In the 90s of the last century, the book "4 Blood Types - 4 Paths to Health" by naturopathic doctor Peter D'Adamo was published in the United States.It almost immediately became a bestseller, was translated into almost every language in the world and became a practical nutrition guide for many people on the planet.According to the author of the book, for each blood type there is a historically correct concept of nutrition, and human health and longevity depend on this.
The main idea of this theory is that people should eat the same dishes as their ancestors.It is best digested and absorbed, while “bad” foods clog the body.This concept of nutrition is not a diet for weight loss, it involves healthy, wholesome nutrition for certain groups of people, helping to cleanse and heal the body.
Indeed, several studies have shown that people with different blood types are more or less susceptible to different diseases.For a long time, Dr. D'Adamo, together with his father, determined the effects of many foods on the body, thereby dividing them into 3 groups: beneficial, harmful and neutral.Below is a list of “good” and “bad” foods for people of each blood type.Products not listed are considered neutral and are recommended for consumption in limited quantities.
Nutrition for people with blood type I (0)
According to various sources, up to 40% of the world's population has this bloodline;Dr. D'Adamo determined they were descendants of “hunters,” so a meat diet would be more suitable for them.
Product is good for health
- beef, lamb, venison, veal, poultry, offal;
- most types of fish (cod, perch, pike, flounder, sturgeon, salmon, sardines are especially useful), caviar, seaweed;
- egg;
- in small quantities curd cheese and sheep cheese, fresh cheese;
- butter;
- some vegetable oils (olive, flaxseed, sesame, almond);
- walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and cedar nuts;
- rarely eat legumes (except soybeans and lentils);
- buckwheat, pearl barley, barley cereal, rice;
- rye bread;
- vegetables (beets and their leaves, kale, horseradish, artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, kohlrabi, parsnips, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, bells and hot peppers);
- almost all fruits and berries;
- parsley, ginger, cloves, licorice, turmeric, curry, hot peppers;
- herbal and green tea, red wine, mineral water (can be carbonated).
Harmful product
- pork;
- pollock, shellfish, squid;
- almost all dairy products, except those listed as permitted;
- sunflower, corn, cottonseed, peanuts, coconut, palm oil;
- poppy, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts;
- wheat, oats, barley, corn and any products made from them;
- vegetables (cauliflower, cucumbers, leeks, rhubarb, potatoes, mushrooms, olives);
- avocado, citrus, melon, strawberry, coconut;
- Strong alcoholic drinks, lemonade, beer, black tea, coffee.
Nutrition for people with blood type II(A)
Nearly 35% of the world's population inherits group II from their parents;By the way, this is the most common blood type among Europeans.The developer of this diet classified such people as descendants of farmers and foragers.Their diet is very similar to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet.
Product is good for health
- turkey (preferred) and other poultry;
- egg;
- fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, pike perch, whitefish, carp, cod, perch, salmon, char);
- fermented milk products, whole milk - only goat's milk, cheese also made only from goat's milk;
- vegetable oils (olive, flaxseed);
- peanuts, pumpkin, sunflower, pine nuts, hazelnuts and other nuts;
- Beans and soy products are especially useful;
- cereals (buckwheat, rice, barley, oatmeal, rye) and flour products made from these cereals;
- soy sauce, parsley, turmeric, ginger, mustard;
- vegetables (healthy list includes artichokes, beets, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, kale, carrots, kohlrabi, horseradish, garlic, onions, parsley, pumpkin, radishes, spinach);
- all berries, lemons, grapefruits, pineapples, plums, apricots;
- any herbal tea, green tea, white wine (preferred) and red wine, black coffee (1 cup per day).
Harmful product
- any red meat and offal;
- shellfish, squid, eel, catfish, flounder, etc.;
- pure cow's milk and products made from it;
- butter;
- corn, cottonseed, peanuts, coconut oil;
- pistachios, Brazil nuts;
- wheat, flour and products made from wheat;
- potatoes, white, red and Chinese cabbage, peppers, eggplant, olives, rhubarb, tomatoes;
- some fruits (bananas, melons, oranges, mangoes, papayas, tangerines, coconuts);
- gelatin, vinegar, pepper (black, white, red), capers;
- candy;
- strong alcoholic and carbonated drinks, beer, lemonade, black tea.
Nutrition for people with blood type III(B)
It is believed that this blood type appeared as a result of racial mixing.Dr. D'Adamo classifies people with this ability as nomads.They are said to have the most extensive and varied diet;People with blood type III have fewer dietary restrictions than other people.This is explained by the fact that nomads settled on different continents and were omnivores.
Product is good for health
- lamb, mutton, venison, rabbit;
- egg;
- caviar, croaker, seabass, pike perch, sardines, cod, flounder, haddock, cod, flounder, mackerel, pike, sturgeon, carp;
- most dairy products;
- navy beans and lima beans;
- olive oil;
- walnut;
- oatmeal and oatmeal, millet, rice;
- beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onions, horseradish, parsnips, radishes, garlic;
- cranberries, plums, watermelon, bananas, grapes, papaya, blueberries, raspberries, cherries;
- mushroom;
- curry, licorice, ginger, parsley;
- still water, green tea, beer, red and white wine, black tea and coffee (you can drink no more than 1 cup per day).
Harmful product
- poultry, pork, offal;
- shellfish, crab, beluga, eel, pollock, salmon, char;
- quail eggs;
- blue cheese and processed cheese;
- other beans and soy products;
- Vegetable oils: coconut, corn, peanuts, soybeans, sesame, sunflower, rapeseed;
- cashews, peanuts, pine nuts, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds;
- wheat, buckwheat, corn, rye cereals;
- olives, radishes, radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes, sauerkraut;
- avocado, pomegranate, persimmon, melon, coconut;
- pepper, cinnamon, soy sauce, gelatin, tomato sauce;
- carbonated and strong alcoholic drinks, lemonade, carbonated water.
Nutrition for people with blood type IV (AB)
This blood type is the rarest, found in only 7% of people living on our planet.This group of people is defined by naturopathic physician D'Adamo as mixed types or “newcomers.”Like people with blood type III, the “newbies” are much luckier with their diet than people with blood types I and II.
Product is good for health
- lamb, rabbit, turkey;
- chicken eggs;
- mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna, cod, perch, pike, sturgeon;
- dairy products, but cheese in limited quantities;
- walnuts and olive oil;
- peanuts, walnuts;
- lentils, soybeans, pinto beans;
- millet, oats, rice, rye flour and products made from them;
- beets, broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens, cucumbers, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplant, parsley, mustard leaves, tomatoes;
- cherries, figs, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, plums, watermelon, lemon, gooseberries, cranberries;
- curry, turmeric, ginger, parsley;
- green tea, carbonated water, white and red wine.
Harmful product
- pork, beef, chicken, goose, quail eggs;
- flounder, perch, beluga, flounder, haddock, cod, eel, salmon, arthropods and molluscs;
- butter, margarine;
- processed cheese, blue cheese, whole milk, cream;
- lima beans, black beans, adzuki beans, green beans;
- hazelnuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds;
- buckwheat, corn, wheat and products made from these cereals;
- artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, olives, bell and hot peppers, radishes, radishes, rhubarb;
- sunflower, corn, sesame, coconut, cottonseed oils;
- avocado, banana, melon, guava, persimmon, pomegranate, quince, coconut, mango, orange;
- pepper, vinegar;
- strong carbonated sweet and alcoholic drinks, black tea and coffee.
Criticism of the American blood type diet
The opinions of traditional medicine practitioners on this diet are divided, but the majority still tend to believe that it is not scientifically proven and has no evidence base.Perhaps its only advantage is that from the list of products for people with different blood types you can, with a little effort, create a complete, balanced diet.However, completely avoiding certain foods can still lead to depletion of certain substances in the body.For example, people of group I are almost completely prohibited from consuming dairy products, and this can lead to calcium and phosphorus deficiency.
Many doctors agree that the blood type diet is too general and does not take into account the individual characteristics of the body, lifestyle and other factors that do not depend on a person's blood type.Also, as you know, there are more blood types than 4;Dr. D'Adamo took one of the simplest systems (AB0) as the basis for developing his diet.
Initially, doctors' books used the term "amino acids" when talking about protein products.Protein in its original form does not enter the blood;it is first broken down into amino acids.But in fact, the body is not interested in what proteins, vegetable or animal, these amino acids are obtained, and therefore the restriction of dairy and meat products for certain categories of people is inappropriate.After the author of the diet pointed out this fact, the term “amino acid” was replaced by “lectin,” which is not even clear to many doctors, let alone lay people.In general, many traditional medicine doctors tend to think that the book presenting this diet is "overloaded" with scientific terms, many of which are inappropriate and difficult for readers to understand.
In conclusion, we can say that the system of nutrition according to blood type does not receive feedback in the medical community and is even seriously criticized, but the large number of positive reviews about this diet has a logical explanation.First of all, this is due to the general improvement of the diet, since strong alcohol, carbonated sweet drinks, fatty meat, many "heavy" vegetables, foods rich in saturated fats and other harmful foods have been completely eliminated from the diet, regardless of blood type.In addition, one of the important factors that create the positive effect of any popular diet is the placebo effect, and the development of American doctor D'Adamo is no exception.