What is the blood type diet? Your blood type is the key to your body’s immune system, and it controls the influence of bacteria, viruses, chemicals, infections, stress, and other invaders that could compromise the immune system.
Your blood type helps determine what foods are best for your health. As a result, you will eat specific blood type diet foods.
Your blood makes you unique, and so what you eat should be unique as well. Blood is a force of nature that has sustained us since the beginning of time. In traditional Chinese medicine, blood is responsible for nourishing the organs, tissues, and meridians, and keeping the body moist.
In western medicine, blood contains water, electrolytes, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, nutrients, and other proteins.Blood Type B Diet: What Foods to Eat?
Basically, blood isn’t just that red liquid that comes out of us when we cut ourselves. It is complex, just like us.
What is the Blood Type Diet?
Could you eat based on your blood type? The blood type diet is also called the blood group diet. Naturopathic doctor, Dr. Peter D’Adamo made eating for you blood type popular. Dr. D’Adamo’s book, Eat Right 4 Your Type, was a New York Times bestseller, and sold millions of copies.
In the book he shows you how to eat right for your blood type. He says our blood contains pieces of genetic memory that are passed down from our ancestors. It is that genetic make-up that makes us unique, and helps determine our blood types: type O, A, B, or AB. Knowing this helps eating for your blood type easy to follow.
1. Type A: In general, the blood type A diet completely avoids toxic red meat and focus on eating plants. It is called the agrarian or cultivator diet, and closely resembles a vegetarian diet.
2. Type B: Also called the nomad, people with type B blood can eat plants and most meats; except for pork and chicken. They can also eat some dairy; however, they are best when they avoid corn, wheat, lentils, tomatoes, and a few other foods.
3. Type AB: The type AB diet is called the enigma, and it is a mix between type A and B diets. This diet avoids corn, kidney beans, chicken, and beef, and includes tofu, seafood, beans, grains, and dairy.
4. Type O: This diet closely resembles the paleo diet. It is a high-protein diet that is based largely on poultry, meat, fish, vegetables, and certain fruit, but limits dairy, legumes, and grains. It is also called the hunter diet.
How Blood Type A Diet Works
All four dietary patterns would definitely be an improvement for most people. After all, each diet is based on real, whole foods, and it is a step up from the Western diet of mostly processed food.
For the purpose of this article, let’s focus on the type A blood diet.
This would include people with A positive blood type and A negative blood type. In essence, you could also called the diet, A positive blood type diet, or A negative blood type diet.
What is blood type A? Blood type A forms when the O antigen, or fucose, and another sugar called N-acetyl-galactosamine, are combined together. Basically, fucose and N-acetyl-galactosamine equal blood type A. Antigens are found on the cells of the body, and every life-form has unique antigens that are part of their chemical fingerprint.
According to Dr. D’Adamo, there are certain factors that make it difficult for someone with type A blood to digest and metabolize animal protein and fat.
This includes someone with type A blood having low levels of intestinal alkaline phosphatase, high intestinal disaccharide digestive enzymes that permit efficient carb digestion, and low levels of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
Although the blood type A diet is not a weight loss plan, losing weight is a beneficial side effect of the diet. As mentioned, people on the blood type A diet will thrive on a vegetarian diet.
In other words, if you eat a lot of meat, you will lose weight and achieve greater energy levels once most meat is removed from the diet. Those with a type A blood type also thrive on organic wholBlood Type B Diet: What Foods to Eat?e foods.
The blood type A diet is great for those with type A blood to boost the immune system and reduce their risk of disease.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also important for the blood type A diet. Type As have naturally high cortisol levels, and stress will manifest in the form of daytime brain fog, disturbed sleep, muscle loss, weight gain, and increased blood thickening.
Stress in type As can also lead to hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. To balance stress levels and stabilize blood sugar levels, blood type As should follow these healthy tips:
- Establish a consistent daily schedule. For instance, go to bed no later than 11 p.m., and get eight hours of sleep or more. Also, don’t stay in bed when you wake up. Basically, start your day once you get up.
- Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast, and eat more protein to start the day, and less at the end of the day. Don’t eat when anxious, and eat smaller and more frequent meals. Also, always chew food well to enhance digestion.
- Take at least two 20-minute breaks throughout the workday, including stretching, walking, deep-breathing exercises, or meditating. Also, engage in 30 to 40-mnute calming exercise a minimum of three times weekly.
Foods to Eat in Blood Type A Diet
What foods are included on the type A blood diet? The blood type A diet will include a certain combination of proteins, grains, legumes, fats and oils, nuts, and vegetables.
Basically when you are accustomed to eating meat, you will rapidly lose weight once you begin the blood type A diet. The following is a little more detail about the foods included on the blood type A diet.
1. Protein
The best protein sources of the blood type A diet include fish, poultry, and some dairy. Some fish on the diet is trout, sardines, pickerel, carp, and whitefish.
Chicken and poultry can be consumed up to two times weekly. Free-range eggs are allowed on the diet, and some alternative dairy forms like soya milk and kefir.
2. Grains
The diet includes mostly healthy grains like amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, rice, and spelt. Each grain is fine to eat once or twice weekly.
3. Legumes
The most beneficial legumes on the blood type A diet include adzuki beans, black beans, pinto beans, lentils, green beans, and black eye peas.
4. Fats/Oils
The blood type A diet will include olive oil and flaxseed oil, and occasionally cod liver oil.
5. Nuts/Seeds
Seeds and nuts on the beneficial list for the blood type A diet include pecans, almonds, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds.
6. Vegetables/Fruit
The best choices or vegetables include artichoke, beet leaves, carrots, broccoli, dandelion, kale, kohlrabi, leek, romaine lettuce, okra, parsley, *parsnip, pumpkin, spinach, and swiss chard. Blueberries, figs, cherries, grapefruit, and plums are also good fruits for the blood type A diet. Also, they can have apples, strawberries, avocados, cucumbers, and asparagus a few times per week.
The following is a blood type diet chart for type A foods you should eat.
| Food Groups/Types | Recommended Foods |
|---|---|
| Protein | |
| Fish: | *Cod, *carp, *monkfish, *pickerel, *red snapper, * trout, *salmon, *sardines, *snails, *whitefish, abalone, grouper, mahimahi, perch, pike, porgy, sailfish, sea bass, shark, smelt, sturgeon, swordfish, weakfish, albacore, tuna, squid, mackerel, and yellowtail |
| Poultry: | Chicken, Cornish hens, turkey, and free-range eggs |
| Dairy: | Cheese: *tofu, *soyamilk, *soya cheese, cow’s cheese, goat, feta, kefir, mozzarella, ricotta, soy flakes, lecithin granules, string cheese, and frozen yogurt |
| Grains: | * Amaranth, *buckwheat/groats/kasha, corn, barley, millet, kamut, oat bran, oats, rice, quinoa, spelt, rye, rice bran and their flours |
| Cereals: | Puffed (millet, corn, rice, spelt, kamut), barley flakes, cream of rice, couscous, and pastas except wheat |
| Breads: | Check health store for rice cakes, rye crackers, gluten-free breads (like rice), and fresh breads not bagged in plastic |
| Legumes: | *Adzuki, *aduke, *black, *green, *pinto, *red soy, * lentils, *black eye peas, broad, cannellini, jimaca, snap, string, white, pods, green peas, and mung beans |
| Fats/Oils: | *Olive oil, *flax/linseed oil, cod liver oil, tahini, sunflower butter, peanut butter, and almond butter |
| Nuts/Seeds: | Almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, litchi, hickory, macadamia, peanut, pine, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, flaxseeds, almond butter, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds |
| Vegetables/Fruit: | *Artichoke, * beet leaves, *carrots, *broccoli, *dandelion, *kale, *kohlrabi, *leek, *romaine lettuce, *okra, *parsley, *parsnip, *pumpkin, *spinach, *swiss chard, asparagus, avocado, bamboo shoots, beets, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, endive, escarole, fiddlehead ferns, garlic, horseradish, mushrooms (abalone, enoki, tree oyster, and Portobello), mustard greens, radicchio, radishes, rutabaga, seaweed, sprouts, squashes, tofu, tempeh, turnip, waterchestnut, watercress, and zucchini. Blueberries, cherries, figs, plums, grapefruit, pineapples, strawberries, and apples |
* Highly beneficial
Blood Type A Diet: Foods to Avoid
What foods should not be included on the blood type A diet? Foods that promote weight gain include wheat lime beans, kidney beans, dairy, and meat.
The following is a detailed list of proteins, grains, vegetables, fruit, legumes, sweeteners, fats and oils, nuts, spices, herbs, beverages, and other foods that should be avoided while following the blood type A diet.
1. Protein
The blood type A diet will avoid all pork, beef, game meats, shellfish, and certain fish like halibut, sole, haddock, and herring. Most dairy like milk, ice creams, and whip cream are avoided.
2. Grains
White breads and white flour should be avoided, including semolina, durum, and pumpernickel breads. Basically all breads on plastic breads should not be eaten.
3. Legumes
Legumes that cannot be eaten include kidney beans, chickpeas, copper beans, navy beans, lima beans, red beans, and tamarind.
4. Fats/Oils
From a fat and oil perspective, it is best to avoid cashew butter, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, palm oil, coconut oil, canola oil, corn oil, sesame oil, shortening, and hydrogenated oils.
5. Nuts
People on the blood type A diet are warned against eating cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts.
6. Vegetables/Fruit
The vegetables best to avoid on the blood type A diet include cabbages, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, olives, and shiitake and button mushrooms. Certain popular fruits should also be avoided, including bananas, plantains, oranges, mango, papaya, oranges, cantaloupe, and juices like orange and tomato juice.
7. Other
What foods fall into the other category? Basically, this will include food additives and preservatives, flavors, colors, gelatin, corn syrup, white sugar, all vinegars, pepper, cayenne, and some herbs like yellow dock and catnip. Beverages like black tea, cola, better, and diet soda are also avoided.
The following is a blood type diet chart for type A foods you avoid.
| Food Groups/Types | Foods to Avoid |
|---|---|
| Protein: | All red meat (pork, beef, veal, lamb, buffalo, goat, liver, heart, deer, ham, bacon, wieners), duck, goose, partridge, pheasant, and quail |
| Fish: | Anchovies, barracuda, beluga, luefish, bluegill, bass, catfish, caviar, clam, conch, crab, crayfish, shrimp, lobster, scallop, mussels, oyster, smoked fish, hake, haddock, halibut, sole, flounder, eel, octopus, herring, shad, striped, bass, tilefish, turtle, frog, and prawns |
| Dairy: | Most dairy, milks, ice creams, whip cream, and uncooked dairy |
| Grains: | Wheat (semolina, durum, grain, pumpernickel, etc.), plastic bagged breads, and bakery white flour |
| Vegetables: | Cabbages, yams, shiitake an domestic mushroom, potato, tomato, peppers, eggplants, sweet potatoes, and olives |
| Fruit: | Bananas, plantains, oranges, tangerines, mandarins, cantaloupe, honeydew, coconut, rhubarb, mango, papaya, and juices like tomato, papaya, and orange |
| Legumes: | Chickpeas/garbanzo, copper, kidney, lima, navy, red, and tamarind |
| Sweetener: | White sugar and corn syrup |
| Fats/Oils: | Corn, canola, coconut, palm, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, sesame, cashew butter, shortening, and hydrogenated oils |
| Nuts: | Cashew, pistachio, and Brazil nuts |
| Spices: | Cayenne, white and black peppercorn, and all vinegars like mayo, ketchup, relishes, pickles, and Worcestershire sauce |
| Others: | Gelatin, colors, flavors, and preservatives |
| Herbs: | Cornsilk, red clover, yellow dock, and catnip |
| Beverages: | Beer, liquor distilled, seltzer water, club soda, cola, diet soda, and black teas |
Conclusion
The blood type diet is a great example of how different diets work for different people. For instance, those on the blood type A diet will likely thrive on a diet similar to vegetarian.
At the same time, others will do better eating a high-protein animal-based diet, similar to the diet recommended for people with a type O blood type.
If your blood type is A, try the blood type A diet. It may work for you. It may work for you due to the specific foods on the diet, and because the diet removes most unhealthy processed foods.
Overall, the blood type A diet is a great way of eating a lot more vegetables and other plant-based foods.
Related:
Sources:
Watson, S., “The Blood Type Diet,” WebMD website; http://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/blood-type-diet, last accessed Jan. 27, 2017.
Leech, J., “The Blood Type Diet: An Evidence-Based Review,” Authority Nutrition website; https://authoritynutrition.com/the-blood-type-diet-review/, last accessed Jan. 27, 2017.
