People having blood type O of the ABO blood grouping system, are typically expected to be lean, muscular, aggressive, active, and long-lived. The blood type O is typically associated with the early human beings, who used to be strong, powerful, and extremely skilled at hunting, and who managed to survive on a diet of the meat of the animal hunted by them. Inspite of the evolution process and the huge extent of genetic polymorphism in human beings, the characteristic features of each blood group have remained intact during all these years. As a result, even today, people with blood type O crave for non-vegetarian diet, comprising mainly of high-protein and low-carbohydrate foods such as lean meat, poultry, and fish (just like their ancestral prototypes). Therefore, a diet comprising of these foods is labeled as blood type O diet.
Listed below are some important characteristic features of people having type O blood group, for whom, blood type O diet is recommended:
1.People with type O blood group should have a tendency to lead a very active life to stay fit and healthy. For this purpose, these individuals should get indulged in excessive physical exercise. In order to maintain a strong and lean body, they need to take low-fat, high-protein blood type O diet, comprising of meat, poultry, and fish.
2.The letter “O” means old. Individuals with Type O blood are believed to acquire traits of symbolize a hunt-gatherer. One such trait is the ability of their digestive system to metabolize high protein diets effortlessly. This is because these people have a high concentration of gastric juices and digestive acids in their stomach. This is the same reason why people with type O blood group are prone to developing gastric ulcers and chronic irritation in the stomach.
3.People with blood type O are susceptible to thyroid dysfunction resulting in excessive weight gain, abnormal fluid retention in the body and persistent feeling of tiredness and fatigue.
4.People with blood type O lack several blood clotting factors and therefore need vitamin K to help out in the blood clotting process.
5.People with Type O blood secrete excessive amounts of adrenaline and other “fight or flight” hormones. Due to this, these individuals tend to become hyperactive and experience a chemical imbalance in their neurons, thereby resulting in an exaggerated emotional response. Type O individuals cannot manage stress unless they follow a blood type O diet.
So, what exactly should the diet for type O blood group people comprise of? Dr. D’Adamo had categorized foods into 16 different groups, which are further divided into three categories. These include foods that are beneficial and have medicinal value, foods that do not cause any harm and foods that must be avoided. Well, mentioned below is a systematic description of the foods that are suitable and not suitable for Type O individuals.
1.Diet for type O blood primarily comprises of meat, poultry and sea foods as these foods can easily be digested due to presence of higher acidity levels inside the stomach. In the meat category, these individuals can consume everything except bacon, goose, ham, and pork. However, while consuming meat, they must be careful as overconsumption can result in the development of irritation in the stomach and gastric ulcers. On an average, an individual can consume up to 6-8 ounces of meat everyday.
2.When it comes to sea foods, there are very few varieties that Type O individuals should avoid. These include Barracuda, Cat fish, Caviar, pickled Herring, Conch, and Octopus. However, cold-water fishes such as Cod, Mackerel, Salmon, Sardine, and Herring are extremely beneficial for Type O persons as these fishes are rich in iodine and help regulate the thyroid gland functioning in these individuals. Dr. D’Adamo suggests sea foods can even alleviate inflammatory bowel diseases such as Colitis and Crohn’s disease.
3.Under blood type diet O, these individuals can consume all varieties of fresh vegetables and fruits except those that contain goitrogenic substances such as Cabbage, Tomatoes, Cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts. These foods do have the tendency to inhibit thyroid gland functioning. Type O persons should even avoid consumption of corn, mushrooms, olives, potatoes, and alfalfa sprouts as these foods can cause hypersensitivity. Even in the fruits category, Type O individuals must consume foods that are alkaline in nature. These include figs, plums, apples, apricots, cherries, dates, mangoes, papaya, and melon.
4.According to Dr. D’Adamo, Type O individuals must consume moderate quantities of legumes and beans. They must completely avoid lentils as they can interfere in metabolism. In addition, these people should also eliminate from the diet cereals such as cornflakes, oats, and wheat.
5.In the oils and fats category, monounsaturated oils such as olive oil and linseed oil are beneficial. However, these people can also consume sesame oil, cod liver oil and canola oil. In addition, these people should also stay away from a majority of nuts and seeds except pumpkin seeds and walnuts. Even the use of poultry and dairy products should be severely restricted in these individuals. Type O persons should even avoid the consumption of caffeine, tea and alcohol as these beverages tend to stimulate the release of adrenaline and other stress hormones.