YOUR BLOOD TYPE AND YOUR HEALTH

You are what you eat, is a common parlance. But the type of food consumed and its suitability for one’s blood group is also central to healthy, vigorous, and disease-free living.

The blood type is a powerful genetic fingerprint of individuals. The connection between blood type and diet may sound radical, but Dr Adebukola Olujide, a medical doctor, speaking on this type of diet being promoted by a naturopathic expert, Dr Peter D’Adamo, said may unravel many of the major mysteries surrounding individuals quest for good health.

Eating a diet suitable for one’s blood group is not something that is taught in conventional medicine, but Dr Olujide said digging into its philosophy, she has found it as a missing link to some cases of overweight and uncontrollable blood pressure and blood sugar and other confusing nutritional issues.

“After checking out studies on this, I got convinced that it is innocuous and will not cause any problem even if one eats based on one’s blood group type,” she stated.

Olujide, who started following the prescription for blood type ‘O’ two years ago, said she is a living witness to its effectiveness in weight control.

“Before, my weight was fluctuating between 75 and 80 kilogrammes. But it has remained below 70 kilogramme. Now, many people stop to ask for my secret to weight control,” she declared.

What does eating for one’s blood type suggests and are there scientific backings for this? Studies are substantiating why one man’s food could be another man’s poison. Health problems such as peptic ulcer, a condition often related to higher than average stomach-acid levels, she said, is found to be more common in people with type ‘O’ blood group than in people with other blood types.

Citrus fruits like oranges and tangerine promote acid secretion in the stomach. However, Dr Olujide said when a patient with type O blood has ulcer and continue to take oranges, this can further aggravate the ulcer. So other options for vitamin C, such as watermelon, pineapple and apples are better.

Dr Olujide declared that eating based on one’s blood type can help avoid many common infections; lose weight since the body is able to rid itself of toxins and fats; fight back against life-threatening diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver failure; as well as slow down the ageing process.

Certainly, confusing, and often conflicting information about nutrition has created problems for health-conscious consumers on what recommendation to follow, and which diet is the right diet.

However, she said the confusion is the result of a cavalier “one diet fits all” premise even though certain people respond well to particular diets while others do not, given difference in individual body composition.

According to her, all foods can be groups into three categories; highly beneficial, neutral and avoid, based on their lectins content. Highly beneficial foods acts like medicine; neutral ones act like food; while those to avoid include foods that acts like a poison.

Lectins, abundant and diverse proteins found in foods. For example, gluten is the most common lectin found in wheat.

Dr Olujide, noting that each blood group has its own reaction to certain foods, declared that for people with type O blood, the leading factor in weight gain is the gluten found in wheat and wheat products, which interferes with insulin efficiency and slows metabolic rate. This makes such foods better avoided.

Also, she added that animal milk is better avoided by all blood groups because and many Africans have lactose intolerance.

In addition, for people with type ‘O’ blood, food items such like rice, yam, millet, sweet potatoes beans are good while they should avoid things as corn and corn-based meals; plantain, orange, quail, peanut, cabbage and coconut.

For people with type A blood, she said, they are better off to avoiding red meat, sea foods like lobster, crab and oyster; corn, peanut, whole wheat flour, vegetables such as eggplant, bananas, plantain, mango and coconut.

However, she warned that the greatest benefit from eating based on one’s blood type to maintain good health comes when food consumption is in moderation alongside prescribed exercises and stress control.

But blood type does not only determine the best diet to take. Intake of herbal preparations and supplements are also important. Dr Olujide said people with type O blood, are also better avoiding herbal products including aloe vera and corn silk.