DECODING THE BLOOD GROUP DIET

Did you know your blood type can affect your weight and what you eat? Read on to understand how specific foods react in specific ways in your body.

Blood Type Diet has been around for some years now and several people have been following it with amazing results, but do we know how it actually works? At Beauty Beats we believe that for anything to be effective for us, we must first make the effort to understand how and why it works. Hence, we did an in depth research on this diet plan to enable one to make an informed choice.

The philosophy of this diet is based on the reaction of the blood cells with different proteins called lectins. A chemical reaction occurs between our blood and the food that we eat. So following a diet plan that includes food items that react “well” with your blood type may help one achieve not just fitness goals but also solve digestion issues and protect you from various ailments.

Why we need a blood type diet?

Lectins are a diverse family of proteins that binds sugar molecules. These lectins present in food react with the cells in our body depending on our blood type. That is the reason that the nutrients that benefit one type can be harmful to the cells of another. A specific blood group, for instance blood group A, would react to lectins that have “anti-A” antibodies, resulting in creating “anti-nutrients” that can harm the body. These cells could either affect the insulin production, hormonal balance or slow down metabolism. All of which could potentially lead to weight gain. Hence a knowledge of foods that have neutral effects or are beneficial for our blood type may help in making a better and customised diet plan.

Here is the chart for the foods that different blood types should include and exclude from their diet:

Group O

The group that had ancestors who were meat eaters, claim the diet propagators. This particular type has a well-developed ability to digest meals that contain both protein and fat. They can easily binge on meat, fish and other non vegetarian foods as they can efficiently metabolise the cholesterol present in them. They have higher acidic secretions and in order to balance this they should also have fruits which are alkaline. However, they should limit intake of dairy products, eggs, gluten as these can be difficult for digesting. Carbohydrates especially grains, should be mixed to promote weightloss.

Group A

This group is a descendant of agrarians or cultivators. Those who belong to this blood group and have been trying to reduce weight since long should try to turn vegetarian or try cutting down on meat consumption. Type As have digestive enzymes that can easily break down and take optimal nutrition from grains and plants, while this is their strength, their weakness is lesser production of meat-digesting enzymes. So they need to limit the intake of fish, poultry, and red meat, and try switching to soy proteins, grains and vegetables. We suggest you consult your nutritionist to get tips on ways to make this gradual change.

Group B

Known as the nomads, this group emerged when the predecessors started domesticating animals and living on meat and dairy. This is the reason that Type Bs can enjoy a non-vegetarian platter and dairy products both. But those of you who are planning to lose weight should have low fat dairy products. A diet rich in non-vegetarian food including lamb and mutton will be fine but try excluding chicken. Chicken is a lean meat but the agglutinating lectin it has affects the blood stream which can further lead to strokes and immune disorders. Few other foods that can help in keeping you healthy and lean are green vegetables and eggs. Avoid grains, corn, wheat, lentils, peanuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds since these can affect your metabolism, resulting in fluid retention and weight gain.

Group AB

A rare blood type, found in less than five percent of the population. Being a mixture of A and B, this group has characteristics of both these groups. People with this type of blood group have the friendliest immune systems and can have a balance between the diet of both A and B. They have adaptation to meat of Type Bs and low stomach acid just like Type As. And that’s why they need to be careful while eating meat as the acid doesn’t metabolise it efficiently and as a result it gets stored in the body as fat. This type should go easy on carbs and avoid smoked and cured meats as low levels of stomach acids can result in several digestive disorders. Tofu, seafood and dairy products are a few beneficial foods that may help in their weightloss.

While these diets are recommended there is no concrete research that proves that this diet is indeed helpful. Our understanding is that these diet types focus heavily on fresh food and steers away from processed food. This basic trait we feel is good enough to give it a try. However, we would recommend that do not adopt this diet without consulting a doctor, as there can be several other factors that may need attention for your specific condition.

Experts consulted Dr Mahima Bakshi.