Are you looking for a logical basis for making food choices? Dr. Peter D'Adamo's book, Eat Right 4 Your Type provides a set of diets that are based on the four blood types. Most people including doctors think that everyone can eat pretty much the same foods with the same results. But that's not true according to D'Adamo and thousands of people who use his book as a guide to food choices.
Why would blood type affect my optimum diet?
Human blood types have evolved over the millennia to enable people in different parts of the world to maximize the nutrition from their diets and resist disease. Since people in many parts of the world are now descended from immigrants, their diets should be adjusted accordingly.
Blood type is a major factor in absorbing nutrients from food and resisting disease. Thirty thousand years ago, all humans were type O (Old). Once humans became farmers and ate more grains and less meat, blood type A evolved. Type A stands for “Agrarian.” Type B evolved later, possibly due to climate changes. The last type, AB, evolved only a thousand years ago due to the intermingling of types A and B. These types evolved due to the movement of human populations from Africa to Europe and Asia.
The fact that the blood type changed at all is proof that there must have been a benefit—people with the new blood types were better able to survive and reproduce in the new circumstances in which the populations found themselves.
Research by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, and earlier by his father Dr. James D’Adamo, has investigated various foods and their effects on the people with different blood types. Their work led to a series of books starting with Eat Right 4 Your Type: the individualized diet solution to staying healthy, living longer and achieving your ideal weight.
Generally, type O people are meat-eaters since they have the blood type of the original human hunters. Type A people generally do well as vegetarians since they are descended from the first Agrarians. Type B people are more flexible and can handle dairy better than O or A. Type AB is even more flexible and has the benefits of both A and B.
Type O people seem to have slightly less ability to resist the diseases found in urban populations. When an outbreak of infectious disease strikes a population, more type O people will be affected than the newer blood types. During the plagues that ravaged Europe, a larger percentage of type O people died than did type A.
So how would the diet work for me?
Since every individual is different, blood isn’t the only factor that determines optimal diet or disease-resistence, but it’s an important factor. People who are concerned with maximizing their quality of life and longevity should be aware of the effects of blood type and experiment with these diets.
How can I customize the diet?
Even though type O are generally meat-eaters, many type O people are vegetarians. A type O person who chooses to avoid meat must work a little harder, and a little more scientifically, than a type A to get their nutrition from plants by, for example, combining rice and beans. A type O should avoid dairy, but they may find that life without ice cream isn’t worth living, so they might experiment with how much ice cream they can tolerate and still feel good afterwards.
Let's assume for a moment that the book says you should avoid potatoes, but you really like baked potatoes and don't want to give them up. Do this experiment. Wait until you're pretty hungry then eat just a baked potato. Don't add any butter or other toppings--just the potato. See how you feel during the first hour afterwards. Are you energized? If so then perhaps your body can tolerate a potato. Do you feel sleepy, dull or sick? Then maybe potato isn't such a good thing for you. Even then you can choose to eat a small potato now and then if you want. The main thing is to know that they are a little hard on your digestion so don't go overboard.
Can I lose weight using the Blood Type Diet?
This isn't a weight-loss diet, however losing weight on a diet that is correct for a person’s blood type is easier than if the diet is more appropriate for another blood type. You still have to eat the right number of calories and exercise, but the correct diet will provide more nutrition and more energy to support the exercise. Most people who stick to this diet find that they lose weight.
Summary
The four diets in Eat Right 4 Your Type are an excellent starting place for the person who wants to live a long and active life, avoid disease, and look good at the same time. If you don't want to live a long, active life, avoid disease and look good, why are you reading this article?
Why would blood type affect my optimum diet?
Human blood types have evolved over the millennia to enable people in different parts of the world to maximize the nutrition from their diets and resist disease. Since people in many parts of the world are now descended from immigrants, their diets should be adjusted accordingly.
Blood type is a major factor in absorbing nutrients from food and resisting disease. Thirty thousand years ago, all humans were type O (Old). Once humans became farmers and ate more grains and less meat, blood type A evolved. Type A stands for “Agrarian.” Type B evolved later, possibly due to climate changes. The last type, AB, evolved only a thousand years ago due to the intermingling of types A and B. These types evolved due to the movement of human populations from Africa to Europe and Asia.
The fact that the blood type changed at all is proof that there must have been a benefit—people with the new blood types were better able to survive and reproduce in the new circumstances in which the populations found themselves.
Research by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, and earlier by his father Dr. James D’Adamo, has investigated various foods and their effects on the people with different blood types. Their work led to a series of books starting with Eat Right 4 Your Type: the individualized diet solution to staying healthy, living longer and achieving your ideal weight.
Generally, type O people are meat-eaters since they have the blood type of the original human hunters. Type A people generally do well as vegetarians since they are descended from the first Agrarians. Type B people are more flexible and can handle dairy better than O or A. Type AB is even more flexible and has the benefits of both A and B.
Type O people seem to have slightly less ability to resist the diseases found in urban populations. When an outbreak of infectious disease strikes a population, more type O people will be affected than the newer blood types. During the plagues that ravaged Europe, a larger percentage of type O people died than did type A.
So how would the diet work for me?
Since every individual is different, blood isn’t the only factor that determines optimal diet or disease-resistence, but it’s an important factor. People who are concerned with maximizing their quality of life and longevity should be aware of the effects of blood type and experiment with these diets.
How can I customize the diet?
Even though type O are generally meat-eaters, many type O people are vegetarians. A type O person who chooses to avoid meat must work a little harder, and a little more scientifically, than a type A to get their nutrition from plants by, for example, combining rice and beans. A type O should avoid dairy, but they may find that life without ice cream isn’t worth living, so they might experiment with how much ice cream they can tolerate and still feel good afterwards.
Let's assume for a moment that the book says you should avoid potatoes, but you really like baked potatoes and don't want to give them up. Do this experiment. Wait until you're pretty hungry then eat just a baked potato. Don't add any butter or other toppings--just the potato. See how you feel during the first hour afterwards. Are you energized? If so then perhaps your body can tolerate a potato. Do you feel sleepy, dull or sick? Then maybe potato isn't such a good thing for you. Even then you can choose to eat a small potato now and then if you want. The main thing is to know that they are a little hard on your digestion so don't go overboard.
Can I lose weight using the Blood Type Diet?
This isn't a weight-loss diet, however losing weight on a diet that is correct for a person’s blood type is easier than if the diet is more appropriate for another blood type. You still have to eat the right number of calories and exercise, but the correct diet will provide more nutrition and more energy to support the exercise. Most people who stick to this diet find that they lose weight.
Summary
The four diets in Eat Right 4 Your Type are an excellent starting place for the person who wants to live a long and active life, avoid disease, and look good at the same time. If you don't want to live a long, active life, avoid disease and look good, why are you reading this article?
