Blood Type Diet Review

Diet Review

By Karen Asp

The diet was created by Peter J. D'Adamo, N.D., a naturopathic physician whose father first introduced him to the idea that optimal health might be linked to specific diet and exercise patterns for each blood type. D'Adamo continued exploring this theory and eventually concluded that his father's observations held merit, hence the birth of the Blood Type Diet. Although D'Adamo attempts to bring in scientific facts, this diet is based on convoluted nonsense. No studies, after all, indicate that your blood type should determine what you can or can't eat. Even worse, all four of these diets require you to abide by lists, shunning many foods that are otherwise healthy. And although these diets do recommend exercise, there's no logical rationale for creating an exercise program based solely on blood type.

Is the diet healthy?

Not necessarily. While some of the food lists in the diet give healthy options, the fact that so many nutritious foods are restricted is troubling. The list concept is also extremely structured, and this rigidity may doom many people who attempt this diet.

What do the experts say?

"There's no scientific proof that eating and exercising according to your blood type will help you lose weight," says Katherine Tallmadge, M.A., R.D., spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "If you follow the diet and do lose weight, it's probably because you're eating fewer calories, not because there's something magical going on with your blood type and the foods you're eating."

Who should consider this diet?

Nobody.

Bottom Line

Each of the four blood type diets is too restrictive, asking you to follow lists and cut otherwise healthy foods from your diets. As Tallmadge says, dividing foods into good and bad categories is simply not a healthy approach, for almost all foods can fit into a diet. And by cutting healthy foods, you'll miss out on valuable nutrients assuring your diet will be unbalanced and unenjoyable.

See the Blood-Type Diet at a Glance
See What You Can Eat on the Blood-Type Diet