The remainder of your food choices should be neutral with limited Avoids.
Why should all types avoid pork?
Hog is very "A-like" immunologically, which makes it an avoid if you happen to have antibodies to the blood type A antigen, like type B's and O's do.
Paradoxically enough, hog also has an antibody (iso-hemmaglutinin) in its tissues which reacts to the A antigen, so it should be avoided for this reason by A's and AB's as well.
Is aflatoxin a problem in peanuts?
Peanut and peanut butters are required to be inspected specifically for aflatoxin. It is no longer believed to be a concern in commercial preparations. It may be a problem if small private growers sell moldy nuts direct to small buyers, like health food stores, for sale as is or as peanut butter.
Are you an advocate of "food combining"?
I am aware that many practitioners use food combining as part of their dietary recommendations. I do not, simply because the blood type diets do specifically what food combining attempts to do non-specifically.
Proponents of food combining claim that correct food combinations are important for proper digestion, utilization, and assimilation of the nutrients our body needs to sustain life. Different foods require different digestive enzymes to aid in the digestive process - some acid, some alkaline. When acid and alkaline foods come in contact, they neutralize each other and retard digestion. If the food we eat is not properly digested, it will pass through the intestinal tract without being completely broken down, getting stuck between the crevices located in the intestinal track - thereby causing the toxic wastes to ferment and putrefy.
Critics claim that there's no evidence to support such contentions. Nearly all foods are themselves combinations. If you eat beans, for example, you're getting carbohydrates (sugars and starches), protein and fiber, among other things. Bread combines protein, carbohydrates, a little fat and many other things. A simple dish like macaroni and cheese, a peanut butter sandwich, or oatmeal with milk contains sugars, starches, protein and fat. Our digestive system handles food combinations very efficiently. The process begins in the mouth as we chew food and saliva acts upon it, beginning the breakdown of starches into sugars. Other enzymes come into play along the line, resulting in almost complete digestion and absorption of nutrients, no matter how they are combined.
What impact does the blood type diet have on the developing fetus during pregnancy?
Under situations of sickness, such as frequent miscarriage or whatever, the appropriate diet for the mother has worked wonderfully. We have had many patients as mothers who have followed the diet with great success. To my knowledge, the diet has resulted in no problems or reactions in these situations. Of course, everyone is different, and you might want to bring the diet to your obstetrician's attention if there are any other health problems. There should be no reactions should you conceive a type O child. This is true for a number of reasons. First the fetus is to some degree "immunologically privileged". Second, type A does no normally react to O tissue. For example, if you are type A, you could receive type O blood. Sometimes, however, type O mothers can have a problem with B and A children.
Why are there three separate recommendations, one each for those of Caucasian, African and Asian ancestry?
ER4YT & CR4YT both recommend portion amounts based on ancestry. In some cases, foods listed as beneficial/neutral were included in a whole category that is to be avoided by a particular heritage. Hence, these foods are considered an avoid for those people.
I appear to be allergic/reactive to a highly beneficial food, what do I do?
Don't eat it. In the event that your body has been altered by drugs, surgery or disease, you may have different tolerances for food. The best thing to do in this situation is avoid the allergic foods and the avoids for your blood type. Choose as many beneficial and neutral foods as possible. This sensitivity may change over time.
What is Ezekiel Bread?
Ezekiel, Essene and Manna breads are made from 100% sprouted grains, as opposed to all other commercially available sprouted grain breads which also have regular flour included in the recipe. The lectins in many grains are contained in the seed coat. The seed coat is actually metabolized by the seed/grain when it is germinated, thereby eliminating the lectin and rendering the food useable. New brand names of sprouted grain bread are continually coming to market. Always check the ingredient label for the presense of unsprouted flour or grain.
What about "wheatgrass" for type A?
The sprouting of wheat into wheat grass destroys the lectin that is problematic in wheat. Sprouting also beneficially changes the nutrient profile of this grain, resulting in a nutrient-dense, enzyme-rich superfood. Because of these factors, I consider wheat grass to be an excellent addition to the diet for all blood types. As far as an amount, use your own judgement. Because of the concentrated nature of this food, a little goes a long way, so if you have not enjoyed wheat grass juice before, start with a smaller amount.
Where can I find the results of the study you mentioned in your book that you were doing with breast cancer?
Unfortunately, this study was never completed. As we went along it became clear that, since we only had access to the limited number of patients seen in our clinic, we would never achieve the number of subjects needed for the study to have the statistical power needed to draw any final conclusions. Sadly, what data we did have was lost and destroyed when I moved my office from Greenwich CT to Stamford CT in 1999.
I take medication for an illness, can I stop taking it?
NO! Many medications are addictive and/or have delayed effects. Do not stop without consulting the prescribing physician or other knowledgeable practitioner.
I can do the program for a while, but then I feel that my will begins to slip and I'm binging again.
The trick to surviving failure is to refuse to be disillusioned by it. It is the gradual effects of disillusionment ('retreat after defeat') that sap the will and prevent us from enduring to the end in order to triumph over our challenges.
The first step in this process: Don't degrade your failures by stripping them of their spiritual value.
This is why most successful people are actually experts in failure.
Does Rh (+/-) factor matter?
At this time, few significant differences have been noted with regard to the Rh blood type and diet. One note, O- individuals often need slightly more protein, less grain, and more careful avoidance of avoids, especially potential mold carriers.
Why is the status of a whole food one value, and an extract or preparation of the food rated the opposite?
The lectin content or antigenic propensity (allergy potential) of certain foods is modified by processing. In some cases the unhealthier form (i.e processed bread) may be acceptable if heat or milling has removed the lectin from the food. Other times processing enhances the effect of a lectin, so the native form is acceptable, but the processed form is not.
Can I drink beverages with meals?
It is recommended that beverages be consumed at least 1/2 hour prior to eating, and no sooner than 2 hours after eating. Drinking water during meals should be eliminated or reduced in order to keep digestive enzymes functioning at full strength. Remember to chew your food slowly and thoroughly. Enjoy the taste and don't talk while chewing.
You mentioned that most Native Americans are Type O. I was wondering (being a type O as well) about the use of corn, since many tribes have used that as a staple.
Corn is a sacred food in many native American cultures. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it any better of a health choice!
A good example of the effect in adding corn into the diet of these type O native Americans can be observed in the bone remains of the Indiana Mound Building cultures, since we can exactly trace the introduction of corn into the diet following a long prior existence as hunter-gatherers, by the marked change in the bone structures. Prior to corn becoming a staple, the bone show little arthritis or thinning, after corn is introduced, bone deformation begins, including major changes to the teeth structure and jaw (periodontal disease). (1) In addition, maize stimulates a very rapid and powerful glycemic response,(2) so it may be that the switch to a maize-based diet from prior hunter-gathering may have been responsible for the precipitous increase in diabetes.
If corn lectins are problematic for type O, they are even more of a serious hemagglutinin in those people who are type B or type AB. Interestingly, those red blood cells of those who were blood type A2B where clumped more aggressively than those who were A1B.(3) Also of interest was the observation that corn lectin continued to persist in even the purified oil. (4)
1. Gagne G. [Mouth diseases in a prehistoric agricultural population of northeastern North America]. J Can Dent Assoc 1993 Aug;59(8):686-92
2. Segal I, Joffe BI, Walker AR, Stavrou E, de Beer M, Naik I, Daya B. Glycaemic responses to different carbohydrate foods in healthy and diabetic blacks in Soweto.S Afr Med J 1991 Dec 7;80(11-12):546-9 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut
3. Prodanov P, Atanasova N. An anti-B lectin from Zea mays everta. Folia Haematol Int Mag Klin Morphol Blutforsch 1984;111(1):84-5
4. Klurfeld DM, Kritchevsky D. Isolation and quantitation of lectins from vegetable oils. Lipids 1987 Sep;22(9):667-8
What is Ghee?
Also called clarified butter, it sounds deadly to the arteries, but actually has a rather positive effect on the cholesterol and HDL's (good cholesterol). In the intestines (B and AB's especially), ghee is converted to butyrate, a short chain fatty acid which both regulates the intestinal flora and promotes the health of the colon tissue. Ghee can be made at home, or bought in health food shops or Indian gourmet stores.
I'm (morally, ethically, religiously) opposed to eating some of the foods listed.
This subject is very complex, involving ethical and philisophical material that can not be adequately addressed in this document. We can only offer information. You are free to pick and choose which foods you eat. It is your body, and ultimately, your decision. All we can provide is information, the rest is up to you to decide.
Based on the information I've read in ER4YT red meat should be consumed 3-4 times per week by type O's. I'm concerned with Mad Cow Disease.
Buckle your seat belts, because the risk of dying in an auto accident is about 10,000 times greater than getting nvCJD ('Mad Cow') by even eating meat in England.
From the CDC website:
The current risk of acquiring nvCJD from eating beef (muscle meat) and beef products produced from cattle in Europe cannot be precisely determined, and this risk in specific countries might not reflect the fact that cattle products from one country might be distributed and consumed in others.
Nevertheless, in the United Kingdom, this current risk appears to be extremely small, perhaps about 1 case per 10 billion servings.
In the other countries of Europe, this current risk, if it exists at all, would not likely be any higher than that in the United Kingdom, except possibly in Portugal. In the 12-month period ending June 15, 2000, Portugal had about half the reported incidence of BSE cases per 1 million adult cattle as that reported in the United Kingdom; however, Portugal has less experience with implementing BSE-related public health control measures.
Risk? Yes. High Risk? Probably not, and considerably lower in any country except the UK and Portugal, where because of stringent herd control measures it is quit elow already.
As far as fat content, well if you do read my books you'll know to buy low fat, hormone-free, pesticide free organic meat where the fat content approximates that of skinned poultry. Everything else is verboten.
How long will it take to see results?
That depends on where you are starting from. Some people begin to feel better and show signs of disease remission within two weeks. Usually, it takes about two months, and in some cases, it can be as long as six months for notable results to occur. Weight loss can start in as little as two weeks or as long as two to six months, depending upon your current glandular state of health.
Aside from blood type principles; from a general health standpoint, are there any food choice tips?
Organic produce, organic dairy and free range meats are recommended. Genetically altered foods (which includes virtually all non-organic soy beans), hydrogenated oils (margarine), partially hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, colors, aromas, and flavors should be avoided. Smoked and fried foods are not recommended. Oils should be purchased and stored in light-proof containers, preferably refrigerated after opening. White flour and sugars should be eaten rarely, if at all. MSG should not be used. Avoid aluminum cookery (it can contaminate your food with aluminum) and microwaves (they change the molecular structure of foods in unknown ways) for heating foods.
One of my friends sees a naturopathic doctor who claims that naturopathic philosophy is based exclusively on vegetarian-based diets.
This association is so ingrained in the belief systems of some individuals that to even suggest appropriate consumption of animal products might actually enhance some individuals health places me somewhere between 'public enemy number I' and the devil in the eyes of several of my critics. I have even had some individuals within my own profession suggest that I had abandoned the core of naturopathic medicine by advocating good quality meat for individuals of certain blood types.
Often a good question to ask is, 'what does the evidence show?' Naturopathic medicine developed from the water cure movement of Europe. Theodor Hahn is credited as being the first of the pioneers of this water cure movement to integrate vegetarian dietetic principles. He was convinced that a meat-free diet would prolong life. In fact he was so convinced of the value of a vegetarian diet that he spent a great deal of his professional life writing books and pamphlets on the subject and was the editor of a magazine called 'The Vegetarian'. He died of colon cancer at the age of 59.
I started to lose weight the first few weeks I choose food by blood type, then I stopped losing. What's going on?
The first thing to understand is the choosing foods by blood type is about total health. Weight loss can be a pleasant side effect of beneficial food choice. As our bodies get healthier, there are various plateaus we will go through where the glands and hormones start to reset and normalize their functions. During these periods, it is common not to lose weight. In addition, lectins blocking insulin receptors on the surface of cells do not willingly let go. Patience and 100% avoidance of all avoid foods is called for during this healing period, which can last a year or more.
Why are different exercises recommended for people with different blood types?
The exercise recommendations are focused on improving total systemic health, mainly the functioning of the organs, glands, immune and circulatory systems of the body; as opposed to building muscle tissue (which can be viewed as a pleasant side effect). What strenuous exercise does for type O, yoga does for type A, and aerobic exercise does for type B and AB. Exercise recommendations are made with a general bias toward a person with a sedentary lifestyle. The link between blood type, stress and exercise is discussed in Live Right 4 Your Type.
How are foods determined to be in the beneficial category?
