food choices often enough, it would be wise to take a calcium supplement. If you are pregnant or breast feeding definitely take a supplement.
Legumes and lentils
The general tendency for several years now has been to recommend that people reduce their consumption of red meat and obtain more protein from vegetable sources. To provide complete protein, eating a combination of legumes and seeds, legumes and grains, or legumes and milk products was recommended. This, again, may seem good if you only consider nutrition from the point of view of the foods. If your blood type is O, this is definitely not a good way to get your protein. Your body needs meat – good lean organic meat, just like the kind your blood type ancestors ate. You can eat two or three portions of legumes a week but do not use them as a replacement for meat in your diet. You can also eat soya products such as tofu, but again do not rely on soya as a main source of protein.
Anne
Blood Type O
Age 36
When I was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis, I consulted a nutritionist on the advice of my osteopath. The food recommendations I was given were based on the blood type diet. By following this approach I didn’t expect to heal myself but simply to reduce the negative effects that certain foods can have on the body.
I had been eating huge amounts of milk products, plenty of grains and very little vegetables and protein. I paid great attention to the quantities I was eating but was still having trouble controlling my weight. Almost every day I suffered from gas, bloating and constipation. I also regularly experienced an irrepressible need for sugar. Following the blood type diet has significantly changed my relationship with food. I have discovered the pleasure of choosing my food and cooking it. I feel much less tired in spite of my illness and medical treatment, and many of my symptoms have disappeared. The grey circles under my eyes have almost completely gone, and the texture of my skin has changed for the better.
I thought it would be difficult and constraining to follow this dietary discipline but little by little the desire to eat cakes and biscuits, sweets and rich meals has disappeared and I have rediscovered a healthy taste for food.
type o: health issues
The blood type diet is not the answer to all ills and following it will not give you complete protection from disease. But it is a powerful means of setting the stage to allow your body to perform to the best of its ability. The basic ideas that underpin the blood type diet tie in very well with research being done into how nutrition influences the way our genes express themselves.
Our genes hold information as to whether an illness could assail our body or not. This information does not necessarily mean the illness will develop. It will if the correct conditions are present. It will not if conditions that prevent our genes from expressing that illness are present. Dr Jeffrey S. Bland has written a book about this concept, Genetic Nutritioneering. In a tribute to Dr D’Adamo he says, “It is truly fascinating that medicine is moving from a period of the past one hundred years when disease was considered to be ‘hard wired’ into our genes, to a time when we realize that we can play a role in strengthening our genetic inheritance through our daily living”. The blood type diet does exactly this. “Eat right for your type” and you will strongly reduce your risk of having to deal with the potential health conditions hidden in your genes.
Digestion
As you will have read in the previous section, lectins present in the foods you should avoid make their first impact in your digestive system. Digestive complaints such as those associated with irritable bowel syndrome – bloating, gas, pain, spasm, constipation and diarrhoea – are greatly reduced by following the blood type diet, and often disappear. If these complaints persist they are often due to an imbalanced bowel flora. In this case, consider taking a good probiotic supplement. These symptoms can also be caused by the presence of undesirable parasites, bacteria or yeast (candida for example). It may be necessary to check this with your doctor or a reputable diagnostic laboratory if the diet doesn’t lessen or remove your symptoms.
As previously stated, type Os normally produce enough stomach acid to digest meat. However, if certain conditions occur simultaneously, such as too much stress and eating the wrong foods for your type, your stomach can produce too much acid. You may then suffer from heartburn or stomach ulcers. Following your diet recommendations should clear the condition. If this is not sufficient you may need to try a stress management program and some soothing herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow or DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice root).
Weight
Many of my overweight type O patients have experienced good weight loss results by following the diet and a dynamic exercise program. You needn’t try any of those powders, shakes or pills to lose weight – just eat lean animal protein and plenty of vegetables. Wheat and milk products are largely responsible for weight gain in this blood type. I am living proof of this fact, my blood type being O.
Another weight loss-promoting habit is to eat a substantial breakfast, a mid-morning snack, a real meal at lunch, a mid-afternoon snack and an early and light dinner. A study has shown that people who ate their last daily meal late in the afternoon, rather than in the evening, lost weight. This was the only change they made in their eating habits.
Each time you eat make sure you include some form of protein. For breakfast you could have an egg or some fish, as well as some fruit (avoid cereal in any form). For lunch and dinner eat vegetables (cooked and/or raw) with fish, meat or poultry. Snacks should also have some form of protein – try nuts or yogurt (soya or sheep) with fruit. Avoid eating grains and cheese if you wish to lose weight.
Exercise is very important for this blood type. Vigorous exercise is what you need to get your body burning fat. Type Os have a tendency towards a sluggish metabolism if they do not force themselves through three to four 30-minute sessions of strenuous exercise each week. You will find it gives you a positive outlook on life and enables you to respond better to stress.
Agathe
Blood Type O
Age 9
I wanted to see a nutritionist because I wanted to lose weight. But mostly I wanted to feel better. In my class nearly everyone weighed 39kg (85lb) and I weighed 10kg (22lb) more. When I saw them I said to myself: “If I could only be like them.”
I visited a nutritionist with my mother and was given a food list that suited my blood type. When I saw the list I thought I could never do it, but I did it and I felt much better. I had a bowel movement every day, I drank water and I paid attention to what I ate. I felt my tummy was getting smaller and I was less tired. It really helped and I am happy.
Thyroid
If you are exercising and following the diet and you still have difficulty losing weight, it is worthwhile checking your thyroid – a weak point for your O system. Hypothyroidism can also be responsible for chronic fatigue, weight gain and difficulty losing weight, depression, low libido, period problems in women, a weak immune system and many more symptoms. Here is an easy test you can do yourself. As soon as you wake up in the morning and before moving about, take your basal metabolic temperature. Place a traditional thermometer (not electronic) in
