blood type diet

willabec · Post by **willabec** » Mon May 02, 2011 3:09 pm

just curious if any of you have tried the eat right for your blood type diet and if so,if you noticed any changes - good or bad....

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Mon May 02, 2011 3:42 pm

Willabec,

I've not tried this myself, but I've heard negative things about the diet, both in terms of its science and its usefulness for feeling better.

I am not a doctor - but I bet your doctor would be even more suspicious of this diet than I am ;)

Hope you're feeling well,

Sara

Pat · Post by **Pat** » Mon May 02, 2011 6:39 pm

I am A+ and the book recommends vegetarian for it. I would never survive with all my intolerances if I had to give up meat. Ok, I might survive but it would be very difficult.

Pat

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Mon May 02, 2011 7:07 pm

No way, but if I remember correctly, I think DogtorJ did recommend it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet

http://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEdu ... adamo.html

Google "blood type diet" and "scam."

MBombardier · Post by **MBombardier** » Mon May 02, 2011 11:35 pm

Like Pat, I am A+ and am happy that I seem to be able to eat a little cooked fruit or veggie now and then with my predominantly protein diet. I have also heard that the blood-type diet is a scam.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue May 03, 2011 9:15 am

Funny, I'm A+ as well. Willabec, what's your blood type? It would be interesting if you happen to be A+ as well, since Marliss and Pat have certain foods in common that they can and cannot eat, but also no doubt a lot of differences. (I don't know for sure what all my intolerances are yet... will have more info from my Enterolab tests soon, and am avoiding all grains, dairy & legumes for now.)

Best,
Sara

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue May 03, 2011 10:06 am

I've never tried it, but I do very very well with lots of protein, and I'm O+

Blood group O is believed by D'Adamo to be the hunter, the earliest human blood group. The diet recommends that this blood group eat a higher protein diet. D'Adamo bases this on the belief that O blood type was the first blood type, originating 30,000 years ago.
Blood group A is called the cultivator by D'Adamo, who believes it to be a more recently evolved blood type, dating back from the dawn of agriculture, 20,000 years ago. The diet recommends that individuals of blood group A eat a diet emphasizing vegetables and free of red meat, a more vegetarian food intake.
Blood group B is, according to D'Adamo, the nomad, associated with a strong immune system and a flexible digestive system. The blood type diet claims that people of blood type B are the only ones who can thrive on dairy products and estimates blood type B arrived 10,000 years ago.
Blood group AB, according to D'Adamo, the enigma, the most recently evolved type, arriving less than 1,000 years ago. In terms of dietary needs, his blood type diet treats this group as an intermediate between blood types A and B.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue May 03, 2011 11:12 am

Zizzle,

Protein is my new best friend - but I think that's partly because I'm no longer on speaking terms with so many carb-laden foods.

As I understand it, the distribution of blood types among geographic groups is completely at odds with what d'Adamo says. Dogs also have blood types, by the way - yet so very few of them seem to be cultivators, sadly. Our dog won't even cook (great eater, though). And though dogs are omnivorous, most do much better with limited or no grains, regardless of blood type. I do realize they're a totally different species - it just seems as though there's more imagination than science in d'Adamo's notion.

As the quackwatch link points out, people who are type A can be genetically AA or AO, B can be BB or BO, O can only be OO and AB can only be AB (that's one letter from each parent) - and their kids can have different blood types... but obviously the same heritage. AB parents could have AA kids or BB kids (as well as AB or BA); a type O kid could have parents of any base type other than AB.

And if type O originated 30,000 years ago, what was running around in human veins before that?

I have always wanted to write a diet book. I wish I could think of a better title than "Don't Eat Like Your Husband, Unless You Want to Weigh What He Weighs." It took me a long time to learn that - since MC, he's probably working on a title called "Hope you don't have to eat like my wife."

Love,
Sara

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Tue May 03, 2011 11:40 am

sarkin wrote:I have always wanted to write a diet book. I wish I could think of a better title than "Don't Eat Like Your Husband, Unless You Want to Weigh What He Weighs." It took me a long time to learn that - since MC, he's probably working on a title called "Hope you don't have to eat like my wife."

LOL! I could write that book too, as could my husband!! He's 20 lbs overweight - not great when you're 5'8". I tell him he could lose 10 lbs if he just stopped eating chips! All 20 if he learned to eat more like me. So we have healthy GF dinners, and then he pigs out on snacks. He has mentioned wanting to check out the Paleo diet. I hope he does soon!

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue May 03, 2011 3:02 pm

Zizzle,

I've been thinking that another reason to go Paleo-ish would be the relative ease of sharing meals & prep with a non-MCer. I also suspect that it will be less risky for me than many GF products. It's not that I don't trust manufacturers, though that's probably also true - but if I react to something that has more than one ingredient that I don't cook with myself, how will I know which one it was? I figure I've gotten this far in life without relying heavily on xanthan gum or guar gum (not to pick on those exclusively), and there are so many wonderful foods I love that I don't yet know are safe... I'd rather test a 'food' than an 'ingredient'!

I'm going to wait for my Enterolab results, in case I can't eat beef, chicken, pork or tuna, before I make a dietary proposal for the household. I am going to get a separate cutting boards for when we have people over and someone brings bread. When I have to scrub something so I can prepare my own food, it is not a mood enhancer.

My cutting boards, needless to say, will be the nice ones. This is not temporary and I'm not relegating myself to a corner of the kitchen - this is the way our kitchen operates, and we have a little corner somewhere, slightly inconvenient, with some mediocre equipment for use for people who can't get through a meal without wheat flour. We do a lot of low-key entertaining and hanging out and eating with friends, and I'm betting they'll catch on. It crossed my mind that if I had a peanut allergy, no one would bring something to my home that I couldn't eat. I don't expect a GF friend base, and I don't want people calling to ask my latest ingredient list and driving themselves crazy figuring out what to make (I can do that myself). But if something gets pushed to the side, it will be gluten, not me ;)

Love,
S

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed May 04, 2011 8:55 am

sarkin wrote: It crossed my mind that if I had a peanut allergy, no one would bring something to my home that I couldn't eat.

That is so true. There is so much gluten flying around my home. The only thing I've been able to ban is wheat flour. My husband complains that I don't buy bread anymore. I say the kids love my Udi's bagels. We also entertain and visit with friends, and I have to say there is little, if any, regard for my dietary needs. Even though people know, they still always offer me bread, cheese, beer, pretzels, etc. incessantly. Even my in-laws! How hard is it to remember that I can't eat that stuff??

It's always followed by "oh yeah, I forgot you can't have that." Well thanks for the reminder

.
Or I get, "gee, I wish we had something you could eat." Is it that hard to have basic meats, fruit, vegetables, maybe some olives available? Many people literally have no "real" food in their pantries and refrigerators!

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Wed May 04, 2011 10:07 am

Zizzle,

You're obviously far too polite ;) With your celiac genetics & MC symptoms, I wouldn't be going out of my way to serve your kids gluten breads, either. My husband and I needed to grab a snack while running errands a few days ago - we walked by bagel places, donut places, pizza places, pasta places... really, it was like a movie about gluten taking over NYC. (He kept saying WOW... I think it's really starting to hit him what the "new normal" is like.) Presumably your husband, too might encounter such things on his travels (NOT that I'm trying to steer you into one of those unfortunate marital spat-chats!).

As for friends and in-laws, I am a giant fan of the factual remark stated with sweetness. So, to - "I forgot you can't have that" - you can go ahead and say (very nicely, smiling) "I know, you always forget. Don't worry, I don't really expect you to have food I can eat. I never come here hungry... (or I have a cooler in the car...)" and go ahead and eat beforehand, or bring your own. Or whip a chicken thigh out of your purse, and a cute Klean Kanteen with your favorite beverage (let 'em guess what's in that stainless container).

Regarding "Gee, I wish we had something you could eat" - I have so many snappy comebacks to this, I think I should shut up before I make trouble. (You could just say "So do I!" - oops, said I wasn't gonna go there.)

Before MC I considered not only people's needs (allergies, blood sugar issues, etc.), but their preferences when putting food together for socializing. I don't think I'm even an exceptional hostess or friend. But we did always have "food" in the house, as opposed to just "food products," and maybe that makes it easier.

We had THREE birthday parties for friends here in April (almost by accident, quite honestly). On those occasions, I don't think it's so bad for the cake to be front and center. But I'm going to start out stern and fierce about this, and mellow from there, for a change, instead of starting by bending over backwards and waiting till I'm really irritated to figure out what I need to fix.

I've always wanted to put together a list of things to say when you can't believe what the other person just said... you have inspired me anew!

--Sara

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Wed May 04, 2011 10:49 am

sarkin wrote: You're obviously far too polite ;)

As for friends and in-laws, I am a giant fan of the factual remark stated with sweetness. So, to - "I forgot you can't have that" - you can go ahead and say (very nicely, smiling) "I know, you always forget. Don't worry, I don't really expect you to have food I can eat. I never come here hungry... (or I have a cooler in the car...)" and go ahead and eat beforehand, or bring your own. Or whip a chicken thigh out of your purse, and a cute Klean Kanteen with your favorite beverage

Ha! I'm actually the most forthright, blunt person I know, but I rarely go there regarding food. I just feel sorry for people most of the time when I witness the unhealthiness of their cupboards and the food they feed their kids. I often bring my own and amaze people with my restraint and healthy eating. Altough I do look carnivorous much of the time - I'm far too dependent on meat. I have carried chicken legs in my purse on occasion! Next party...turkey leg!!

Post by **tex** » Wed May 04, 2011 11:58 am

Sara,

You should write a book. My title suggestion would be something along the line of, "Snappy comebacks for those awkward moments".

Tex

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Wed May 04, 2011 12:45 pm

Tex, I love that idea, thanks! Unfortunately I'll need to be mildly provoked to get much work done on it... but the world of humans will no doubt help me out there ;)

Zizzle, I know what you mean... what people eat/buy/feed kids is astounding... and you're right not to go there, mostly, though forthrightness is a wonderful thing. Most of the time I am not looking for trouble, but when someone's really begging to hear from me, sometimes I do feel I must oblige.

Love,
Sara