If your blood is type "O" positive, Dr. Peter D'Adamo, author of "Eat Right for Your Type," has specific food suggestions just for you. According to Dr. D'Adamo, you can maintain a healthy weight and live a longer life if you eat the foods that correspond with your blood type. Although type "O" positive blood is different from type "O" negative blood, Dr. D'Adamo says the diet for both is identical.
History/Philosophy
Dr. D'Adamo proposes that all people have a genetic link to an optimal diet based on their ancestry. The ancestors of people with type "O" blood, were mostly hunters and gatherers, according to the "Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide for Health and Nutrition." When people with blood type "O" eat an abundance of grains, they will develop antibodies, claims D'Adamo, making them more susceptible to diseases and obesity. Clinical studies supporting Dr. D'Adamo's claims are lacking.
Blood Type O
Using anthropological studies to trace blood type ancestors, Dr. D'Adamo asserts that the ancestors of people with blood type "O" extend all the way back to prehistoric Cro-Magnon man. These ancient humans were fierce hunters and meat was their main food. For more than 20,000 years, according to D'Adamo, Cro-Magnons survived on a diet of mostly meat. Today, those with blood type "O" possess digestive systems that prefer a diet similar to that of their ancestors, claims Dr. D' Adamo. But, according to MayoClinic.com, eating for your blood type is no healthier than following any other type of diet.
Recommended Foods
A diet that induces mild ketosis is optimal for blood type "O," says Dr. D'Adamo. Ketosis occurs when the dieter consumes protein but very few carbohydrates and his body reacts by burning fat stores. Red meat, poultry and seafood are on the diet, as well as organ meats, lamb, rabbit, mutton, buffalo, veal, venison and tripe. Pork, however, is not on the diet. Recommended vegetables include kale, spinach and broccoli, which will boost metabolism, according to Dr. D'Adamo.
Foods to Avoid
Type "O" dieters restrict or eliminate dairy products and grains, because their ancestors did not eat them, and the digestive systems of this blood group will not utilize these foods effectively, says D'Adamo. Vegetables to avoid include corn, beans, cabbage, cauliflower and soybeans. Dieters should consume bread products no more than twice a week, and avoid all grain and cereal products that contain cornmeal and wheat. Most fruits are discouraged, and Dr. D'Adamo has an extensive list of foods in his book that he categorizes as either beneficial, neutral or detrimental.
Additional Diet Tenets
Along with the recommended foods, Dr. D'Adamo suggests that people with type "O" blood take part in frequent intense physical exercise, mimicking the activity of their Cro-Magnon ancestors. Suggested exercises include aerobics for at least 40 minutes, three times per week, alternating with jogging, weight training, martial arts and contact sports.
Criticism
Eliminating entire food groups from your diet may not be healthy. The recommended diet for type "O" blood does not include many foods deemed healthy by the USDA's official nutritional guidelines, My Pyramid, and the diet may not provide all the nutrients required to remain healthy and strong.
References
- "Eat Right 4 Your Type"; Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo; 2001
- "The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets: A Guide to Health and Nutrition"; Jacqueline L. Longe; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Blood Type Diet -- What is it? Does it Work?
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