That Bloody Diet

You can’t seem to be able to get rid of those extra kilos? You’re getting desperate to get into shape, and fast! Oh! And you heard your neighbor talk about some kind of blood test! It’s supposed to tell you what makes you fat or thin, accordingly to your blood type! Now I understand, the beach is here and we all want to look great, and some may be fed up with the moderate boring type of diet! But do you really think it’s in your blood?

Many of my clients and entourage ask me about the “Blood type” Diet. I investigated about it, who does it, is it approved? What is it? What exactly is the theory behind it, and can we really use it to reach healthy targets?

Here’s the theory:

Peter D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician, contends that the key to good health is eating optimally according to your blood type. His theory is based on potential negative interactions between antigens on blood cells and protein components in food (lectins) resulting in a process of blood cell clumping (agglutination).

Dr. D’Adamo makes a variety of health claims from being better able to manage weight, fight cancer and heart disease, in his book, Eat Right for Your Type . According to the American Dietetic Association, those dietary plans are only based on blood type and does not take into consideration any individual variances.

But here’s where the theory becomes even weird. Because blood types evolved at different times throughout history, we should eat today the types of foods our ancestors typically ate at the time when our blood type was first recognized!
For instance, Blood group O was the first to be indentified 50,000 B.C.; and since that time, hunter ancestors were around, a meat-based diet, high protein diet was followed. That’s why, even today, in the 21^st century, blood O population should follow this same pattern. You can see details of other groups in the table below.

	Recognition	Diet
Blood type O (46% of population)	50 000 BC Hunter gatherers	Meat based diet, high protein diet
Blood type A	Sometime around 15,000 B.C	Vegetarian-based diet.
Blood type B	Around 10,000 B.C traveling ancestors, constantly moving locations.	Varied diet (meat, dairy, grains and vegetables) - omnivores
Blood type AB	Just 1,000 years ago. Transition to modern times.	People with AB group can the foods suitable for both blood group A and B.

 The truth:
Medical experts say there is absolutely no direct link between our blood type and the diet we eat. It is universally agreed that the theory is still considered nonsense until more rigorous studies show otherwise.
Consequently you shouldn’t find eligible nutritionists or dietitians recommending this diet. Unfortunately, many professionals have taken advantage of this “under – study” study to make personal gain, especially when people are constantly looking for odd, strange and uncommon methods!
Many companies in Lebanon are also marketing such blood tests in a distorted image, to be able to sell more! The test is more likely to be recognized at some point in time, as being a Food Intolerance test, our ability to digest foods, and NOT as a “Food Detector for weight loss test”. 
My Nutritionist Opinion:
Almost certainly, this diet will help you lose weight, but this is because each of the diets for the four blood types eliminates specific groups of food such as wheat, dairy or meat products. This can result in poor nutrient intake, thus potentially causing deficiencies. For instance, cutting out dairy products will ultimately lead to poor Calcium intake, which might put you at risk for osteoporosis, while avoiding meat can result in low Iron intake, which can possibly cause anemia and more dangerously muscle loss. Deprivation is not a way out!
I’m really not a fan of this Bloody diet. I think it’s packed with pseudoscience; which means that although the diet gives the impression that it’s based on sound scientific research, in fact, it’s far from that, as it is still considered nonsense, by international organizations like FDA and ADA. It’s mainly about avoiding foods, including nutritious ones often times and that’s where I personally disagree.
My Dietetic Opinion:
Dieting should not be a burden! It’s a combination of positive thinking, sense of achievement on every step (not only final target) and most importantly, giving yourself credit for what you’ve achieved so far!
Dieting is a way of life; it’s learning how to mix bad and good nibbling and never feel guilty about it! It’s about enjoying the healthy side of dieting, not finding it so boring that you have to start all over again, again and again.

The general statements found in Eat Right for Your Type that suggest that all

blood type populations have specific problematic foods in common, are unfounded in the current scientific literature.

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