Eating Right for Your Type

Everyone, of course, has a blood type. Although there are a number of subgroups (like the positive and
negative RH factor) there are really only four basic types: O, A, B and AB. While almost everyone knows
about the “transfusion reaction” – literally, giving someone the wrong blood in a transfusion will kill them on
the spot – most people don’t seem to know their actual blood type. And most of their doctors don’t know,
either.

As we can see from the transfusion reaction, there’s obviously great value in knowing your blood type! But
even if you are lucky enough not to ever need a transfusion, there are other really valuable reasons to know
about your blood type, and I am going to share some of them with you in this article.

But here are the most important ones! People who know their blood type, and follow the food and lifestyle
recommendations for their type, typically experience:

A “turbo-charged” metabolism
Excellent digestion
An efficient, well functioning immune system
The disappearance of many complaints and ailments – often within days
For women, balancing of hormones and reduction of related symptoms – and easy
menopause
A new sense of wellbeing and “feeling like myself”

The source of most of the information I’ll be providing is Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, an American naturopathic
physician who has written a number of books, the most well-known being Eat Right 4 Your Type, first
published in 1998. I have had the privilege to study with and be trained by Dr. D’Adamo in this science of
blood type, and have developed a user-friendly approach to benefit from his extensive work. In fact, the
blood type diet is at the heart of my own Gourmet Wellness program.

A Controversial Approach?

I’ll be completely honest at the outset, and tell you that the blood type diet is considered controversial by
some. If you google the subject, you will even find material denouncing Dr. D’Adamo’s work. While I of course
encourage you to form your own opinion, I'd like to offer a context, based on my years of experience, in
which you can do so with a more balanced perspective.

I believe there are several reasons that some people are skeptical about this work:

Dr. D’Adamo is a naturopath, not a medical doctor, and his work has not been embraced by everyone
in the medical profession.
Different foods are recommended for the different blood types, and O’s and B’s are advised to eat red
meat; this does not resonate with people who believe the only healthy way of eating is vegetarian.
Some people find it to be rigid, with too many foods to avoid.
Like many new approaches which challenge the status quo, the blood type diet is not understood by
most people, who haven’t read the extensive research that does exist to support it.
Unfortunately, it is a fact of modern society that many prevention and wellness approaches which do
work, and which provide alternatives to toxic drugs and invasive surgery, don’t receive credibility from
the medical powers-that-be.

But those of us who are open to new information and ideas can find great benefits in exploring the blood
type diet. To me, it is simply common sense that if a bad blood transfusion can kill a person, blood type is
something important – and must have health implications beyond transfusions.

Having had great personal success with the blood type diet for over 9 years, and having seen the impressive
results with countless clients, I am happy to share my understanding of its benefits with you. I invite you to
keep an open mind and see for yourself if it works.

One Size Does Not Fit All

One of the most important principles of the blood type diet is bio-individuality: we are all unique. Simple
observation shows that no one set of choices works equally well for everyone. And while many factors
account for bio-individuality, our blood type seems to be a very convenient marker for a number of other
important qualities.

Why? Because of an interesting phenomenon called “gene linkage.” It seems that when scientists analyzed
the human chromosome, they found the gene for blood type at an address on the chromosome that they
labeled 9q34 – which is conveniently the same address as genes that determine other qualities like
digestion, immunity, stress response, metabolism, and many others. And because these genes are located
at the same address, they tend to be linked and inherited together.

Benefits of the Blood Type Diet

Although the blood type diet (actually, four sets of recommendations, one for each blood type) is described
as a “diet,” its primary aim is not weight loss per se but overall wellness. With that said, weight reduction is
one of the outcomes that most people experience -- in the form of true body fat reduction, not just water loss.

In my personal and professional experience, other important benefits that people regularly enjoy include:

Improved digestion
Enhanced immunity
Reduction of many symptoms, ailments, and inflammations
Better hormone balance in women

In addition, Dr. D’Adamo indicates that the blood type diet can help people avoid many common viruses and
infections, and reduce their risk for serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and liver
problems.

These are impressive benefits, and I wanted to understand how they work for all four blood types. Several
years ago, I presented the question directly to Dr. D’Adamo: “You offer four completely different nutritional
programs to the four different blood types, and everyone seems to thrive. What’s the common denominator
that provides all these benefits?”

Lectins: The Most Important Key

He explained that the most important key seems to be lectins, proteins found in a variety of foods that cause
things to stick together. While the action of lectins can sometimes be beneficial (the immune system uses
them, for example, to round up harmful substances for removal from the body), they can also have damaging
effects. In fact, the transfusion reaction is due to blood antigens reacting and making the blood so sticky that
it can no longer circulate.

He also explained that in a similar way that the wrong blood transfusion can result in death, lectins in certain
foods are chemically so similar to blood antigens that if the wrong people eat the wrong foods, it is chemically
like getting a bad transfusion. Not enough to kill a person, but enough to make the blood more sticky, create
inflammation, attack cells, and importantly, mimic insulin. The action of lectins to mimic insulin has a great
deal to do with the weight loss success that people experience when they avoid their lectin foods. It also
explains some of the hormone balancing benefits that many women experience, since insulin and estrogen
have a synergistic relationship.

This, then, is what I understand as the most important aspect of the blood type approach: avoiding problem
lectins, which are specific to blood type. When people stop eating their problem foods, they are often
shocked at how much they improve. Think about it this way: if you had spent most of your life having a very
small bad transfusion on a regular basis, your immune system, digestion, and many other functions would
certainly be negatively affected. If you suddenly stop having that small bad transfusion, your whole system is
now freed up to function in a more optimal way.

The most problematic lectins for each type are:

•        O’s: wheat, corn, kidney beans, navy beans, lentils, peanuts, potatoes
•        A’s: kidney beans, lima beans, potatoes, cabbage, eggplant, bananas, tomatoes
•        B’s: chicken, corn, buckwheat, lentils, peanuts, sesame seeds, tomatoes
•        AB’s: chicken, certain white fish, corn, buckwheat, lima beans, kidney beans

Additional Resources

I hope that this information has been interesting and helpful to you. So, if you don’t already know your blood
type, it’s easy to get it checked. You can see your doctor, donate at the Red Cross and they’ll tell you on the
spot, or order a simple home test kit h ere.

Then I invite you to consult with me (for a real treat!), or at least check out Dr. D’Adamo’s books (available
here), my favorite is Live Right 4 Your Type). In my private consultations, we tailor these recommendations
for your own goals and preferences. (For example, I never ask anyone to eat meat if that is not their
preference, but rather help people find the best protein sources that they are comfortable with.) I also help
clients identify which recommendations are the most important to follow closely, and which can be played with
for more flexibility.

I also highly recommend my Gourmet Wellness Owner’s Manual for Your Make and Model, available for each
blood type. These Manuals summarize the most important information for each blood type in a user-friendly
way (and also show you how to refine your recommendations even further by identifying your specific
Archetype). They are available in pdf format; please click here to order.

And in the meantime, you can refer to a complete list of my blood type-based food recommendations:

Recommendations for blood type O
Recommendations for blood type A
Recommendations for blood type B
Recommendations for blood type AB

Eating Right For Your Type

Do You Know the Importance of Your Blood Type –
And How “Eating Right for Your Type” Can Help You Create
Amazing Health and Well-Being?