Foods We Eat        

Body Type Diet       Body Type Formulas

It has often been said that "You are what you eat!" There certainly seems to be some evidence that what we eat impacts our health. The question then becomes, "What do we eat that improves our health?". This is where it gets very confusing because there are as many opinions on the subject as there are doctors. It reminds me of the lady who came to the office in tears because her doctor had told her that she needed to lose weight or "she would die of heart complications" but when she asked the doctor how to accomplish that he couldn't give her the answer.

Today, it seems, every expert is touting a program that is "revolutionary" and is the best thing since sliced bread. Do I do vegetarian, high protein, high carbs, low fat, 40-30-30, or one of the countless other diet plans? Some people do well on these diets while others do not. It does get confusing, even for the experts, which is why it's so difficult for the average person to figure out what to do to produce the best health for themselves and their family. Most people read this information and end up more confused than ever and many just plain give up completely.

One of the most important principles of health is the realization that each of us are unique, like fingerprints and snowflakes, and often don't fit into the "one size fits all" mentality. Knowing this helps us understand why Jane does very well on a vegetarian diet while Charlie does not, and why Jane still has problems eating some vegetables, grains and fruits in her diet. A better understanding of our own "uniqueness" empowers us in our search for wellness.

Everyone needs some basic things to be healthy. Air and water, along with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and essential fatty acids (EFA's) are required for the cells in your body to function properly. There is much evidence that most of us are not getting enough of these in our diets because they are often not found in the foods we eat. This is a whole book in itself. One of the smartest things we can do today is to take a well balanced multi vitamin/mineral supplement to make up for the poor nutrient quality of our foods.

Three Concepts

There are three distinct concepts that seem to be crucial in a healthy diet. Understanding these and incorporating them into your lifestyle has proven to be extremely healthy. These three concepts include 40 plus years of the work of Dr. Peter D'Adamo, N.D. and his father, published in the books "Eat Right 4 Your Type", "Live Right 4 Your Type" and "Cook Right 4 Your Type". The second principle that has stood the test of time is the work done by Barry Sears, Ph.D as described in his book, "The Zone". The third principle we've incorporated into this balanced diet concept was best taught by biochemist Carey Reams in his Biological Theory of Ionization and can be summarized as pH balance. These three concepts make up a three-sided healthy living triangle. Let me show you quickly how they fit together.

Dr. D'Adamo has substantial evidence that the antigens that form the blood types (A, AB, B & O) have definite and predictable reactions to the lectins found in food. This would help explain why some people tend to do better on a vegetarian diet while others seem to need much more meat. Let's say that you are a type O that does seem to require meet. Dr. D'Adamo has identified those meats that your body does best with and has listed them as "beneficial" to you. Does that mean that if you just eat those meats you will be healthy? Of course not, and here's why.

As we eat that meat our cells metabolize it (burn it as fuel) and produce a by product or ash residue known as metabolic waste. Meat produces a very acidic waste. The more acid wastes in the body the more out of balance it becomes and thus is prone to illness. In fact, many heavy meat eaters tend to have arthritis, a condition caused mainly by a mineral deficiency brought on by the body robbing minerals from structure to balance the pH of the blood. So even though meat may be a "beneficial" food for you, eating too much of it still throws you out of balance. Another consideration is that we know the body needs a balance (not necessarily an equal balance, however) of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. If one only eats meat they may get enough protein and perhaps even enough fat, but not enough carbohydrates, again throwing themselves out of balance.

Let's look at each one of these concepts and see how they integrate to form an even better one.

If we truly are what we eat as many claim, then it seems important that we eat foods that contain those ingredients essential to good health while avoiding those that would lessen our good health. Ideally, the food we eat would have processed vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other phyt-nutrients that our bodies need into a form we can assimilate and use to build strong and healthy cells. Unfortunately, this is not true in many areas of the world. It seems that as early as 1936 it was reported that, "99% of the American people are deficient in minerals and a marked deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in disease." (US Senate Doc 264, 74th Congress, 2nd session)

One problem with our foods is that they have been refined and processed so much that much of the nutrition has been removed. In holistic medicine we often refer to this as the "white" food group because these foods are so highly refined and processed that they are white in color, and about as nutritionally fulfilling as cardboard. This group of foods includes salt, white flour, white rice, white sugar, margarine and shortening, milk and dairy products. You may have noticed that many people have allergies to foods in this group as well.

Another challenge is finding foods that are healthy, mature and free of hormones, pesticides and other chemicals. For this reason it appears that spending a little more money and purchasing healthy, organically grown foods is a wise choice whenever possible. These foods are better for many reasons, among them 1)Organic foods protect the health of you and your children, 2)these foods are nutritionally superior, 3)they taste better, 4)they tend to be fresher, 5)they are better for our environment in the long run.

Dr. D'Adamo teaches that a single drop of blood contains the entire genetic code of a human being. It also contains eons of genetic memory and the history of our personal line of ancestors. This makes us very unique. He further explains that each of the four blood types have very definite dietary requirements and they react differently to certain foods than do the other blood types.

Blood Type O is the oldest and most basic blood type, the survivor at the top of the food chain, with a strong immune system capable of destroying all invaders. Their ancestors were hunter-gatherers who thrived on a diet of meat. As they killed off all the large game animals in their hunting range, it became necessary to travel farther afield in search of meat. These are strong, self-reliant people and natural leaders. They tend to have a hardy digestive tract, a strong immune system, and natural defenses against infections. They thrive on a high protein diet and are natural meat eaters. Ideally, their diet consists of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit. Blood type O makes up 47% of the population of the world.

View Blood Type O's Nutrition Guide

Blood Type A makes up the second largest population of the world at 41%. As agriculture and the cultivation of grains and livestock changed the way people lived they experienced a mutation in their digestive tracts and immune systems that allowed them to better tolerate and utilize these agricultural products. These are settled, cooperative and orderly people who adapt well to dietary and environmental changes. They tend to have more sensitive digestive systems and their immune systems are more vulnerable to microbial invasion. These folks are more prone to heart disease, cancer, liver and gallbladder disorders. They thrive on a vegetarian diet consisting of vegetables, tofu, seafood, grains, legumes and fruit.

View Blood Type A's Nutrition Guide

Blood Type B first appeared in India or the Ural region Asia among a mix of Caucasian and Mongolian tribes. As the Mongolians swept through Asia, the gene for Type B blood was first entrenched. They pursued a culture dependent upon herding and domesticating animals with a diet of meat and dairy products. Type B blood types are inclined to be nomads and are balanced, creative and flexible. They have a strong immune system and readily adapt to dietary and environmental changes. They do well on meat (no chicken), dairy, grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits.

View Blood Type B's Nutrition Guide

Blood Type AB is rare. Emerging from the intermingling of Type A Caucasians with Type B Mongolians, it is found in less than 5% of the population and is the newest of the blood types. The combination of their immune characteristics is a mixed blessing for these people as some make them stronger and some are in conflict. They are thoroughly adaptable for modern conditions. Dr. D'Adamo say of them, "Perhaps Type AB presents the perfect metaphor for modern life: complex and unsettled." They are said to be charismatic and mysterious. They enjoy a mixed diet including meat and seafood, dairy, tofu, legumes, grains and fruit.

View Blood Type AB's Nutrition Guide

Balanced Body Chemistry

So now you know what your blood type is and you have a copy of Dr. D'Adamo's food list for your blood type. Will that make you well? It just might, but often it's not quite enough. Now we need to look at the acid and alkaline properties of those foods in your blood type program to see how they are acting in your body.

Balanced body chemistry is of utmost importance for maintenance of health and correction of disease. Acidosis, or over-acidity in the body tissues, is one of the basic causes of many diseases, especially the arthritic and rheumatic diseases. All foods are digested to some degree, leaving an ash as the result of this digestion. This food ash can be neutral, acidic or alkaline, depending largely on the mineral composition of the foods. A high level of acidosis (acid ash) results when there is a depletion of the alkali reserves in the body tissue and blood. PH (potential for Hydrogen) is neutral at 7.0 on a scale that goes from 0 to 14. Each number is 10 times that of the previous reading away from neutral. Note: a neutral pH of 7.0 resists cancer formation. Otto Warburg received the Nobel Prize in 1923 for discovering that a tumor becomes malignant in an area with a dwindling, insufficient oxygen supply (one that is acidic), yet disintegrate in a slightly alkaline condition.

Americans tend to eat way too many foods that leave an acid ash when digested. This upsets the normal healthy ratio of 4 parts alkaline to 1 part acid in a healthy body. As this ratio lowers the body becomes more susceptible to disease. Carson Pearce said, "It amazes me that the world's most educated scientists have overlooked what is possibly the most important scientific factor in all human ailments, the pH or acid-alkalinity balance. This single factor enables the body to start functioning at near peak capacity, considering its nutritional availability of the moment and the toxic level."

When the pH is not where it should be, a person is being treated with a lack of ability to properly recuperate normally. This could even affect the digestion and assimilation of food. It could affect the circulatory system and therefore, the removal of deposited toxins. This in turn could affect the general congestion level and cleansing of the entire body.

The above information was supplied by: Dave Carpenter, N.D., L. Ac.

To maintain a healthy alkaline condition see the Kangen Water System