The Blood Group Diet

Is blood group the best way to determine what your diet should be? WLR's dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates the Blood Type Diet and whether eating right for your blood type can help you lose weight.

The Blood Type Diet under the spotlight

By WLR Dietitian

Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Follow a diet that’s designed specifically for your blood group and you’ll lose weight, feel healthier and lower your risk of many diseases. At least, that’s what Dr Peter D’Adamo, naturopath and creator of the Blood Type Diet claims in his book Eat Right For Your Blood Type. No wonder then, that it’s been a hit with Hollywood stars like Liz Hurley and Courtney Cox-Arquette, as well as closer-to-home celebrities, like Martine McCutcheon.

Martine says she refused to watch herself on TV when she first found fame as Eastenders Tiffany Mitchell, because she was so embarrassed about her weight. Then a dose of glandular fever followed by hepatitis piled on even more pounds. After being introduced to the Blood Type Diet she slimmed to a size 10.

But while Martine might be a fan of the Blood Type Diet, most medical and nutrition experts aren’t, and agree that the theory is complete nonsense.

So what is the theory?

Prepare to be blinded by science! Dr D’Adamo believes our blood group determines how our bodies deal with different nutrients. His theory is based on the idea that each blood group has its own unique antigen marker (a substance that the body recognises as being alien) and this marker reacts badly with certain foods, leading to all sorts of potential health problems. Furthermore, Dr D’Adamo believes that levels of stomach acidity and digestive enzymes are linked with your blood type. Consequently, he says, by following a diet designed specifically for your blood type, your body digests and absorbs food more efficiently, with the result that you lose weight.

But here’s where the theory becomes even more weird and wonderful. Dr D’Adamo believes that because blood types evolved at different times throughout history, we should eat a diet based on the types of foods our ancestors typically ate at the time when our blood type was first recognised!

When did the blood types evolve?

Blood Group O was the first blood type to be identified, although how we know this is anyone’s guess – we’re talking about our hunter-gatherer ancestors who were around in 50,000 B.C! Nevertheless, Dr D’Adamo believes because our type O ancestors survived and thrived on a high-protein, meat-based diet, that’s the type of diet blood group Os should follow in the 21st century.

Next came the emergence of blood type A, sometime around 15,000 B.C! By this time, our ancestors’ hunter-gathering days were over and instead they started to settle into farming-type communities. The creation of blood type A around this time meant our ancestors did well on a vegetarian-based diet. And again, Dr D’Adamo recommends that blood group A’s should today follow a veggie diet.

Blood type B supposedly evolved around 10,000 B.C thanks to our nomadic ancestors. They left their farms and started wandering the land, constantly moving from place to place. Consequently, Dr D'Adamo's theory goes, blood group B’s today can get away with eating a varied diet that consists of most foods including meat, dairy, grains and vegetables.

Finally, came blood type AB, which evolved just 1,000 years ago! Dr D'Adamo thinks this blood type helped our ancestors make the transition to modern times. Meaning that people with blood group AB can eat a mixture of the foods suitable for both blood group A and blood group B.

That gives me a good idea, but can you be more specific about what you can and can’t eat?

Each of the four blood types has a detailed list of foods that should be avoided and those that can be included. Here’s the lowdown…

Blood Group O

This is the most common blood group in the UK. Dr D’Adamo says that our digestive tract retains the memory of ancient times, and so type Os need to eat a typical hunter-gatherer type diet. In other words, type Os should follow a high-protein, low-carb diet with lots of meat and fish but no dairy products, wheat or grains.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because it is – the diet recommended for people with blood type O is simply a variation on many of the typical high-protein, low-carb diets that are currently popular, such as the Atkins diet. Foods you can eat freely include meat, fish and olive oil; foods you can eat in moderation include eggs, nuts, seeds, certain vegetables and fruits; and foods to avoid include dairy products, beans, cereals, bread, pasta and rice. To complement your food intake, Dr D’Adamo recommends lots of vigorous aerobic exercise such as aerobics and running – just like our hunter-gatherer ancestors did!

Blood Group A

This is the second most common blood type in the UK. Again according to Dr D'Adamo, digestive system is apparently very good at remembering that our ancestors had settled, farming lifestyles, which included eating lots of grains and vegetables but little meat. Consequently, blood type A’s should follow a vegetarian diet but still avoid dairy products. This means nuts, seeds, beans, cereals, pasta, rice, fruit and veg are all on the ‘to eat’ list. Meanwhile, calming exercises are thought to be best for blood type A’s such as yoga or golf.

Blood Group B

Only one person in 10 has blood type B – a real shame when you consider this blood group has the least dietary restrictions! As our type B ancestors were able to thrive on all sorts of foods, thanks to all that travelling, very few foods need to be avoided and this is the closest you’ll get to a healthy, balanced diet from Dr D'Adamo. The only foods that need to be avoided are processed foods, although nuts and seeds aren’t recommended and only small amounts of carb-rich foods should be eaten. When it comes to exercise, Dr D’Adamo recommends activities that have mental component, such as hiking, tennis and swimming – clearly our ancestors did a lot of thinking while they were walking!

Blood Group AB

People with this rare blood type should eat a combination of the foods recommended for blood groups A and B. Somewhat confusing when type B allows you to eat most foods, while type A suggests a vegetarian diet! Dr D’Adamo gets around this by suggesting that type ABs follow a veggie diet most of the time with some meat, fish and dairy products occasionally. It’s the same when it comes to exercise too – blood type ABs should combine calming exercises with moderately intense activities.

What do the experts say?

Medical experts universally agree that the theory is nonsense, and say there is absolutely no link between our blood group and the diet we eat. Consequently you won’t find qualified nutritionists or dietitians recommending this diet.

There are also several concerns, namely that the diets recommended for blood groups O and A are considerably limited and cut out major groups of foods.

In the long term, this can result in a poor intake of nutrients needed for good health. Cutting out dairy products, for example, will lead to poor intakes of calcium, which can put you at risk of osteoporosis (brittle bone disease), while avoiding meat can result in low intakes of iron, which can lead to anaemia. This is even more worrying in view of the fact that most people in the UK are blood group O or A.

But will the diet help me lose weight?

Almost certainly, but this is because each of the diets for the four blood types eliminates specific groups of food such as bread and cereals, dairy products or meat and fish. Dr D’Adamo doesn’t give any indication about how much weight you’ll lose, it will depend on how much you restrict your food intake.

Are there any pros?

There are not many positive things to say about this diet, which is clearly based on science fiction rather than science fact. However, as with any diet, it will get you thinking about what you are currently eating, with the result that you may start to make changes to your diet. Added to this, the blood type diet recommends eating fresh, natural foods and so can help you de-junk your diet by cutting out processed foods, takeaways, booze, chocolate and too many cups of coffee – all of which our ancestors missed out on!

And the cons?

There are plenty. On a practical level, you may need a blood test to discover your blood group if you don’t already know it – and this will mean a trip to your local health centre! Mealtimes may also be impossible if everyone in the family wants to follow the diet, but has a different blood group! But most importantly, it’s just another cranky way of getting people to cut calories – and the most worrying thing about this is that while you’ll probably lose weight, it could also affect your health in the long term. Nevertheless, if you’re still adamant about giving it a go, it’s best to follow it for just a short time (one week or less) and use it to kick-start a longer-term, healthy, weight-loss plan.

Juliette’s verdict

I’m really not a fan of this diet. It’s filled with pseudo-science and has the potential to scare people into avoiding many nutritious foods in an effort to lose weight. It’s also worth bearing in mind that although the diet gives the impression that it’s based on sound scientific research this is, in fact, far from the case. Ultimately, the theory is nonsense.

Nevertheless, based on Dr D’Adamo’s theory, I’m looking forward to the evolution of blood type F! People with blood type F will need lots of fast food, takeaways, pizza, sugary snacks, crisps and chocolate to remain in tune with their environment. After all, if the theory is correct, surely that’s what we can expect, based on what many of us now eat in the 21st century!

Fruit Diet

A temporary period of detoxification and cleansing

Have you ever had a perfectly ripe mango or peach, picked from the tree? You bite into its soft flesh, sweet juice drips down your chin, living with flavor. The fragrance of a freshly cut cantaloupe is enough to stimulate salivary glands, preparing the mouth to marry with splendid taste. You could almost call the fruit diet a dessert diet with benefits—and it’s those benefits we want to talk about.

The body's reaction to fruit does not stop in the mouth, but continues as the digestive system accepts a food filled with enzymes. These enzymes do almost all the work of digestion, allowing the pancreas a much-needed rest. Fruit sugars, compounded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, are carried by the bloodstream and delivered to every cell in the body. Fruit does not create mucus, a sure sign of how clean and suited this fuel is to our metabolic needs. The fibers that are left behind in the colon are moist and cleansing in nature, softening and removing years of impacted mucus.

There are thousands of varieties of delicate, colorful fruit, from a tiny blueberry in the cooler climate of the Northern Hemisphere, to exotic fruit grown in the lush tropics. It’s incredible that most diets consist of heavy mono-tasting foods like hamburgers and french fries, when we consider the abundance and variety of fruit available all year. Fruit is non-addictive and does not create cravings as do fat, salt, and sugar-filled processed foods. In fact, those who live on a high percentage of fresh fruit find themselves sharp-minded and vibrantly energetic.

Fruit sugar, locked into the soft fibers of fresh fruit, is the most perfect fuel for the cells. Gentle, slow-releasing, and energy-sustaining, it is compounded with vitamins, minerals, water-soluble proteins, enzymes and trace elements. As the blood carries fructose to every cell, these life-giving elements are compounded with the fructose molecule, allowing the nutrients to be highly absorbable and readily used. Fructose molecules act as a delivery system to your cells.


All Fruit Diet as a Cleansing and Detoxification Program
Surprisingly, a fruit diet is lower in calories than juice fasting, hence resulting in a deeper detoxification. Also, unlike juice or water fasting, the digestive system does not shut down. This means there is no drop in metabolism as is the case with fasting, where the body is forced into a low-metabolism state to conserve energy resources. An uncompromised metabolism plus a lower calorie intake equals detoxification and safe weight loss. It’s important to be aware, however, that due to the cleansing effect of fruit and the subsequent release of toxins, your tongue will become coated, your breath foul, and you may experience times of weakness. A fruit diet is carried out for a limited period of time to allow the body to detoxify and cleanse while flooding every cell with a clean source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Learn more about Detoxification

A Temporary Period
As with any restrictive diet, like the rawtarian regime or juice fasting, a fruit diet should never become your daily maintenance program. Fruitarians are a fringe group of thin little people who advocate an all-fruit diet with the addition of raw nuts. They claim to have reached a physical, mental, and even spiritual state of utopian health. I can tell you from personal experience that during a juice fast or predominantly fruit diet, mental clarity and the feeling of well-being are greatly enhanced. The need for sleep is reduced and stamina is increased, but the downside is that over time there will be a loss of muscle strength. Even more important is the loss of nutrients offered from a wide spectrum of foods, like wild salmon, whole grains and vegetable foods, to mention only a few.

Some people who use the fruit diet will eat only fruit one day a week, while others may do a three-day fruit diet once a month. I find it far more beneficial to fast (whether on raw fruit or juice) fewer times a year for longer periods. The reason for this is that the first three or four days of a fruit diet will involve detoxification; food addiction withdrawals from fat, salt and sugar; and of course, emotional withdrawals from that morning coffee and danish. It is within the first three days that most people bail out, not being able to endure the pain of detox and withdrawals. But for those who make it through, a wonderful feeling of well-being and health await on the other side. If you only make it through those first initial days and then quit, you will never really enjoy the experience of what it feels like to be in a fasting state. Short fasts will leave you with the false impression that a fruit diet or juice fast is all about detox and withdrawals, when that could not be further from the truth. If you stick it out a little longer, you will experience many more benefits.

Another benefit of a longer fruit diet is that the body is then able to perform a deeper detoxification of years of junk food, dirty air and impure water. Ten years of McDonalds will not be cleaned out in three days—if only it were that easy! It takes some time and investment. I suggest an annual 30-day fruit diet or juice fast, supplemented with vegetable juice and a tablespoon of fresh flax oil daily. You will never be the same. Learn more about our Fruit Diet Meal Plan

A Fruit Diet for Weight Loss
When looking at weight loss, it is helpful to class foods into two categories: high-concentration foods and low-concentration foods. Meat, dairy foods, grains, and most junk foods are highly concentrated in calories, whereas fruit and vegetables are high in water content and fiber, making them far lower in calories. In other words, you don’t have to eat less, just eat more from the low-concentration food categories.

But what about all that fruit sugar? How does that fit into that now famous glycemic index diet which involves eating foods low on the index? Doing this helps prevent a spike in blood sugar, which we now know produces body fat. See if you can answer this question: what enters more gradually into the bloodstream, a complex carbohydrate or fruit? Most of us would answer confidently that fruit enters the bloodstream more quickly because it is a simple sugar, whereas complex carbohydrates like bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are gradually digested and broken down into glucose. But this is a misconception.

According to the blood glucose response table given as a guide to diabetics, bread, beans, white potatoes, and brown rice all break down to glucose in the bloodstream more quickly than most fruit. White sugar has a less dramatic shock to blood sugar levels than whole wheat bread!

Fructose, the sugar commonly found in all fruit, is the gentlest sugar to enter the bloodstream, requiring the least amount of insulin.

Complex carbohydrates melt in your mouth into simple sugars because of the digestive enzyme alpha-amylase that is present in the saliva. Chewing a slice of whole wheat bread will transform up to 50% of the starch into glucose before it even hits the stomach. Fruit is a better source of fuel than bread because of its ability to sustain energy without overtaxing the pancreas for insulin production. Fructose does not need insulin to break down as it is slowly absorbed through the lower intestinal wall.

All starch is composed of long chains of sugar molecules. Through digestion, these chains are broken down into simple sugars. Fruit, bread, potatoes, rice, and beans are all reduced to glucose. Of these foods, fruit requires the least digestion to supply the body’s need for glucose fuel.

A Fruit Diet Is Eating in the Raw
While on a fruit diet you are actually on a raw diet, and there are real advantages to eating raw food. North Americans love cooked starch. From muffins to macaroni, starch is the biggest part of our diet. Yams, turnips, corn, beans, peas and potatoes all taste better when cooked, yet there is a change in how these foods are digested after being cooked. Raw corn is high in natural, health-giving oil and starch. However, when cooked it becomes mucus-forming. Raw potatoes can be used in the healing of stomach ulcers, yet through cooking they lose this healing property, becoming mucus-forming. Cooked food causes the immune system to increase the production of white blood cells, reacting as if an intruder had entered the blood. Cooked, starchy food requires strong acids to digest, and excess acid in the blood has a negative effect on the immune system and on healing.

How to Stay on Your Fruit Diet
Because the digestive system is still active and you have drastically reduced caloric intake, for the first few days on a fruit diet you may experience intense hunger. Hunger is good! Welcome it like a friend, as it is a sign that the body is turning to your body fat for energy, which translates into weight loss. Face the fear of hunger with courage. Show who’s in control. What a glorious joy it is to overcome hunger’s control over your life. That victory and the confidence that follows it will lead to a lifetime of weight management and good health.

A 30-day all-fruit diet will provide a benefit similar to juice fasting and is a great alternative. However, eating a diet made up exclusively of fruit takes far more discipline and self-control than fasting. I have gone on many fasts but still find it hard to accomplish a lengthy diet of fruit. During fasting, your digestive system shuts down, and psychologically and spiritually you have become resolved not to eat. But an all-fruit diet is very different in that your digestive system is fully active and you are still engaged in eating. For most of us who are accustomed to living on a highly concentrated diet of meats and starches, fruit can often feel physically unsatisfying because our digestive system is still producing large amounts of hydrochloric acid, resulting in a grumbly stomach for the first two or three days of a fruit diet. Also, physiologically, fruit does not give that heavy, full-belly feeling, and cravings can rise powerfully to the surface.

Try to detect the difference between hunger and craving. Food cravings are far more attached to emotions than body hunger. Fat, sugar and salt cravings will also subside in a few days, making the fruit diet more manageable—even enjoyable—as the physical benefits become obvious. Emotional cravings are another story. They are going to take more work to overcome, but are well worth the effort.
Some quick tips for managing an all-fruit diet: stay focused and excited about the health benefits of a fruit diet. Remember: “no pain, no gain.” The emotional pain is a sign you are doing something powerful. I have found that all powerful changes involve some pain.

My killer dinner: How a vegetable diet lead to organ malfunction

At first, I dismissed my pale, red urine as the result of a large beetroot salad I had eaten the night before. Nevertheless, as my pee turned steadily darker throughout the day, until it looked like strong Ribena, I began to wonder if I should seek medical advice.

Being a staunch vegetarian and advocate of all forms of complementary medicine, I was stubborn about seeking advice from a system that I believed was more concerned with sickness than wellbeing. It wasn't neat blood I was peeing, so surely there must be some innocent explanation. I would sleep on it, I thought.

Perhaps the fact that the short walk to the toilet was leaving me progressively breathless should have been the red flag; or, maybe, the entry in my book on homeopathy, which said "call 999" beside the description of dark red urine. But, then, these things are easy to ignore when you're short on oxygen and delirious.

After another half-pint of Ribena pee the following morning, and the insistence of my partner on how frightening my now yellow, jaundiced face looked, finally persuaded me to see a GP at the local hospital.

It's lucky I did. Little did I know that without treatment I was heading for major organ failure, a heart attack for example, within 24-48 hours.

Laying back onto the soft mattress of the porter's trolley, and breathing deeply from the oxygen mask clasped to my face, I watched the ceiling lights roll by above my head as we made our way to casualty. The thinly curtained cubicle did little to block out the constant noise and chaos of casualty; but I distracted myself by watching my little daughter's fascination with the "stats" machine I was being plugged into.

"What's the 89 per cent stand for?" I asked the staff nurse, as she took a blood sample. "That's how saturated your blood is with oxygen, my dear," she said.

"Oh, is that good?"

"No, you really need to get it up into the mid-nineties," she replied.

"Oh, so I've not got far to go then," I said, hopeful of a quick discharge.

The nurse paused to make sure she had my full attention, before adding, "You need to get there without the oxygen mask. That's what's keeping you alive. "

My partner held my hand tighter, as my mind swirled with this thought and more doctors and nurses poked their heads round the curtain to look at me curiously. "It's your face, darling," my partner said. "It's very yellow."

"But what's wrong with me?"

"They said you're very ill. They've got an ambulance on standby to take you to another hospital for kidney dialysis."

My jaw dropped as I took in the gravity of my condition for the first time.

A junior doctor then appeared and started flipping through a reference book in front of me, searching for a diagnosis. "Oh God," I thought, "I'm facing major organ failure, and they send a trainee.

"Does your lower back hurt?" she asked. I nodded sheepishly. It felt like my kidneys were racing. The thought of being wired up to a dialysis machine for life raced through my mind.

My partner was close to tears by now, and she scrambled through her handbag to find a pen and paper. "Where are you going?" I wheezed, as she pressed them into my hand and got up to leave. "The baby's nappy has leaked, I need to go home and change her clothes," she replied. " But, if you think you're going to, y'know, write me something."

The chaos of casualty swirled around my mind, for what might have been a minute or an hour. Finally, my urine test results came back. My kidneys were fine, but my urine was still dark red, with my blood count falling closer to half the normal amount. "This one's critical. Priority for the next bed, " the house doctor said.

Still uncertain whether I would recover, or lose more blood, I drifted in and out of consciousness, waiting for my first blood transfusion. There was no near death experience to report, but this experience was just as galvanising. I remember determining to live life fully, and not miss the opportunities to spend more time with my partner and daughter. If I pulled through, I would truly savour life.

Shortly after my first blood transfusion the following morning, the consultant haematologist arrived with five trainee doctors in tow, to goggle at my glowing, yellow face. "Would you send them out, please?" I cried. My partner had not yet arrived to visit me, and I really just wanted to be held, not stared at. The haematologist ushered them out.

At first he looked as baffled as the casualty doctors had been the previous day. With that magical sparkle in his eyes only expert consultants are able to muster, he said: "You haven't eaten broad beans recently, have you?"

"Oh, you mean the pound of sumptuous, steamed, fresh organic ones I ate with the beetroot salad two nights ago?" I replied.

"That would be the ones," he said with a wry smile. "It's possible they may have triggered this haemolytic crisis you're having."

"BROAD BEANS?" I thought to myself. "A vegetable has caused this?"

And a blood test confirmed I had favism - a simple enzyme deficiency. The broad or fava bean is the primary food that can cause a haemolytic crisis in people deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme.

In native Brits, this deficiency is relatively rare, but it's much more widespread in Africa (20 per cent of people) and around the Mediterranean (4-30 per cent). G6PD deficient people are more susceptible to the " oxidative stress", triggered by the high level of certain oxidants in broad beans and the subsequent haemolysis (abnormal break down) of haemoglobin that can cause.

I was very relieved, but also very embarrassed. Following the high drama of the previous two days, I felt like I had been unwittingly cast in a cheap 1950s B-Movie: "Revenge of the Killer Broad Bean". Was this some kind of karmic retribution for my vegetarian zeal? To be sure, I had never hesitated to remind my family about the risks they were taking by eating meat.

Thankfully, the cure is a simple one; the transfusion of G6PD enzyme rich blood, to stop the break down of haemoglobin. After receiving four more units of lovingly donated blood over the next two days, my urine and respiration returned to normal.

I was eventually discharged with a warning to avoid broad beans, certain other foods, and a very long list of both prescription and over the counter drugs. It was as simple as that.

At first, I returned to my normal vegetarian diet, sans broad beans of course. However, about a stone and a half lighter, and suddenly quite anaemic, I just couldn't seem to regain the good health that I had enjoyed before.

"Perhaps you should just lighten up about your diet," my partner suggested. "After all, meat is a good source of iron."

I feel a little hesitancy in sharing that I have taken her advice. The idealist in me feels like I'm letting the side down. To be sure, I'm no fast food meat head. I try only to eat meat that has been organically and humanely reared, but meat it is, and meat is what I now recognise my body needs.

Finding a balance between what we want to eat, our ideals, and what our body really needs, is not easy. As my experience shows, one man or woman's health regime, can easily be another's horror B-movie.

Fruit Diet Meal Plan

Slightly modified to perfection

The following program has been crafted for three purposes: detoxification, healing and weight loss. The end result should open the door to a fresh beginning and serve as a launching pad to a whole new approach to eating. But before proceeding, if you have not read the article Fruit Diet, do so now. It’s packed with vital information on why the fruit diet is so effective in accomplishing detoxification, healing and weight loss.

A Modified Fruit Diet Plan
Actually, this is going to be a modified version of the standard fruit diet. While you will still eat an abundance of fruit, we are adding fresh vegetable juice and a daily tablespoon of flax oil. You can substitute flax oil with hemp oil or other products that combine raw oils to produce a balance of the omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Your local health food store will be able to assist you, and most grocery stores are now carrying these raw oils in their refrigerated health section.

Adding vegetable juice and a tablespoon of oil rich in essential fatty acids broadens the spectrum of nutrients you will be taking in without compromising calorie intake. While fruits are rich in vitamins, vegetables are rich in minerals, and they both supply different forms of antioxidants and phytochemicals. And for those of you concerned about the addition of 100 calories in oil, rest at ease—it has been shown that good oil actually helps reduce body fat.

How Long?
I am going to lay out a 30–day fruit diet plan, but this will also work for anyone who wants to undergo a shorter fruit diet. Not everyone will be able to complete a 30–day fruit diet, especially for the first time. You may want to set a goal that feels less daunting, like 7 or 10 days. My suggestion is to keep your options open. As I have said previously, the first three days are the hardest. You may have set a goal of one week, but after going through those first three days, encounter smooth sailing and want to continue further. It is not uncommon for people to enjoy their fast or fruit diet so much they simply stay on for the full 30 days.

Pick Good Fruit
There are cantaloupes and then there are cantaloupes. I’m sure you have experienced the disappointment of slicing a cantaloupe in half only to find it is an unappealing color inside and is completely lacking that sweet smell that always promises delicious taste. Depending on where you live, there are certain times of year that it can be almost impossible to find a good cantaloupe. Remember, your fruit diet will only be as good as the fruit you’re eating, not just in nutrition but also in eating pleasure. And eating pleasure may make the difference between whether you stay on your diet or quit out of boredom. Spend a little more on good quality fruit, even if you have to search for a different grocery store that specializes in top-quality produce. Also, try to eat what’s in season.

Top Fruits to Eat During a Fruit Diet
In choosing fruit, emphasize eating low-acid fruits like melons. If citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit are in season, then choose the sweetest. At the start, eating a lot of fruit may cause some diarrhea. In time, the body will grow accustomed to fruit's cleansing properties. Fruits high in vitamin C and citric acid are powerful detoxifiers. The absence of mucus-forming foods allows the lymph glands a chance to detoxify.
Learn more about the best fruits to eat and their nutrition

The First Three Days
All right, let’s get started. For the first three days, eat as much fruit as you desire, with the addition of two tall glasses of vegetable juice with a tablespoon of good oil mixed in. Do not limit your intake of fruit for the first three days. Eating as much as you want will help curb the temptation to quit, which is strongest in the beginning, due to dealing with cravings and hunger. It is better to eat more during these times than to quit, so enjoy.

I suggest you stock up on your favorite fruits and make sure they’re prewashed and close at hand. If you are working, pack lots of fruit like bananas and grapes, as they are filling and satisfying. The last thing you want to do is run out of fruit at work—that’s when you will be tempted to quit. We have some really tasty and fun recipes you can make ahead, which provide variety and great flavor.
Check out our fruit recipes

The Remainder of Your Fruit Diet
There is beauty in simplicity, and this diet is very simple. Forget the idea of three meals a day—it does not apply to a fruit diet.

- Begin your day with a large portion of higher-calorie fruit like bananas, grapes or mangos. This will elevate your metabolism for the whole day, sustaining good energy and fat-burning capabilities.

- Allow yourself to get a little hungry before having another fruit meal. As the fruit diet continues and you grow more confident, experiment with how long you can endure the feeling of hunger before eating again.

- On more active days, eat a greater amount of fruit. If you have a day of leisure, then cut back. As you get some days behind you, and food cravings are overcome, there will be a greater sensitivity to your body’s caloric need.

- Continue to drink two tall glasses of fresh veggie juice twice a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening.

- Mix in a tablespoon of good oil to your two glasses of juice each day.

- Do not rob yourself of eating pleasure by counting calories. All the fruit you are ingesting is low-concentrated food, light in calories and high in water and fiber, so enjoy. This is not a mathematical equation, but is a process of getting in tune with your body in a new way, through breaking junk food cravings and emotional addictions.

- Do not weigh yourself until the fruit diet is over. Remember, this is not just about losing weight, but about helping you gain control over your eating. This will be a launching pad to a whole new way of eating and living. Quick fixes never work—if there is not permanent change, then the weight will simply come right back in a few months.

- While on your fruit diet, take time to educate yourself on healthy nutrition. This will keep you motivated and focused. Find a good book and read in your spare time. I recommend our book Whole Foods and Healing Recipes.

So there you have it. It’s simple: eat lots of fruit for the first three days, and then start allowing your body to get hungry between small meals. You may find yourself eating fruit 6-8 times a day, which is fine.

Finally, do not let the simplicity of this diet fool you. What is going on under your skin is far from simple. A wonderful transformation is occurring on a cellular level, as you flood your trillions of living cells with healing, cleansing nutrients. Your cells will love you!

Blood Type Diet

Michael Lam, MD, MPH

According to Dr. Peter DÁdamo, author of Eat Right For Your Type, a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and the foods you eat. This reaction is part of your genetic inheritance. This reaction is caused by a factor called Lectins. Lectins, abundant and diverse proteins found in foods, have agglutinating properties that affect your blood. So when you eat a food containing protein lectins that are incompatible with your blood type antigen, the lectins target an organ or bodily system and begin to agglutinate blood cells in that area.

Fortunately, most lectins found in the diet are not quite so life threatening, although they can cause a variety of other problems, especially if they are specific to a particular blood type. For the most part your immune systems protect you from lectins. Ninety-five percent of the lectins you absorb from your typical diets are sloughed off by the body. But at least five percent of the lectins you eat are filtered into the bloodstream and different reactions in different organs.

Your blood type diet is the restoration of your natural genetic rhythm. Your blood type diet works because you are able to follow a clear, logical, scientifically researched plan based on your cellular profile. Each food groups are divided into three categories: Highly beneficial ( food that acts like Medicine), Foods allowed (food that are no harm to the blood type) and Foods not allowed (food that acts like a Poison)

Simpler List
	Diet Profile	Allowed	Limited	Food to avoid for Weight Loss purpose	Food that help with Weight Loss
Type O	High Protein: Meat eaters	Meat fish vegetables fruit	grains beans legumes	wheat corn kidney beans navy beans lentils cabbage Brussels sprouts cauliflower mustard greens	kelp seafood salt liver red meat kale spinach broccoli
Type A	Vegetarian	vegetables tofu seafood grains beans legumes fruit		meat dairy kidney beans lima beans wheat	vegetable oil soy foods vegetables pineapple
Type B	Balanced omnivore	meat (no chicken) dairy grains beans legumes vegetables fruit		corn lentil peanuts sesame seeds buckwheat wheat	greens eggs venison liver licorice tea
Type AB	Mixed diet in moderation	meat seafood dairy tofu beans legumes grains vegetables fruits		red meat kidney beans lima beans seeds corn buckwheat	tofu seafood dairy greens kelp pineapple