Wellness Wednesday: Fitness, lifestyle, and general health tips and news. Because we want you to be the best you.

By: Krystalle Pinilla

There are a lot of things you sort of get stuck with for the rest of your life: family, eye color, hair type, blood type. While some of these things shape how we experience the world, according to Peter J. D’Adamo, ND, our blood type might be a lot more significant to our experience then we could have suspected.  

Author of "Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight," Peter J. D’adamo, is one of the few advocates for basing your diet on your blood type. However, as of now there isn’t a lot of evidence that can support D’adamo’s theory. He believes that each blood type has been tailored to thrive when following a diet based on each types prehistoric descent and digestive abilities. Furthermore, your blood type might be the culprit behind your susceptibility towards certain illnesses and how well each person benefits from exercise programs.

Typo O’s, the oldest and most common blood type, is believed to have descended from hunter-gatherers. Because of this, it is recommended that they follow diets similar to their descendants by eating lean meats, poultry and fish, while avoiding dairy and grains, breads and legumes, as well as participating in active exercise routines.

Type A’s on the other hand are believed to have descended from agrarian cultures, and according to theory, should follow vegetarian diets rich in soy proteins, grains and organic vegetables, along with mild exercise.

Then there is what is known as the ‘nomadic’ blood type — type B. This blood type is known to have a tolerant digestive system that handles low-fat dairy, meat, and produce well. Type B’s are also recommended to avoid wheat, corn and lentils, while participating in moderate exercise.

Lastly, D’adamo advises the "modern" blood type AB. This blood type is believed to have a delicate digestive tract. Because of their sensitive digestion system they will likely benefit from avoiding chicken, beef and pork, while simultaneously increasing their intake of seafood, tofu, dairy and produce; as well as participating in calming exercise.

So, is this fact or fiction? With so much skepticism from the medical field, all signs point toward a fad — just another trendy diet for those avoiding counting calories to maintain his or her weight. It seems that following this diet strictly could lead to malnutrition since it can potentially deprive you from whole food groups.

Another related impediment is the fact that it would be nearly impossible for multiple house members to follow the diet since each kitchen would be full of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ foods. This would make it incredibly unlikely that anyone will stick to it long enough to reap the so-called benefits.  Although a blood type based diet sounds scientific, you’re probably better off not following the dietary recommendations from our blood type ancestors. 

Photo courtesy of jonbarron.org