This book is based on your blood type and how we all have different dietary needs and should change our eating habits to reflect our unique body chemistry.
I don’t normally do book reviews because people can read plenty of them on Amazon and similar websites but this book has helped me in many ways and I felt I should write about it.
Until I stumbled upon it I hadn’t even heard about this diet even though it’s been around for about a decade.
I am type O blood type so the things mentioned in this blog will only apply to those who share this. Other people will need to read the book because your needs will be very different.
Diet
These days, the word “diet” has come to mean a weight loss plan to most people but there are many who are on a diet for health reasons and losing weight has nothing to do with it. I am one of those people.
I started this diet to improve my health. Anyone who has met me in person knows I don’t need to lose weight.
Some eliminate foods from their diet due to allergies or adverse effects from eating certain items.
We are what we eat and eating some items is very bad for us. Some foods are medicine and some are poison. According to this book, our blood type determines what is bad and what is good for each of us.
You can lose weight with this diet
For those people struggling with their size this book just might be the key to helping you drop those pounds. I have read many testimonials about people who had trouble with other diets but after reading this book and sticking with the rules they were able to decrease their size, lower their cholesterol and feel better overall.
What I had to give up
I am type O blood and had to give up a few things that were staples in my cooking and eating. It’s been tricky to go to restaurants but I’ve adapted and it has been working well.
I cannot have potatoes, wheat, corn or pork. There are more things we can’t have but those are the main ones I had to work on. The first three were the hardest for me. I live in the south and we love our taters, corn and bread. When you think about it everywhere you go there is wheat or potatoes on the menu. Corn is equally difficult to avoid since they put corn syrup in everything these days. You don’t realize how much until it’s on your no-no list.
I can’t eat dairy, which wasn’t really a problem since I’ve always been lactose intolerant. I’m very fair skinned but inherited all the American Indian problems that being one of them. I don’t like cheese and never drank much milk anyway so this was easy.
What in the heck can you eat?
My husband asks me this question on a regular basis and it does seem like at times my list of “cans” is shorter than my list of “can’ts”.
Breakfast
I eat oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts and vanilla soy yogurt mixed in. Yes, I eat this everyday and it is quite good, actually. The yogurt gives it just enough sweetness and a creamy texture.
I never liked coffee so not drinking it was not at all a problem for me. I love tea and drink it everyday. I have green tea and ginseng every morning.
Lunch
This can be tricky if I eat out. I frequent a lot of Asian restaurants since they tend to cook a lot of vegetables, rice, rice pasta and seafood. I’ve always loved Chinese food and prefer it to fast food anyway so I don’t feel deprived.
At home I eat rice, shrimp, vegetables and furikake with soy sauce. Sometimes I make a sandwich with sprouted bread, unprocessed meat, broccoli sprouts and Miso Mayo. Since I can’t have potato or corn chips I have discovered beet chips, which are very delicious. I get them from Whole Foods. Terra has sweet potato and beet chips that are also good and much cheaper. You can find Terra chips at Walmart.
I sometimes go to barbecue places because O blood types are the carnivores and I can get meat with a side of okra. I love okra. It’s breaded and that is a no-no but once in a while is okay.
Hamburgers can be ordered dry and I only eat the meat and veggies. I don’t like pickles anyway, so eliminating those wasn’t a problem. Like I mentioned before I don’t like cheese, especially the cheap kind fast food restaurants serve.
Dinner
I mostly eat meat and vegetables. Again, eating out is tricky but not impossible. I make sure to tell them to bring my salad with the dressing on the side.
Carbohydrates have been reduced in my diet but I can still have rice.
Eating away from home
I do not ask a lot of questions or try to draw attention to myself since I am on a special diet. I read the menu and ask for dressing on the side. If there is something I can’t eat I pick it out if possible. The last thing I want to do is turn this into an ordeal. Eating this way is my choice and I don’t want to make other people feel put out by it. I sometimes carry dried fruits, jerky and nuts in my purse so if I didn’t get enough to eat at someone’s home or at a restaurant I nibble on my snacks.
Benefits
Why am I doing this? I have fibromyalgia and have had to change my diet every so often to keep my symptoms at bay. I found information about this book and thought it was worth reading.
I’ve been on it for about three months now and this is what I have noticed.
Eliminating potatoes has also eliminated my joint pain. I normally can tell you when we are going to get rain or a cold front and now have to rely on the local meteorologist. That’s just fine with me.
During Thanksgiving and Christmas I made exceptions and ate some wheat and cheesecake but I have stayed away from potatoes for good.
I love bread so this was tough but I feel better so it’s been worth it. O blood type people have trouble with digestion: gas, reflux and indigestion. When I stay on this diet I do not have any of those.
Make changes based on your own dietary needs and allergies
If you use these techniques be sure to read every detail. Ethnicity and parents blood type make a difference in what you can and cannot eat.
He often mentions Asian and African decent people but doesn’t say anything about American Indians. I have found my needs run very similar to Asian people so I look at what he has to say about those dietary needs and try them to see how they work.
I am not able to eat tomatoes even though they are on my Neutral list. Tomatoes upset my stomach so I have added those to my Avoid list.
Naturally if you are allergic to shellfish even though it’s on the Neutral list you should definitely avoid them.
Here's a recipe I wrote for cookies that are okay for Type O people to eat.
http://pamelanred.blogspot.com/2011/12/gluten-free-oatmeal-carob-cookies-with.html
