The Best Diet for Blood Type A

History of Blood Type A

The diet for blood type A became popular several years ago. Dr. Peter D’Adamo authored a book entitled Eat Right 4 Your Type. After publication, the book exploded in popularity and started a diet craze that swept the nation. D’Adamo not only lists foods to eat and avoid for a certain blood type, but also discusses the history of how this diet came about.

According to D’Adamo, the type A diet stems from our ancestors who hunted and gathered food in Africa, but eventually migrated and settled in Europe and Asia. They were able to sustain stable communities with grains and livestock. Over time, an adaption took place in these humans’ bodies where carbohydrates served as the main source of nutrients. Thus, as also seen today in type A humans, they have a low tolerance for digesting and metabolizing both animal proteins and fats. The type A human essentially evolved into a vegetarian.

Foods to Eat

For type A dieters, the carbohydrate is the most essential element (as opposed to the omnivorous type B diet, for example). To be a strict dieter, the person must forego all meat, since as stated above, her/his digestive tract is not built for digesting animal. Instead, tofu, seafood and beans are substituted for meat as main sources of protein. Other food a type A dieter should eat are:

• Fresh vegetables
• Fresh fruit
• Grains such as amaranth and buckwheat
• Legumes such as peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans

The vegetables that enhance the immune system are garlic, onions, broccoli, carrots, collard greens, kale, pumpkin and spinach. In addition, vegetables that provide enzymes, minerals and antioxidants are artichoke, dandelion greens, romaine, okra, parsley, sprouts and turnip. They should be eaten raw or steamed.

The best fruits are berries, plums, prunes and figs.

Breads and flours can be tricky because a dieter must know which ones to eat. The best choices are bread made with essene, ezekiel, soya flour and sprouted wheat. The best flours are oat, rice and rye. Noodles should be made from soba or artichoke.

The great news is if the dieter is a seafood lover, s/he can feast on common seafood such as carp, cod, mackerel, monkfish, red snapper, rainbow trout, salmon, sardine and whitefish.

Foods to Avoid

However, there are foods to avoid on a type A diet.

Dieters should avoid all meats to receive maximum benefits. Dairy also does not bide well for this kind of diet. Fats such as oil of corn, cottonseed, safflower, peanut and sesame should be avoided at all costs. Brazil nuts, cashews and pistachios do not digest well either.

Processed grains such as instant cereals are a bad idea. Try to avoid cream of wheat, farina, granola, Grape-nuts, wheat germ, shredded wheat and wheat bran.

Small indulgences such as ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, relish and Worcestershire sauce should all be eliminated. Surprisingly, the dieter must watch what s/he drinks as well. Avoid beer, distilled liquor, seltzer water, soda and black tea.

Now that you know the best diet for blood type A, you can start eliminating certain foods from your diet. Add the foods listed above that are most beneficial to your blood type and feel more energized and motivated to stay healthy and lose extra weight.

References

Eat Right for Your Type website, Dr. Peter D’Adamo – dadamo.com

“Characteristics of Type A” by Dr. Michael Lam, MD, MPH, ABAAM – drlam.com/blood_type_diet/blood_a_chart.asp

Image Credit

Photos by Renjith Krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net – freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=721