Blood type diet

All kinds of diets has long been a relevant topic for discussions not only among people who are trying to achieve their ideal weight but also among those who set themselves a plan of enhancing their health or try to fight against some illnesses that they have. Doctors talk about it as much as stylists do, which proves diets to be actually working. Of course, since there are such a great variety of them, you have to be careful while choosing and following it.

But why to choose a diet if a diet can actually choose you? How is that possible? A simple answer is that people are not only different by there personalities, one more distinguishing feature is their blood type. People with different blood groups should eat differently in order to accomplish their health or looks centered goals.

Blood type diet

Blood type diet , also referred to as ‘BTD’ or ‘ER4YT’, has first been suggested by Peter D’Adamo, ND, who conducted the research aiming to find out whether dietary requirements change in regard to environmental factors. He summed up the results of his research in the book “Eat Right 4 Your Type”, which has been a bestseller ever since 1996.

What he discovered is that people fare better when they tailor a diet suitable for that particular blood type. Due to the fact that each blood type has its own antigen marker that reacts negatively with particular foods, a very detail list of products was compiled in respect to each of the four blood types. Interestingly enough, blood type also predetermines different levels of stomach acidity and digestive enzymes people have, which can cause digestion and weight problems.

Blood type 0 diet

This blood group developed in Cro-Magnon Era (circa 50.000 B.C.) and maintained the memory of a hunter-gatherer type. Therefore, people with O blood type should eat what our ancestors did – products high in protein and low in carb, especially red meat and fish. D’Adamo also recommends eating eggs, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits, but says you should stay away from dairy products, wheat or grains. In addition to that, your diet should be followed by physical exercises, such as aerobics and running. People with type O blood frequently have hypothyroidism, high stomach acid; their blood is thinner and therefore is more resistant to blood clotting.

Blood type A diet

This blood type moves back to the times when our predecessors took up farming in addition to hunting and gathering. Farming lifestyle inevitably led to the increase of the intake of grains and vegetables and consequently lessened the consumption of meat. Therefore Dr D’Adamo suggests following a vegetarian diet but still keep away from dairy products. So your menu should consist of nuts, beans, seeds, cereals, pasta, bread, rice, fruit and vegetables. As far as exercising is concerned, you should pick some kind of calm physical activity like golf or yoga. A’s are at high risk of getting cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

Blood type B diet

Blood group B is way less frequent than blood types O or A, which is no fair because this blood group is least restricted in dietary terms. Type B ancestors probably were travelers and enjoyed lots of different foods. Thus just a few products should be avoided. Among those are processed foods, but despite this fact nuts and seeds should not be eaten as well as carb-rich foods. B’s balanced diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, grains, fish, dairy and meat. The most suitable sport activity for B’s would be hiking, swimming or tennis. Everyday diseases, including heart problems and cancer, are most likely to pass them by or be quite easily cured.

Blood type AB diet

This blood type is rarest of all four. Since it is somewhat double (having features of both A and B), people with this type should combine foods recommended for both types. It might seem to be impossible because the type B is allowed to eat almost everything, while A is advised to follow a vegetarian diet. Dr D’Adamo suggests following a vegetarian diet most of the time and only occasionally enriching it with small quantities of meat, fish and dairy products. The same can be said about sports – AB’s should practice a combination of calming and moderately intensive exercises.

Is blood type diet effective?

There are always two sides of the coin and blood type diet is no exception. There are people who support it and there are some who don’t. Roughly 8 out of 10 of the interviewees report that the result of the blood type diet was magnificent. Others, however, claim that the effectiveness of Eat Right for Your Type diet is more of a myth than a scientifically proved fact. But no one can deny that it makes you aware of what you eat and start making changes in your diet. It does recommend using fresh and natural foods, which definitely helps to de-junk your eating habits and cut down with processed foods, chocolate, takeaways and products containing caffeine. But most importantly, it completely rejects the idea of ‘one-size-fits-all’ diets, because the four blood types stress every individual having his own/her own needs.