Blood type and food combining diets review
Blood type and food combining diets review
This article is about two probably promising and effective diets for weight loss today: food combining diet and blood type diets.
WEIGHT LOSS TIPS
Dieticians say their patients’ priorities have changed from slimming to health building. More than ever people need and want to lose weight. But they put their health first and their weight loss second. What and how we eat is essential for acquiring good health. While attempting any diet the following points should be considered:
1. Make sure you get all necessary vitamins and nutrients during diet period.
2. To get maximum benefit out of your diet, you need to have your gut and the whole body clean. According to a recent survey, the average American carries five pounds of undigested meat waste, plus other undigested food garbage in his intestine. In this situation, nutrients often cannot get through the waste layer, 30-50% of them will be absorbed and 50-70% will become another toxic waste. Thus most of us need regular body detoxification (cleansing). But don’t hurry with full cleansing, unless you have already had detox experience. Get informed from reliable sources first then you are able to think it through and make choices. Free information is available in detox articles.
3. The Greek word “diaita” (the origin of modern “diet”) means way of life. This suggests that modern diet should be complemented by other lifestyle adjustments. Physical activities are important as well as personal development and you should know this. Get involved into any good exercise program if you don’t have enough motion!
FOOD COMBINING DIET (HAY DIET)
Dr William Howard Hay born in Pennsylvania, USA in 1866 has created the food combining diet. After graduation from New York University and 16 years of medical practice he became very ill. There was not cure for his condition (dilated heart, Bright’s disease and high blood pressure). So he had to heal himself by Nature’s means. After 3 months of eating healthy, he got rid of most dangerous symptoms and 20 kilos of unwanted weight.
For the next 33 years he treated his patients with great success, recommending food combining diet and other natural ways (exercise, fresh air, daily baths, rest and sunshine). Dr Hay has divided all foods into three categories:
Food Diet Category A product list: Proteins, meat, all poultry, cheese, eggs, fish, soya beans, yogurts. Food Diet Category B product list: Neutral foods, vegetables, salads, seeds, nuts, herbs, cream, butter, olive oil, egg yolks. Food Diet Category C product list: Carbohydrates (starches, sugar), biscuits, bread, cakes, crackers, oats, pasta, potatoes, rice, sugar, honey, sweets.
The most important rules of food combining diet:
• Don’t eat proteins (list A) with carbohydrates (list C). Proteins require acid stomach juices to be digested, while starches – alkaline juices. If we take protein with starch, acid and alkaline juices will be excreted simultaneously and neutralize each other. Then neither protein nor starch will be properly digested, and usually even get putrefied or fermented.
• Allow at least 4 hours between protein and carbohydrate intake. You may snack on neutral foods during this time.
• Chew thoroughly (ideally to liquid consistency)
• You may combine products from B category with any food
• Do not eat dessert or fruit on top of a meal (for fruit/dessert not to get fermented)
In example you are going to buy chicken, chips and regular coke. By food combining diet rules you either eat chicken and coleslaw salad or chips and Coke (and maybe salad). In any case you will take fewer calories than if you combined chicken, chips and Coke. So practically Food combining is great for slimming! But you will get more nutrients as your meal will be better digested and assimilated.
Dr Hay stated that though our body may digest starch/protein mix somehow, this will overstrain our digestive system at the expense of our health and vitality.
Read interesting facts about food combining diet. In some eastern holistic systems food combining is used for thousands of years for optimum assimilation and health.
The whole population of Japan and China never eat desserts/fruits on top of a meal. First, they don’t eat Western style desserts. Second, they either snack with fruit or eat them at the beginning of a meal. And also they don’t take water / soft drinks during a meal or on top of it for digestive juices not to be diluted.
Numerous books have been written on Food Combining. Most remarkable developments were made by Dr Herbert M. Shelton and Dr Norman W. Walker.
BLOOD TYPE DIET
Dr Peter D’Adamo from Connecticut is hereditary nutritionist and New York Times best-selling author of “Eat Right for Your Type”. His blood type diet is based on 30 years extensive research of his own plus his father’s lifetime research. They have discovered that every of four basic blood types has its own inner chemistry and people with different blood types digest and assimilate food in different ways.
So “One man’s meat is another man’s poison” turned out to be true in the literal meaning too. E.g. most cereals are health-giving for blood type A people, including wheat and oats (unless they have contra-indicating condition, such as asthma). But, the same wheat and oats are unhealthy for type “0” people and they should restrict these crops intake. Many kinds of meat and fish are beneficial for “0” type, but should be restricted by A type.
While Dr D’Adamo and his team continue research at his clinic,we can already utilize the results of his discovery. Most of them are free on his site at, including comprehensive database of foods with their usefulness rate for every blood type. Food is rated as either very beneficial, or neutral (but still quite useful), or “should be restricted”.
Very beneficial foods will be easily absorbed and cause health improvement and weight loss in overweight people. “Should be restricted” are hardest to digest and assimilate, and probably lead to weight gain.
Peter D’Adamo’s blood type chemistry research has been done in much more depth than other individual blood test dieticians do. Latter prescribe elimination diet according to patient’s blood test. But all they look for in their patients blood is immunoglobulin, this is very simplified approach.
SUMMARY
Heading for optimum health and weight loss) the two diets above should be attempted in conjunction with each other. But remember that we should change our eating regime gradually by one small step at a time. Recommended daily intake of essential vitamins and nutrients is a must and we should not exceed recommended calories intake.
Robust nutrition is a component of healthy lifestyle. It should be complemented with detoxification, exercise, personal development for effective weight loss process.
