Some of you have probably heard of the Eat Right for Your Type diet plan. I certainly had and had previously read a lot about it. There are many arguments in favor of it but just as many against it. Quite frankly, I understood the science behind it but at the same time sort of saw it as the next fad diet. So I never really paid much attention to the whole idea. Until 2011. The idea that my blood type was responsible for some of the gut issues I was facing was actually fascinating to me.
I have dug into researching the links between your blood type and your food intake. There is a lot to this; more than just your blood type. Gender, ethnicity, age, and genetic abnormalities can all affect the “eat right for your type” concept. Your overall gut health also will greatly contribute. So I would advise anyone undertaking a blood type diet to really, really do your research. However, there is a lot of evidence that points to specific foods being better and easier for your body to handle if your blood type is taken into consideration when making food choices.
A real food diet (also known as a Traditional Diet) and the Blood Type Diet are VERY compatible. You can still follow each and every tenant of a Traditional Diet. Since traditional foods are so varied, there will be lots for any blood type to choose from. And with the blood type diet there is no hard and firm recommendation as to how to prepare your foods. So you can still cook with coconut oil and butter, soak your grains, ferment compatible foods, and eat lots of varied protein sources.
I wanted anyone interested in the blood type diet to have all of the information they need in one place. So continue reading for some additional information on blood types as well as 4 charts outlining what foods are good, bad, and neutral for your blood type.
But first, what is the blood type diet specifically?
In 1996, Dr. Peter D’Adamo published a book in which he outlined a diet based on different blood types. Although the “Eat Right for Your Type” diet gained popularity because of Dr. D’Adamo, he was not the first or the last doctor or nutritionist to discuss the idea of blood type and food intake. Therefore, I am not going to credit him with the discovery of the blood type diet. In addition, I am not looking at the blood type diet as a weight loss diet plan. I am looking at it as part of an overall health picture for the human body.
Ok, enough of that. The theory with this nutritional approach is that each blood type has specific antigens that control bodily function, such as the immune and digestive systems. When foreign particles enter the body, the antigens either let them through or recognize them as threats and attack. The theory is that the blood’s antigens react in a similar manner to foods, designating them as acceptable or threats. Therefore, knowing your blood type – either A, B, AB, or O – will help you distinguish which foods are best for your body.
And if you want to get a little more scientific….
Lectins, tiny molecules found throughout the nature, predispose the interaction between foods and each blood group. Lectins are known for their ability to cause agglutination (binding) of some molecules, such as carbohydrates, for example. However, the nature of lectins, as well as their actual role, still remains undiscovered.
In the theory of the blood type diet, eating wrong foods leads to a situation when lectins cause red blood cells to stick together. Of course, such bound cells are bigger in size than individual cells, and it gets more and more challenging for them to travel through the tiny capillaries in many organs of the human body. As the result, the blood capillaries begin to narrow and finally clog up, causing kind of micro infractions in many vitally important tissues of the human body.
That is why the blood type diet works to show people what types of food are allowed for specific blood type and what products should be avoided in order to prevent the process of red cells agglutination by lectins.
The blood type diet also says that there is also a connection between one’s blood group and the level of stomach juices. For example, people with blood type O have an increased level of stomach acid, which may lead to ulcer development. In this situation eating meat may really help, because transforming the roasted beefsteak into fuel for the human body requires much more stomach acid than it is needed to digest veggie salad, for example.
Here is a look at each blood type in more detail.
Type A
People with type A blood have a hard time digesting animal protein, and benefit more from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and grains. The production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach is low for people with blood type A, and therefore animal protein is not easily digested. Type A blood people are usually lactose intolerant, too. By eliminating meat and dairy from your diet, you may begin to lose weight and your body will respond positively.
Type B
Although blood type B people can handle almost all foods, some foods will cause weight gain. Foods to avoid include corn, buckwheat, sesame seeds, peanuts and lentils. Type Bs can’t handle gluten in wheat products, so switching to a gluten-free diet is beneficial. Unlike the other blood types, type Bs can handle dairy products. Types Bs will also benefit from green vegetables, lamb, mutton, rabbit, liver, turkey, eggs, fish, licorice tea, soy, olive and flaxseed oil, oatmeal, millet, rice bran, spelt and puffed rice.
Type O
Type O is the oldest blood type in human history. Those with type O digest meat better than any other blood type. Unlike type A, type O people produce a lot of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. However, Type Os have a hard time digesting dairy products and food containing gluten. The best diet for a type O is a greater ratio of proteins and less dairy and gluten. It would be best to exclude all dairy and include gluten-free foods in your diet.
Type AB
Blood type AB is the most “recent” type in terms of human evolution, and is the rarest of all blood types as well. Like type As, people with type AB don’t produce a lot of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and therefore have a sensitive digestive system. However, animal protein is still important for type ABs. The AB blood type is thought to be more complicated than the other blood types. It combines some of the vulnerabilities of both the Type A and Type B blood types.
And now, the moment you have all been waiting for…the four charts which break down everything you ever wondered about which foods are which for which blood type!
Food Charts For The Blood Type Diet
Blood Type A
Blood Type B
Blood Type AB
Blood Type O
