Dr. Peter D'Adamo, naturopathic physician, believes your blood type is a genetic biomarker that defines your personal characteristics, your susceptibility to disease and your reaction to certain situations. D'Adamo theorizes each person has a specific diet they should follow depending on the blood type they have. He believes that doing so can lead to optimal health and energy. D'Adamo does not believe there is a major difference in Rh factor, whether positive or negative, for type B's. Not all doctors believe in this method, though, raising many eyebrows in the medical community.
The Basis
The basis of D'Adamo's beliefs is the inability to explain why some people are able to lose weight while others are not, or why some survive disease while others perish. His conclusion, following research in anthropology, medical history and genetics, is that blood type is the missing link. D'Adamo feels your blood type is "the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of health, disease, longevity, physical vitality, and emotional strength." Each person is suited to a specific type of exercise and specific foods according to the type of blood they were born with.
Type B Characteristics
According to D'Adamo, people with type B blood adapt easily to change, as is seen by their ancestral history. Early Type B's originated in hot climates, then moved to colder ones. Their diets shifted from meat to vegetarian, and present day type B's still posses the ability to move, preferring flexibility to immobility. Balance is necessary for people with this blood type, though, and they do not respond well to imbalance, as reported by D'Adamo. If you are a type B, and are out of balance, you may experience interrupted sleep, an overreaction to stress, find it difficult to recover from a stressful situation or face an increased risk for depression. Hypothyroidism may also be a problem, along with insulin resistance.
Type B Diet
The Natural Health Place explains people with type B blood are balanced meat eaters, and can consume almost anything as long as it is balanced. Foods high in protein are the best for you, particularly organic meat or eggs and dairy from organically raised animals. The clinic recommends large amounts of organically raised vegetables and fruits, along with their juices. There is no difference in the diet between a type B positive and type B negative. There are, however, certain foods you should avoid. Making a list of these may be easier for you, as there are not many.
Foods to Avoid
No pork or pork products are acceptable for type B blood types. You should also avoid organ meats, along with chicken and Cornish game hens. If you like frogs or turtles, you will have to remove them from your menu, along with anchovies, barracudas, eel, sea bass, striped bass and octopus. Clam, crab, lobster, crayfish, mussels, shrimp and snails are also no-nos. American and blue cheese, as well as ice cream are off the acceptable list. Bread made with corn, wheat, buckwheat and wheat bran are not allowed, and neither is couscous, brown rice or pasta.
Considerations
Although the eating for your blood type has thousands of advocates singing its praises, there is no scientific evidence backing its claims. Michael Klaper, M.D. of the Toronto Vegetarian Association explicates the theory, and the book promoting it, raises numerous scientific and nutritional concerns for both scientists and health professionals. Klaper states the book, written by D'Adamo, repeatedly fails to back serious medical statements with scientific evidence or footnoted references. Before making this your diet of choice, speak with your doctor.
