The Blood Type Diet - Type A

Do you respond to stress with calming action or have a sensitive digestive system? These are some characteristics of people with type A blood. This plan suggests that your blood type provides the blueprints in your body that determine eating habits, food aversions, allergies, medical conditions, and even the ability to metabolize food and burn calories. If you eat according to what your blood type prefers, the idea is that you can perform at optimal levels and lose weight in the process.

Different foods introduce substances into the body called lectins. Depending on your blood type, certain lectins are welcomed by your immune system, while others aggravate it. The theory here is if you only eat foods that contain compatible lectins, then your body can remain balanced and at a healthy weight.

What makes The Blood Type 'A' Diet a different Weight Loss Plan?

This is a very unique approach to weight loss that requires particular attention to detail and demands a lot of the dieter. In the end, though, they recommend you lose weight by cutting out processed foods and limiting portion size.

What is The Blood Type Diet - Type A?

This diet was created by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo, a second-generation naturopathic doctor. He and his father have compiled information on blood types for decades and have applied this research to create very specific guidelines for diet, exercise and supplement use. By eating according to your blood type, the Blood Type A Diet promises to help you avoid infections and disease, eliminate toxins and lose weight.

Type A is believed to have appeared somewhere around 15,000-25,000 B.C. in Asia and the Middle East.

Early type A's survived on a diet of cultivated grains and other agrarian foods, and these are the types of foods that type A's tolerate well. Meanwhile, meats and dairy products may cause their stomachs to get upset. All of these claims (and numerous others) are based on history, ancestry, evolution and some scientific evidence.

Each Blood Type Diet has a strict regimen that includes meal planning (with three days of sample menus and recipes), supplement advice, and stress, exercise and personality profiling. Lists of foods (labeled "highly beneficial," "neutral" or "avoid") that encourage weight gain and loss are provided, as are tables and lists to help you organize food options and how often you should be eating certain foods (for example, type A's should consume cheese less than once a week).

A registered dietitian designs sample menus and recipes for you on this diet. The menus are offered in "standard" and "weight control" forms (weight control just means less food at each meal).

Blood Type A Diet recipes are low calorie and include natural and whole ingredients (no pre-packaged foods on this diet!). Dishes include Tofu Dip and Black Bean Soup. Sugar and honey sweetened foods are allowed in very small amounts (including chocolate), but white sugar is to be avoided if possible. Alcohol is not recommended for initial weight loss. During maintenance phases, red wine is recommended, white wine is considered "neutral," and beer and distilled alcohol are never allowed.

A typical day on the "weight control" menu looks like:

Breakfast: cornflakes with soy milk and blueberries

Lunch: greek salad, apple, and 1 slice of sprouted wheat bread

Snack: 2 rice cakes with honey

Dinner: tofu stir-fry with green beans, leeks, snow peas, and alfalfa sprouts

What are the weight loss expectations?

The goal of the Blood Type A Diet is to optimize health and body performance through food choices and corresponding exercise regimens. Weight loss results are said to be noticeable within two weeks, but how much is not specified.

Is exercise promoted?

Blood type A's are genetically programmed to weaken in stressful situations, as stress on the body is converted into a negative experience. Type A's should avoid intense physical exercise and focus more on quieting techniques and meditation. Type A's should exercise 2-4 times a week for anywhere from 30-45 minutes depending on the activity. Recommendations include: yoga, tai-chi, martial arts, golf, brisk walking, swimming, dance, low-impact aerobics and stretching.

Are supplements recommended on The Blood Type Diet - Type A?

Various vitamin and herbal supplements are recommended on the Blood Type A Diet; however vitamins and herbs that can benefit one blood type may be harmful to others. The supplements for blood type A focus on supercharging the metabolism, providing anti-oxidants, preventing infections, and strengthening the heart. Recommended supplements are folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, valerian, and milk thistle. Supplements to avoid include beta carotene (a form of vitamin A).