Eating Right for Your Blood Type

With so many diets out there, it can get confusing as to which one to follow. I’m guilty of that myself. Sometimes, I’ll be good all week, eating just fruits and veggies, and then temptation will come along and I’ll stuff a nice, big, juicy burger in my face.

With summer in full effect, minus the gloom of this SoCal weather, most of us are getting in gear for swimsuit season. I recently did a variation of the Master Cleanse and lasted 4 days. I say variation because I was able to eat palm sized amounts of fruits and veggies during my cleanse. I drank this concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup and acai all conveniently premixed for me in a bottle. All I had to do was mix a cap of it into 8 oz of water, shake and drink.

It tasted sweet, mostly like maple syrup with a slight hint of spice from the cayenne pepper. I lost 4 pounds in 4 days just from doing the cleanse. Did it last? No. When I got off it, I gained back 2 lbs in a week. My energy levels were way up though and I would recommend this cleanse to anyone who wants to get the gunk out of their system and flatten their tummy.

I recently came across the book, Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type.  It details the 4 different blood types, A, B, O and AB and what foods are best for them. I’m a type A and Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo recommend a mostly vegetarian diet for me. No wonder whenever I ate steak, I slumped into a food coma. It’s all good, I actually do like fruits and veggies, and fish. He also said that type A’s can eat carbs! Woohoo! Even better. I love carbs, but have been more vigilant about eating only brown rice instead of white. As for pasta, well, whole wheat pasta just tastes too mealy for me. After following his tips for a week, I noticed that I FELT better overall. It really does work, and I didn’t have to follow some crazy cleanse schedule.

Here’s an overview of what the different blood types should be eating, taken from RunthePlanet.com.

Type A: This blood type evolved between 25,000 and 15,000 bC. They have fragile digestive systems. These people cannot tolerate animal protein well, and should be the proverbial, classic “vegetarian” of the human species. They also are usually lactose intolerant, as well. Persons with Blood Type A should avoid animal protein and dairy products, and would do well with whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. Tofu and Hawaiian Spirulina should become the Blood Type A person’s best friends, as these foods contains high-quality vegetable protein! Persons with Blood Type A do not produce enough hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, and that is why they have a difficult time digesting animal protein well. This also gives them a predisposition toward getting stomach cancer, and should never eat smoked or cured meats due to the sodium nitrites in them. Animal protein and dairy products tend to rot and ferment in their digestive tracts, and the toxic bacteria backs up into their tissues and muscles, thereby causing digestive distress.

Foods that encourage weight gain – Meat; dairy food; kidney beans; lima beans; wheat (in overabundance); and, of course, sugar and white flour.

Foods that encourage weight loss – Vegetables oils, such as olive and flaxseed; soy foods; spirulina; vegetables; pineapple.

Type B: This blood type developed between 15,000 and 10,000 BC. Persons with Blood Type B have tolerant digestive systems, and can tolerate most foods equally well, with some exceptions. They are the lucky ones who can digest all types of foods with ease. However, the foods they should avoid are corn, buckwheat, lentils, peanuts, and sesame seeds, as these foods will tend to make them gain weight. Just like the Type O’s, Type B’s tend to have a problem with gluten in wheat products and wheat germ, which can cause a drop in their blood sugar levels, causing symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Blood Type B’s who want to lose weight should definitely avoid wheat products. These lucky people can handle dairy products okay, compared to the other blood types. However, easy does it; if you consume too many high-calorie dairy products, you will gain weight! If you get hypoglycemia after eating a meal, sipping licorice tea would be beneficial for you. It is not advisable to take licorice supplements, unless under the supervision of a doctor. However, sipping licorice tea is very good.

Foods that encourage weight loss – Green vegetables; red meat such as lamb, mutton and rabbit; liver; turkey; pheasant; eggs/low-fat dairy products, including eggs from chicken; seafood, especially deep ocean fish such as cod and salmon, also flounder, halibut and sole; licorice tea. (Licorice tea is great to sip after a meal, as this will prevent hypoglycemia); soy foods; olive and flaxseed oil; oatmeal; oat bran; millet; rice bran; spelt; puffed rice.

Type O: Blood Type O is the oldest blood type in the world (evolved around 40,000 BC), and is traced back to CroMagnon man. People with Blood Type O have the hardiest digestive systems. They are the meat-eaters. Persons with Blood Type O need animal protein for good health, as well as vegetables and fruits. However, carbohydrates should be kept to a minimum, since the Blood Type O person cannot digest carbohydrates very well, especially wheat products containing gluten. This person will do well on a high animal protein, low carbohydrate diet; and, dairy products should be kept to a minimum. Persons with Blood Type O produce a lot of hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, and it is this great abundance of stomach acid that allows them to digest animal protein favorably. And, because their digestive systems already contain a lot of stomach acid, they should avoid drinking coffee, since coffee will cause them to produce even more stomach acid, and this tends to make them prone to peptic ulcers, especially if they are constantly under a great deal of stress. They should drink more green tea, instead of coffee.

Foods that encourage weight gain – Wheat gluten; corn; kidney beans; navy beans; lentils; cabbage; brussel sprouts; cauliflower; mustard greens; and, of course, sugar and white flour.

Foods that encourage weight loss – Sea kelp (iodine); Seafood: bluefish, cod, hake, halibut, herring, mackerel, pike, rainbow trout, red snapper, salmon, sardines, shad, snapper, sole, striped bass, sturgeon, swordfish, tilefish, white perch, whitefish, yellow perch, yellowtail; Red Meat: beef, buffalo, heart, lamb, liver, mutton, veal, venison; Vegetables: kale, spinach, broccoli.

Type AB: Very rare, and the gentle offspring of Type A and Type B blood. This blood type has only been around for about 1000 years; a modern adaptation and result of intermingling of disparate groups. Less than 5% of the world’s population have Blood Type AB. You combine the best and the worst of Blood Types A and B. Most foods that are bad for the Type A and Type B persons, are also bad for the Type AB person, with the exception of tomatoes. The Blood Type AB person can tolerate tomato lectins well. Like Type A, you do not produce enough hydrochloric stomach acid to digest animal protein well, such as red meat and poultry, yet you do need some animal protein. Therefore, portion size is important, and with less frequency. Be sure to take bromelain, a digestive enzyme derived from pineapple, to assist with the digestion of your animal protein meals. The best meats for you are lamb, mutton, rabbit and turkey. Also, avoid smoked and cured meats.

Foods that encourage weight gain – Red meat; kidney beans; lima beans; seeds; corn; buckwheat; wheat.

Foods that encourage weight loss – Tofu; seafood; dairy; green vegetables; spirulina; sea kelp; pineapple.

I highly recommend this to anyone seeking to improve their diet and lifestyle.