As someone who considers herself fairly nutrition- and health-savvy, I’ve read up on countless diet trends (and tried way too many of them). Naturally, my interest was piqued when I read about one new plan claiming that all of us possess a genetic trait that can put a stop to dieting frustration. This bit of genetic information will tell us what we should eat and how we should exercise for our healthiest and fittest bodies: our blood type.
According to Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician and founder of this blood-based diet plan, breaking down people’s needs down by blood type explains the paradoxes that plague so many dietary studies. For example, how is it that my best friend always stays so trim, even though she eats carbs like she’s about to run a marathon, while others become bloated by merely touching a loaf of bread? I feel sluggish and heavy if I eat a lot of animal protein, while my boyfriend has some at just about every meal to keep his energy up.
Well, D’Adamo’s book Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight states that looking to our blood type can explain these differences in diet and exercise needs. To find out whether his claims have merit, I decided to do some research of my own.
What Is the Blood Type Diet?
In his book, D’Adamo explains that knowingly using our blood type to guide our dietary and fitness decisions enables us to make more intelligent choices about our health. How? The diet plan breaks down the foods and exercises that we should incorporate and avoid to feel and look our best. According to D’Adamo, whether someone is an A, B, AB, or O blood type affects his or her digestive system, making certain foods good for some people and “dangerous” for others.
How can one diet plan be right for all of us? asks D’Adamo at the book’s opening. He has a point—how could my diet and exercise needs be the same as those of my next-door neighbor, my coworker, or someone who gets up and goes on a long run before work every morning?
D’Adamo explains that blood types affect how we digest food. Different blood types vary in how they’re able to break down food proteins, called lectins. Taking in lectins that don’t mesh well with our systems will leave us with a slower metabolism, bloating, and digestive irritation. Okay, we’ve all been there. But is it really explainable by blood type?
Breaking Down the Types
The diet plan splits foods into three categories: highly beneficial, neutral, and avoid. Foods in the beneficial category act like medicine, nourishing our bodies and flushing out toxins. Neutral foods can be paired with beneficial foods, while foods in the avoid category “act like poison.” Yikes. Have I been poisoning myself unknowingly all these years? The book and Web site break down very detailed and specific suggestions for everything from food to exercise and more that each type should strive to embrace—and avoid at all costs.
- Type O: The O stands for old, as in humanity’s oldest bloodline. This means that these digestive systems fare best on an ancient human diet. These old-school humans benefit from eating animal proteins, like fish, poultry, and other lean meats, and from restricting grains, legumes, and dairy. O types should also aim for vigorous exercise on a regular basis, such as running, kickboxing, or intense hiking—think cavewoman hunting prey.
- Type A: A is for agrarian. These gentler souls thrive on vegetarian-based diets since, according to D’Adamo, they’re descendents of less warlike, farmer ancestors. This means eating soy protein, organic fruits and veggies, and grains will leave type A’s feeling invigorated, as will gentle exercise, like yoga or walking.
