Last week we began looking at eating for your blood type, based on Dr. Peter D’Adamo‘s book, Eat Right 4 Your Type. His research offers diet plans for each of the four blood types: A, B, AB, and O. This week it’s your turn Type Bs! In the previous article, we looked at how Type As should eat to maintain optimum health, and now we’re looking at a very different nutritional picture with Blood Type B. The entire theory of eating for your blood type hinges on the way each blood type is said to process lectins. Lectins are a kind of protein that bind to a particular kind of carbohydrate in the gut. A common way to remember how lectins work is to look at the lectin as a protein key which fits into a specific carbohydrate lock. When the right key fits into a lock in the digestive tract, it breaks the cell membrane, which damages the cell. The goal of the blood type diet is to avoid the lectins that are most attracted to your blood type while indulging the foods that nourish the body. Here’s the rest of the story!
History of Blood Type B
Blood Type B has been around for 10,000 years, according to the research, and is based on the nomadic lifestyle. The individual with Type B blood is said to have a strong immune system and a digestive system that can handle most foods, although the foods must be carefully balanced. D’Adamo says that Type Bs originated in the area of what is now India and Pakistan. Having migrated, their blood type mutated to adapt from the heat and vegetarian diet of Africa to cold weather and a diet which included meats and cultured dairy. As the people from the Himalayas moved west into Europe, they took their blood type with them. It is said that Germany and Austria have high concentrations of type Bs today due to this Asian nomadic migration. Blood Type B is said to be the most adaptable to geographic moves. Today, the largest distribution of Type B blood is found in the people of Japan, Mongolia, northern China, Korea, India, Germany, and Austria and their descendants.
Foods to Avoid
There are some fantastic things about being the “balanced” blood type, and one of those things is that you get to eat a less strict group of foods than the other types. However, the nomad still needs to be careful of equilibrium in the diet, and there are many foods that you should avoid altogether. Type Bs are often prone to being overweight, so foods that slow down metabolism should be avoided. Dr. D’Adamo suggests skipping corn, wheat, buckwheat, and rye in the grain category. Tomatoes and lentils are not recommended to protect the metabolic process. Most nuts and seeds are sadly out. Eat Right 4 Your Type says that they interfere with insulin production for Bs. Highest on the “avoid” list are cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. While you’re not best off as herbivores like Type As, there are still a few proteins you’ll want to avoid. Chicken, pork, and shellfish are strict no-nos because they are seen by the system as antigens. D’Adamo theorizes that eating these foods will cause an attack on the blood stream, which may lead to stroke and immune disease. On the beverage front, you should skip soda, tonic water, and distilled water. Green tea isn’t beneficial to your type, either. Skip gelatin, black pepper, almond extract and the herb goldenseal.
Foods to Indulge
Wonder of wonders, you get to eat dairy! Naturally, some types of dairy are better than others, and the same is true in your case. The best options will be naturally cultured dairy products like yogurt and kefir. You may also have several soft cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta, farmer’s cheese, feta and goat varieties. D’Adamo suggests that the best meats for you are lamb and mutton, venison, and rabbit. While these aren’t easily found in your supermarket (aside from lamb), they may be procured during hunting season relatively easily if you know a huntsman. Otherwise, you may choose beef, pheasant, and turkey. It’s still best to choose the preferred meats for your type as often as possible. Don’t forget about eggs, as these are fantastic for your blood type on this diet! While it may seem on the surface that your diet is better dictated by Dr. Atkins than Dr. D’Adamo, read on. You need to balance all of those animal products with healthy amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables and grains. The best vegetables for you are leafy greens, and that’s no surprise. They’re some of the most nutrient dense foods available on the planet! The magnesium will also help to boost your fragile immune system, so stock up and chow down. For fruity goodness, be sure to include pineapple, banana, cranberry, grapes, papaya and plums. Yum! Just imagine the green smoothies you could make out of those bad boys! Two bananas, 2″ of pineapple, half a small papaya, a few handfuls of spinach and kale with just a few cranberries? Yes, please! Finally, grains. You get to enjoy some of the rarer grains, like the sweetness and light crunch of millet, the ancient relative of wheat that is spelt, and the ultimate comfort grain, oatmeal. Ezekiel bread and Wasa are also great for your system, so have at it.
Lifestyle Considerations
Like Type As, you don’t respond terribly well to high amounts of stress. The body’s cortisol levels become elevated, making you irritable and susceptible to sleep problems. The good news is that meditation and visualization benefit you more than other types. As a Type B, you’re probably highly intuitive and creative. That inherent quirkiness needs to play itself out in your choice of exercise as well as your general lifestyle. You’re the type who needs a mental and physical challenge when moving your body. Dr. D’Adamo suggests that you regularly engage in sports that awaken the mind but only push the body to moderate levels. Such exercise would include tennis, martial arts, cycling, hiking and golf. I imagine you’re pretty good at rock climbing, too! Well, there you have it; a lifestyle blueprint for type B blood. I haven’t forgotten you, Type ABs and Type Os. Be sure to check back next week for part three of this four-part series on eating right for your type!