In the 90s of the last century, the book "4 blood groups - 4 paths to health", written by naturopathic doctor Peter D'Adamo, was published in the United States.It almost immediately became a bestseller, was translated into almost all the languages of the world and became a practical guide to nutrition for many people on the planet.According to the author of the book, for each blood group there is a historically correct concept of nutrition and human health and longevity depend on it.
The main idea of this theory is that people should eat the same food as their ancestors.It is digested and absorbed better, while the "wrong" foods clog the body.This nutritional concept is not a weight loss diet, but implies healthy and healthy eating for certain groups of people, which will help cleanse and heal the body.
In fact, some studies have shown that people with different blood types are more or less susceptible to various diseases.For a long time, Dr. D'Adamo, together with his father, identified the effects of various foods on the body, as a result of which they were divided into 3 groups: beneficial, harmful and neutral.Below are lists of “good” and “bad” foods for people with each blood type.Products not listed are considered neutral and are recommended for consumption in limited quantities.
Nutrition for people with blood group I (0).
According to various sources, up to 40% of the world's population has blood from this group;Dr. D'Adamo identified them as descendants of “hunters,” so a meat-based diet should be more appropriate for them.
Healthy products
- beef, lamb, venison, veal, poultry, offal;
- almost all fish (particularly useful are cod, perch, pike, halibut, sturgeon, trout, sardine), caviar, seaweed;
- egg;
- in small quantities ricotta and sheep's cheese, ricotta;
- butter;
- some vegetable oils (olive, linseed, sesame, almond);
- walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds and cedar;
- rarely legumes (with the exception of soy and lentils);
- buckwheat, pearl barley, barley cereals, rice;
- rye bread;
- vegetables (beets and their leaves, cabbage, horseradish, artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, kohlrabi, parsnips, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, turnip, bell pepper and chili pepper);
- almost all fruits and berries;
- parsley, ginger, cloves, liquorice, turmeric, curry, chili pepper;
- herbal teas and green teas, red wines, mineral water (also carbonated).
Harmful products
- pork;
- Pollock, shellfish, squid;
- almost all dairy products, except those listed as permitted;
- sunflower, corn, cottonseed, peanut, coconut, palm oil;
- poppy, pistachios, peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts;
- wheat, oats, barley, corn and all products derived therefrom;
- vegetables (cauliflower, cucumbers, leeks, rhubarb, potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, olives);
- avocado, oranges and mandarins, melon, strawberries, coconuts;
- strong alcoholic drinks, lemonade, beer, black tea, coffee.
Nutrition for people with blood group II(A)
Nearly 35% of the world's population has inherited group II from their parents;by the way, this is the most common blood type among Europeans.The developer of this diet classified these people as descendants of farmers and gatherers.Their diet is very similar to lacto-ovo vegetarianism.
Healthy products
- turkey (preferred) and other poultry;
- egg;
- fish (salmon, sardine, mackerel, pike perch, whitefish, carp, cod, perch, trout, char);
- fermented milk-based products, whole milk - only goat's milk, cheeses also only milk-based;
- vegetable oils (olive, linseed);
- peanuts, pumpkin, sunflower, pine nuts, hazelnuts and other nuts;
- legumes, soy products are especially useful;
- cereals (buckwheat, rice, barley, oatmeal, rye) and flour products obtained from these cereals;
- soy sauce, parsley, turmeric, ginger, mustard;
- vegetables (the healthy list included artichokes, beets, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kohlrabi, horseradish, garlic, onions, parsnips, squash, turnips, spinach);
- all berries, lemons, grapefruits, pineapples, plums, apricots;
- any herbal teas, green tea, white (preferable) and red wine, black coffee (1 cup per day).
Harmful products
- any red meat and offal;
- crustaceans, squid, eels, catfish, flounder, etc.;
- whole cow's milk and products based on it;
- butter;
- corn, cottonseed, peanuts, coconut oil;
- pistachios, Brazil nuts;
- wheat, wheat flour and products made from it;
- potatoes, white, red and Chinese cabbage, chili peppers, aubergines, olives, rhubarb, tomatoes;
- some fruits (bananas, melons, oranges, mangoes, papayas, mandarins, coconuts);
- gelatin, vinegar, pepper (black, white, red), capers;
- sweets, sugar;
- strong alcoholic and carbonated drinks, beer, lemonade, black tea.
Nutrition for people with blood group III(B).
It is believed that this blood group appeared as a result of racial mixing.Dr. D'Adamo classified people who had it as nomads.They are expected to have the widest and most varied diet;there are fewer dietary restrictions for people with blood type III than for other people.This is explained by the fact that nomads settled on different continents and were omnivores.
Healthy products
- mutton, lamb, game, rabbit;
- egg;
- caviar, croaker, sea bass, zander, sardine, cod, flounder, haddock, hake, halibut, mackerel, pike, sturgeon, carp;
- almost all dairy products;
- navy and lima beans;
- olive oil;
- nuts;
- oatmeal and oatmeal, millet, rice;
- beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onions, horseradish, parsnips, turnips, garlic;
- cranberries, plums, watermelon, bananas, grapes, papaya, blueberries, blackberries, cherries;
- mushrooms;
- curry, liquorice, ginger, parsley;
- still water, green tea, beer, red and white wine, black tea and coffee (you cannot drink more than 1 cup per day).
Harmful products
- poultry, pork, offal;
- crustaceans, crabs, belugas, eels, cod, trout, char;
- quail eggs;
- blue and processed cheeses;
- other varieties of beans, soybean products;
- vegetable oils: coconut, corn, peanut, soybean, sesame, sunflower, rapeseed;
- cashews, peanuts, pine nuts, poppy, pumpkin and sunflower seeds;
- wheat cereals, buckwheat, corn, rye;
- olives, radishes, radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes, sauerkraut;
- avocado, pomegranates, persimmons, melon, coconuts;
- pepper, cinnamon, soy sauce, gelatin, ketchup;
- carbonated and strong alcoholic drinks, lemonade, sparkling water.
Nutrition for people with blood type IV (AB).
This blood group is the rarest, present in only 7% of the people who inhabit our planet.This group of people was defined by the naturopathic doctor D'Adamo as a mixed type or "new people".Like those with blood group III, the “new people” were much luckier with their diet than the population of groups I and II.
Healthy products
- lamb, rabbit, turkey;
- chicken eggs;
- mackerel, salmon, sardine, tuna, cod, zander, pike, sturgeon;
- dairy products, but cheese in limited quantities;
- nuts and olive oil;
- peanuts, nuts;
- lentils, soya, borlotti beans;
- millet, oats, rice, rye flour and products made from them;
- beets, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, cucumbers, garlic, sweet potatoes, carrots, eggplants, parsnips, mustard leaves, tomatoes;
- cherry, fig, grape, grapefruit, kiwi, pineapple, plum, watermelon, lemon, gooseberry, cranberry;
- curry, turmeric, ginger, parsley;
- green tea, sparkling water, white and red wines.
Harmful products
- pork, beef, chicken, goose, quail eggs;
- plaice, perch, beluga, halibut, haddock, hake, eel, trout, arthropods and molluscs;
- butter, margarine;
- processed cheeses, blue cheeses, whole milk, cream;
- lima beans, black beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas;
- hazelnuts, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds;
- buckwheat, corn, wheat and products made from these cereals;
- artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, olives, chillies and chillies, radishes, radishes, rhubarb;
- sunflower, corn, sesame, coconut, cottonseed oils;
- avocados, bananas, melons, guavas, persimmons, pomegranates, quinces, coconuts, mangoes, oranges;
- pepper, vinegar;
- strong alcoholic and sweet carbonated drinks, black tea and coffee.
Criticism of the American blood type diet
The opinions of traditional medicine doctors about this diet are divided, but the majority is still inclined to believe that it is not scientifically proven and has no scientific evidence.Perhaps its only advantage is that from the list of products for people with different blood groups it is possible, with some effort, to create a complete and balanced diet.However, completely avoiding certain foods can still lead to depletion of certain substances in the body.For example, people in group I are almost completely prohibited from consuming dairy products, and this can lead to a deficiency of calcium and phosphorus.
Many doctors agree that the blood type diet is too general and does not take into account individual characteristics of the body, lifestyle and other factors that do not depend on a person's blood type.Furthermore, as you know, there are many more blood groups than 4;Dr. D'Adamo took one of the most simplified systems (AB0) as the basis for developing his diet.
Initially, doctor's books used the term “amino acids” when talking about protein products.Proteins in their original form do not enter the blood;it is first broken down into amino acids.But the body, in fact, does not care from which proteins, vegetable or animal, these amino acids are obtained, and therefore it is inappropriate to limit dairy products and meat for some categories of people.After this fact was pointed out to the author of the diet, the term "amino acids" was replaced by "lectins", which is not clear even to many doctors, let alone the average person.In general, many doctors of traditional medicine are inclined to believe that the book presenting this diet is "overloaded" with scientific terms, many of which are inappropriate and not understandable to readers.
Summing up, we can say that the blood group nutrition system did not find a response in the medical community and was even subjected to serious criticism, but the huge number of positive reviews about this diet has a logical explanation.First of all, this is due to the general improvement of the diet, because strong alcohol, carbonated sweet drinks, fatty meats, many "heavy" vegetables, foods rich in saturated fats and other harmful foods are completely removed from the diet, regardless of blood type.Furthermore, one of the important factors for the positive effects of any popular diet is the placebo effect, and the development of the American doctor D'Adamo is no exception.