by Janis M. Betz, RN, BSN
Many clients have asked me for my opinion of the book Eat Right for (4) Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo, N.D. I did a mini clinical trial study using iridology and muscle testing to determine any validity to Dr. D’Adamo’s claims. First, I became familiar with Dr. D’Adamo’s basic premise for each blood type. Second, I noted each client’s blood type, dietary habits, and how they tolerated eating foods on and off their blood type. I found a direct correlation between blood Type A, low stomach acid, and not feeling good when eating protein. I needed to have them take a hydrochloric acid pill with protein meals. Type O people has high stomach acid, except in older people. When I muscle-tested the food for a particular blood type, I again found a correlation between foods and a person’s blood type. I have also found a direct correlation between the blood type foods to avoid and the blocking of the Autonomic Nervous System, which caused multiple organ/gland/tissue weaknesses.
A major negative aspect of the Food for (4) Your Type book is the strong presence of the theory of evolution, which is heavily woven throughout the book. Fortunately, the theory of evolution has been scientifically disproved. Another negative aspect of this book is the recommendation for Type O and B people to eat meat and animal products, which increases an acid environment. Clinically, I have come to realize that my Type O and B clients seem to require more protein to feel their best than my Type A and AB clients. For my Blood Type O and B clients, I recommend eating more plant-based proteins, such as beans and wild-caught deep-sea fish, to meet their protein needs.
Dr. D’Adamo wrote a second book called Live Right 4 Your Type, which is much better and is based more on science. I highly recommend this book. Through more research, he has modified the Blood Type Diet lists.
I still believe, eat, and teach God’s original diet for mankind written in Genesis 1:29, and God said, “See, I have given you every herb (plant) that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.” (NKJV-Bible) God’s original diet plan for humankind is raw. It produces an alkaline environment in your body, stimulating optimal cell growth and function, building a strong immune system, and creating an environment where cancer cells cannot grow. I have adapted this diet to the Jewish Levitical and Blood Type diets and feel much better.
Animal flesh was added to man’s diet after Noah’s flood. God put a condition on eating animal flesh. He said, “You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (Genesis 9:4). Ever since the great flood, the age of man rapidly decreased from an average age of 900 years old to 130 years old by the 8th generation after Noah. Excess protein has been scientifically proven to create a more acidic body, accelerating the aging and disease process. Commercial meats, poultry, and dairy are significantly contaminated with synthetic hormones, drugs, chemicals, and pesticides. Therefore, I do not recommend eating these foods.
The Blood Type Diet information is provided for your consideration and may not necessarily be the rule for everyone. If you have a weight problem, health problem(s), or a family history of a health problem(s), paying attention to the Blood Type Diet information may be wise. Remember that many factors in every individual’s life contribute to disease. The blood type information is not gospel but a meaningful refinement of your diet that may enable you to function at your peak and obtain ultimate health.
The following information comes from the book Live Right 4 Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo, N.D. I cross-referenced the Blood Type information with the Guyton Textbook of Medical Physiology.
Blood types are chemical fingerprints that are genetically inherited. Your blood type is classified as O, A, B, or AB. Approximately 47% of the population is Type O, 41% is Type A, 9% is Type B, and 3% is Type AB. Each blood type possesses a different antigen with its own unique chemical structure. Your blood type is named for the blood type antigen you possess on your red blood cells. They are one of the most powerful antigens in the human body. An antigen is a chemical marker on a cell that recognizes the antigen of a foreign or friendly substance. For a foreign substance, it signals the production of antibodies to fight the foreign invader, i.e., bacteria, virus, allergen, particular food, etc. Your blood type and immune system are interrelated. If you were to be given blood that was incompatible with your blood type (i.e., Type A given to Type B), your body would start a rejection process. The antigen on the wrong blood type would react with your blood type and cause your cells to clump and self-destruct. This process is called agglutination (gluing together). It was found that many foods react to or agglutinate the cells of certain blood types but not others. In other words, foods that may be harmful to the cells of one blood type may be beneficial to the cells of another. Many of the antigens in these foods had A-type-like or B-type-like characteristics. This discovery provided the scientific link between blood type and diet.
Dr. D’Adamo has discovered that a reaction occurs between your blood and your food. This reaction centers around a protein called lectin in foods. Lectins have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. In other words, specific lectins will stimulate your cells to clump and stimulate antibody production. This may cause a reaction to the food you just ate, i.e., diarrhea, cramping, mucus production, fatigue, etc. When you eat a food containing protein lectins incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or body system (kidneys, liver, stomach, intestine, etc.) and begin to negatively affect blood cells in that area. Many food lectins have characteristics that are close enough to a certain blood type antigen to make it an “enemy” to another. For example, milk has B-like qualities. If a person with Type A or Type O blood drinks it, their system may immediately start the reaction process to reject it. This reaction may cause irritable bowel syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver, or block blood flow through the kidneys, to name just a few of the effects.
For the most part, your immune system protects you from food protein lectins. Only about 5% of the lectins you eat are filtered into the bloodstream, where they react with your red and white blood cells. It is hard to bypass lectins in your diet, but the key is to avoid the lectins that may react with the blood cells of your blood type. For example, gluten, the most common lectin found in wheat and other grains, binds to the lining of the small intestine, causing substantial inflammation and painful irritation in some blood types, especially Type O. Consuming foods that overburden your immune system will weaken it and compromise its ability to protect you from cancer formation and growth.
As a rule, nervous tissue is susceptible to the negative effects of food lectins. By avoiding foods that have this effect, many nervous disorders, such as hyperactivity, are benefited. Many people with arthritis feel that avoiding the nightshade vegetables such as peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes seems to eliminate their arthritis, which is not surprising since most nightshades are very high in lectins. Depending on your blood type, the lectin activity of certain foods may do the following:
- Inflame the digestive tract lining.
- Interfere with the digestive process.
- Slow down the rate of food metabolism so you don’t efficiently burn calories for energy.
- Compromise the production of insulin.
- Upset hormonal balance causes water retention (edema), thyroid disorders, and other hormone-related problems.
- Block the Autonomic Nervous System’s function, causing multiple organ/gland weaknesses.
- Agglutinate your blood (blood cells stuck together), decreasing flow and oxygenation to your cells.
SECRETOR STATUS & AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS
Dr. D’Adamo found that the blood type cell malfunctioned in some people. He discovered that this malfunction created an autoimmune situation. He also found that by avoiding certain foods, the malfunctioning blood type cell caused fewer health problems.
A “secretor” (80% of the population) is someone who is secreting their blood type antigen (protein) into their tissues and fluids. A “non-secretor” (20% of the population) is someone who is not secreting their blood type antigen into their tissues and fluids. Being a secretor or a non-secretor is independent of your blood type group. It is controlled by a different gene. Your secretor status originates in your bone marrow, and I have found a variety of reasons for its malfunction, such as genetics, heavy metal poisoning, fungus, and virus’. By correcting these causes, auto-immune disorders have been reversed. I have been using the following systemic/proteolytic enzymes to help correct the genetic bone marrow non-secretor status, Pro Enzyme by Richard’s Nutrition Center, Fibrenza by HCP Formulas, and Intenzyme Forte by Biotics. Essential branch chain amino acid supplements help correct bone marrow stem cell production to create a healthy adult stem cell and a healthy body.
The secretion of the blood type antigen is key to immune defense. The immune system of a “non-secretor” tends not to recognize normal tissue as friendly; therefore, it attacks healthy tissue. “Non-secretors” have a greater tendency to develop auto-immune disorders, such as inflammatory arthritis, reactive arthritis, lupus, grave’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. “Non-sectors” are more prone to generalized inflammation, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and have an increased risk of recurrent bladder infections. “Non-secretors” account for 80% of all people with fibromyalgia. “Non-secretors” tend to have ill symptoms and arthritic pain when they eat foods on their avoid list. They tend to have multiple health problems and are medically complex. In many cases, non-secretors react adversely to drugs, and they often do not respond to conventional treatment. This is the group that the medical industry fails.
Anyone with an auto-immune disorder who is not correcting it should avoid sugar, dairy, wheat, soy, and corn. Combining 1/2 of a 500 mg N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) and 1 Intenzyme Forte split will block the negative effects of eating foods outside your blood type diet for non-secretors and secretors. Taking the supplement Moducare balances your immune system’s activity and helps to stop the immune system’s attack on your joints, glands, and tissues. Once again, Pro Enzyme, Fibrenza, Intenzyme Forte, and branch chain amino acid supplements may help correct bone marrow malfunction to make a healthy stem cell and provide the correct protein blueprint to mark tissues and fluids.
I have found that genetically modified/altered foods (GMOs) compromise the digestive and immune systems, leading to digestive and immune dysfunction problems in the body. The following GMO foods must be strictly avoided: all wheat, corn, corn syrup, barley, and soy products. American-grown rice and alfalfa may also be modified.
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) & FOOD INTERFERENCES
In my client assessments, I have found that consuming foods you are supposed to avoid will interfere with your Autonomic Nervous System’s function. Your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) governs everything in your body that is automatic, such as your cells, glands, and organs.
Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, Ph.D., discovered that an unbalanced ANS causes multiple organ and gland weaknesses, a decline in health, slowed healing, and health problems that either do not respond to treatment or are slow to respond to treatment. Dr. Klinghardt has found that when he deals with the factors that interfere with the function of the ANS in his patients, more optimum healing is possible, opening the door to excellent health.
Some chronic health problems that are associated with an unbalanced ANS with consuming food not good for your blood type include: congested lymphatic system and lowered immune function; increased blood pressure; stomach and digestive problems; gall bladder and pancreatic problems; intestinal and colon problems (irritable bowel or sluggish bowel – 0-1 BM/day); malfunctioning glands and hormonal imbalances; obesity; organ malfunctions; and sexual dysfunction.
I had a live blood cell analysis done by a Doctor of Naturopathy, which entails putting a drop of my blood under a microscope and analyzing its health. I am a Blood Type B, and I had eaten an apple early that morning and three eggs 4 hours before the analysis. Eggs are supposed to be neutral for all blood types. Immediately after I had eaten the eggs, I had a lot of mucus production. The live blood cell analysis revealed that all my blood cells were agglutinated (stuck). Agglutinated blood does not flow well and decreases cell oxygenation, creating fatigue and many other problems. The Sensitivity test revealed that I was sensitive to chicken and their eggs. Chicken is on Blood Type B and AB’s avoid list. Chicken eggs are the same protein construct as a chicken, so it makes sense that people with Blood Type B and AB should not eat chicken eggs.
I have discovered that taking the combination of 1/2 an N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) with 1 Intenzyme Forte split will help counter the ill effects of eating foods on your avoid list. These products may also help keep your ANS balanced. I have found that the NAC from the NOW Company and Vitamin World are not as effective. I have also found that Chia Seed Oil will help unagglutinate your blood.
