Diet by Blood Type - Theory and Explanation

What is the diet by blood type?

Developed by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, the author of Eat Right for Your Type, the Blood Type Diet has proven to be a very popular diet used by many to remedy or prevent disease, as well as to lose or maintain ideal weight. It is also called BTD or ER4YT (the acronym of the book, Eat Right For (4) Your Type).

The theory behind Eat Right for (4) Your Type states that blood type not only represents the genetic history of one's ancestors, but also provides a reference as to how your body will react to metabolizing certain foods. The metabolism process determines your "biochemical future", that is, your future energy levels, whether of not you will be susceptible to disease, your mental acuity and memory, and your capabilities in stressful situations.

Under the diet by blood type, Dr. D'Adamo theorized that modern blood types captured the snapshot of the evolutionary process of mankind. According to his work, some members of the population had ancestors that subsisted primarily by gathering, others primarily by hunting, still others by some combination of both (Type B's - dairy consuming omnivores), and this adaptation to environment and lifestyle yielded a genetic makeup with certain unique features.

The diet by blood type philosophy has some similarities to the ancient Indian practice of Ayurvedic medicine, which holds that people have specific mind-body constitutions (prakriti) determined at conception. An imbalance in the constitutional make-up initiates disease. Dr. D'Adamo further hypothesized that lectins (specific proteins) in foods can trigger very specific reactions, and knowing one's blood type will predetermine the nature of these reactions.

Initially, you will have to determine your blood type if you do not already know it, to begin following the diet by blood type. This can be done one of several ways. You could donate blood to the Red Cross (a worthy undertaking in and of itself) and have the volunteer give you a donor card. You may have been typed by your local hospital or doctor if you had a procedure requiring blood to be drawn. For a small fee, your family practitioner can run the analysis for you. You can also purchase a home kit, and run the test yourself.

Once you determine your blood type, you will also want to determine your secretor versus non secretor status, as this determines some of the dietary restrictions you will implement on the diet by blood type. Simply stated, a secretor is one who secretes blood type antigens into body fluids and secretions like the saliva, while a non-secretor does not, or if they do, only in trace amounts.

When beginning the Blood Type Diet, you should follow certain meal planning and cooking suggestions in order to guarantee success. These include gradually integrating the diet into your lifestyle so that it becomes habitual. Do not expect to give up every "forbidden" food as soon as you begin the diet, but rather gradually wean yourself off a few foods every week and find creative substitutes.

Try to adhere to the diet by blood type as strictly as possible without creating a sense of inconvenience or stressing household relations. Practice the creative art of substituting for 'avoid' foods as much as possible, and plan your meals for the week so that the transition goes smoothly for you. Nothing is worse than getting ready to prepare dinner an hour beforehand and realizing half the ingredients fall into the banned category.

The official website for the Blood Type Diet has a wealth of resources in this respect, as well as a strong member community that can answer your questions while on the diet, if you choose to pursue it. The website also has resources for remedying specific medical issues, practical advice for weight loss and achieving goal weight, and appropriate modes of exercise and stress reduction to be used in combination with the specific diet.

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