You feel like you’re doing everything right, health-wise. You eat salmon and quinoa, you
exercise regularly, you even take the stairs. But if you're still plagued by midday lethargy, digestion issues or just can't
lose weight, you might want to take something unorthodox into consideration—your blood type
According to Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, author of
Eat Right 4 Your Type,
whether you’re an A, B, AB or O, your blood type reveals eye-opening
things about your personality and your body's needs. Here's what Dr.
D'Adamo says about what foods and
workouts will help you reach your blood type's fitness goals.
TYPE O
3 Character Traits: Focused, leader, energetic
Your Diet: Type Os (considered the original blood type)
are descendants from hunter-gatherers who relied mainly on animal
protein to survive their strenuous lifestyles.
Your Personality: You’re known for your leadership
skills, extroversion, energy and focus. You consider yourself
responsible, decisive, organized, objective, rule-conscious and
practical. (Probably because you are.) But if you ever cheat on your
diet, stop
exercising or slip into a negative mindset (even boredom), watch out. You become angry, hyperactive or even manic.
What to Eat: Eat lean beef, lamb, turkey, chicken or
fish (like bass, cod, halibut, sole and rainbow trout), kelp, seafood
and (in moderation) salt, which lowers your levels of iodine, giving you
optimal thyroid function.
What to Avoid: You might have difficulty digesting
dairy, eggs and gluten, and should avoid wheat germ and wheat products
like bread. Beans and legumes should also be avoided when possible,
since they mess with your digestion and can wear you out or make you
retain fluids. Cruciferous veggies like cabbage, Brussels sprouts,
cauliflower and mustard greens should be nixed because they inhibit
thyroid function.
Dinner Tonight: Lamb and asparagus stew, steamed broccoli and sweet potato, and mixed fruit like blueberries, kiwi, grapes and peaches.
Your Workout: It’s especially important for you to work
out regularly to stay fit, and exercising will help regulate stomach
problems and ulcers you may experience because of your O-ness. Which is
fine, since your blood type thrives on physical exercise anyway. Get
sweating with the treadmill, swimming, running, cycling and weight
training.
TYPE A
3 Character Traits: Hardworking, responsible, calm
Your Diet: When hunter-gatherer Os started thinning
out, our ancestors started relying on agriculture and expanding their
diet to include a semi-vegetarian approach. Type As have the digestive
enzymes and bacteria it takes to digest grains and plants that other
blood types might have a rough time breaking down.
Your Personality: When everyone else is panicking, you
keep it cool. You’re responsible, hardworking, detail oriented and
extremely organized. But you also have a classic “type A”
personality—stressed and conscientious, craving success and perfection.
You're the most artistic of the blood types (and even a bit sensitive).
What to Eat: Fill your plate with fruits like berries,
figs, plums, apples, avocados, pears and peaches. Choose veggies like
broccoli, artichokes, carrots, greens and garlic. Fish and poultry
should be limited since type As produce fewer meat-digesting enzymes,
which is why they have such a hard time digesting red meat. To get
protein, rely on plant protein from nuts (like nut butters), seeds,
beans and soy. Since your body can easily break down and get optimal
nutrition from grains, carbs and proteins, cereal, breads and pastas
should be staples of your diet.
What to Avoid: To balance cortisol levels (you may have
high levels, which can lead to OCD, disrupted sleep, muscle loss, fat
gain and insulin resistance) limit sugar, caffeine and alcohol and don’t
skip meals, especially breakfast. Stressful elements like extreme
weather conditions, loud noise, overwork and violent TV and movies
should also be avoided.
Dinner Tonight: Tofu-pesto lasagna, broccoli and frozen yogurt.
Your Workout: Since you stress easily, try something calming like yoga.
TYPE B
3 Character Traits: Individualistic, relaxed, unconventional
Your Diet: Type Bs emerged when type Os moved to the
Himalayas as nomads, domesticating animals and living on meat and dairy.
Modern Bs should rely on lean red meat (like lamb, venison and beef)
and fish, and choose turkey over chicken. Because of a sugar present in
milk, Bs should work dairy like yogurt, cheese and milk into their diet
each day.
Your Personality: You throw yourself into projects you
love, always sticking to your goal, even when it’s against the odds.
Since you follow your own rules, you’re not the most cooperative of the
blood types. And because you pay attention to your thoughts more than
your feelings, you can sometimes come off as cold.
What to Eat: Fill up on leafy greens and vegetables, and fruits like bananas, grapes, plums and pineapple.
What to Avoid: Take it easy on grains and avoid corn,
buckwheat, rye and wheat since they can alter your ability to
metabolize. (Same goes for nuts and seeds, so avoid peanuts, sunflower
seeds and sesame seeds.)
Dinner Tonight: Broiled fish with roasted yams and rosemary, steamed vegetables and mixed fresh fruit.
Your Workout: Maintaining the mind/body balance is
essential, so go for exercises that challenges both, like tennis,
martial arts, cycling, hiking or golf.
TYPE AB
3 Character Traits: Difficult to read, trustworthy, volatile
Your Diet: Type AB is the newest blood type and is the
rarest, found in less than 5% of the population. Since ABers share
traits with As and Bs, they’re able to digest a wide range of foods.
However, they have type B’s adaption to meats, but A’s low stomach acid,
which means meat often gets stored as fat. An AB's staples should be
veggies, seafood and turkey. Red meat should be eaten sparingly. ABs,
like Bs, thrive on dairy and can process eggs particularly efficiently.
Your Personality: You have traits from both ends of the
spectrum, making you hard to pigeonhole. You are passionate in your
convictions, but you also want to be liked by others and this can create
conflicts. You don't mind doing favors or helping out, as long as its
on your own conditions. You may have a special interest in art and
metaphysics.
What to Eat: Weak immune system? Try a vegetable-rich
diet with a variety of carbohydrates. Snack on fresh fruits like
cherries, grapes, watermelon and figs. (But thanks to your alkaline
stomach, you might have a hard time digesting acidic foods like
oranges.) Certain kinds of seafood, like mahi-mahi, red snapper, salmon,
sardines and tuna, are optimal.
What to Avoid: Enjoy carbs in moderation, but bypass
corn and buckwheat, which are difficult for ABs to digest. Avoid all
smoked and cured meats as well as chicken, veal, beef, pork or
shellfish. Steer clear of caffeine and alcohol, especially when you’re
stressed.
Dinner Tonight: Tofu omelet with stir-fried vegetables and mixed fruit salad.
Your Work Out: Since you pull from both sides of the
spectrum, you need to keep balance in your workout regimen, which means a
combo of calming activities (like yoga or tai chi) and more intense
physical exercise (like running or biking.) Visualization and carving
out time alone are important, too. If you’re going to be sitting a lot
(say, at work all day), break it up with some exercise. It will keep you
energized for the haul.
