research proving that this diet can aid in digestion or give you more energy.

Although you’ll buy and prepare your own foods on this plan, your choices are quite limited depending on your blood type. So be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen.

The diet may quickly become expensive, too, since the author recommends you buy organics as well as his own line of supplements.

If this diet intrigues you, keep in mind that experts still recommend the old-fashioned diets over this diet.

Closing Thoughts

In closing, this diet is not as bad as some that are out there. On the other hand, it’s not perfect either. Please understand that this is all about understanding your body. Understanding your body instead of following guidelines on a diet that does have holes in it. Understanding your body over anything else diet-related. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is the keystone of the basics (knowledge, hard work, humility and a thirst for excellence). THE BASICS ALWAYS WIN.