The Blood Type Diet is based on the books, Eat Right 4 Your Type and Live Right 4 Your Type, which propose that each of the four blood types (O, A, B, AB) has a very detailed list of foods that must be avoided. The diet was conceived by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, who based it on the premise that blood type has its own unique antigen marker that reacts in a negative way with certain foods. Also, individuals have varying levels of stomach acidity and digestive enzymes, and these traits seem to be correlated with blood type. Dr. D’Adamo believes that each blood type is derived from a different time in human evolution, and thus affects how people of each type react to food and disease.
Specific guidelines are given for foods, amounts and timing of meals. Each blood type has its own set of good and bad foods, and the key to finding your own individual diet is to figure out how much protein is right for your body.
The diet’s basic premise is that your blood type is the most important factor in determining a healthy diet. The cornerstone of his theory is D’Adamo’s premise that sugar-binding proteins in foods react differently with each blood type. His theory is that these sugar-binding proteins (lectins) interact with the different ABO type “antigens” in an incompatible and harmful way, therefore the selection of different foods for A, AB, B, and O types will minimize reactions with these lectins.
There is some truth in the blood type categories. Type O’s tend to be more physically oriented, as hunter-gatherers once were, and have greater demands for protein. Also, type O people often have difficulty metabolizing and digesting wheat. People with type A blood are frequently attracted to vegetarianism. B types do a little better than others with dairy foods.
A drawback to this type of diet is that D’Amado recommends large amounts of animal protein for type O people, and beyond a certain point, protein is injurious to everyone’s health, regardless of blood type. It is one of the reasons why we suffer from high rates of osteoporosis, digestive disorders, heart disease, and breast, colon and prostate cancers.
Sample Daily Menu:
Type O
Breakfast: fried eggs with black-eyed peas, one strip of bacon and rice toast
Lunch: cream of kale soup made by substituting yams or sweet potatoes for cream and 100% rye bread
Dinner: beef roast with mushroom stuffing
Type A
Breakfast: carob, buckwheat pancakes topped with almond butter and pureed pear
Lunch: curried peanut tempeh with carrots and broccoli served over rice
Dinner: salmon teriyaki served with grilled asparagus
Type B
Breakfast: apple-walnut spelt scones
Lunch: turkey lettuce roll-ups with carrots, scallions and sprouts
Dinner: poached catfish in apple cider vinegar served with veggie slaw salad
Type AB
Breakfast: mung bean porridge
Lunch: tuna salad with rice crackers
Dinner: butternut squash and tofu mash with mixed vegetables