Are You Eating for Your Blood Type?

Blood Type-Based Diets are a Fad

Its necessary to know one’s blood type as it can prove to be useful during emergency purposes. We write down our blood group in Id cards, our child’s school diary and keep it stored in our phones to save our lives during critical hours. Maybe now we have to write down the child’s blood group in id card and diary to help the school prepare foods and serve them according to their blood group. Yet another hypothesis says that eating for a specific blood type, A, B, AB or O, offers health benefits and helps in weight loss. That’s pretty interesting!
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Eat Right for Your Blood Type
It was in the year 1996 that a naturopathic physician Dr. Peter D’Adamo popularized a diet based on eating foods for your blood type. This proposal went viral and his book sold millions of copies as people were extremely eager to follow a diet plan suitable for their blood type and stay healthy. Individuals re-planned grocery lists, changed their eating habits, exercised and bothered more about their health. The physician formulated the diet based on the theory that each blood type represents genetic traits of our ancestors and includes information about the type of diet they followed to survive and thrive. The diet recommended for each blood group includes:

Type O blood: This blood type is said to be the ancestral blood group, these people were hunter-gatherers and their diet was rich in animal protein. Individuals with type O blood should eat plenty of high-protein foods and meat, fruits, vegetables and fish while restricting intake of grains, beans and legumes. Weight loss diets should include seafood, kelp, red meat, broccoli, spinach and olive oil but limiting intake of wheat, corn and dairy.

Type A blood: This blood type evolved when humans began to farm and started eating vegetarian foods. Individuals with this blood group can eat more of fruits, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey and whole grains but limit their intake of meat. Individuals planning for weight loss should choose seafood, vegetables, pineapple, olive oil and soy while avoiding dairy, wheat, corn and kidney beans.

Type B blood: This type was common among nomadic tribes who consumed ample dairy products. Individuals with type B blood can choose between a diverse classification of foods including meat, fruits, dairy, grains and seafood. Those wishing for weight loss should choose green vegetables, eggs, liver and licorice tea while avoiding chicken, corn, peanuts and wheat.

Type AB blood: This blood group is an intermediate one between those for people with types A and B blood and is said to have evolved when people with these two blood types mingled with each other. People with AB blood group can consume tofu, dairy, lamb, fish, grains, fruits and vegetables. A person with AB blood group wishing for weight loss should include tofu, seafood, vegetables and kelp but avoid eating chicken, kidney beans, corn and buckwheat.

The recommendations for a healthy lifestyle go beyond food recommendations. It even includes defining specific exercise sets for specific blood types. For instance, people with type O blood are advised to go for high-intensity aerobic exercise and choose some supplements for their sensitive stomachs while those with type B blood should choose low-intensity activities that also includes meditation in the daily routine.
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How True are these Claims?
There is no conclusive evidence showing support for this type of diet and it has been considered as yet another diet fad. While a 2013 analysis published showed that no study demonstrated the advantages of a blood type diet, a 2014 study found that any person following any of the blood type diets showed slight improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure, but these were unrelated to blood types. There are even challenges that Type A was the first blood group to have evolved and not Type O.

If you have been following any of these blood type diets and it works favorable, be happy, follow it and reap benefits. Maybe this diet is the best one for your metabolism and it has got nothing to do with blood type. If you look at the above-given food suggestions for any blood group, the recommendations are healthy and nutritious devoid of processed foods. Maybe that’s the single-most important reason why this diet works without any regard to blood types. Some people might suffer from health conditions and a nutritionist/dietitian is the right person to make the apt recommendations than some diet suggested for your blood type. Get in touch with nutritionists/dietitians at www.firsteatright.com to help you with your diet plan in the right way suitable for your body type.