The Blood Type Diet was developed by Peter D’Adamo, ND, to improve overall health. According to Dr. D’Adamo, our ability to digest and process foods has evolved throughout history. As different blood types came into existence over time, our ancestors were eating and exercising in different ways. Now people with all different blood types exist, and those diets that were being eaten when each blood type emerged should still be followed.

Find out what your blood type is to determine which list of foods your body will be best able to digest and utilize.

• Type O—High-protein, meat-based diet

• Type A—Vegetarian-based diet

• Type B—Varied diet, with meat, grains, dairy, and vegetable

• Type AB—Mix of types A and B, primarily vegetarian, with occasional meat, fish, and dairy

Know your type? Read more about the history, theory, and principles of the Blood Type Diet in Dr. D’Adamo’s book Eat Right for Your Type. You can access the list of foods on Dr. D’Adamo’s Web site to find out what he lists as beneficial, neutral, or detrimental for your blood type.

More about this diet

The Blood Type Diet, popularized by the best-selling book Eat Right For Your Type by Peter D’Adamo, ND, is based on the theory that people with different blood types respond differently to specific foods. Dr. D’Adamo’s ideas are rooted in evolutionary history, and, specifically, the observation that different blood types (Type O, Type A, Type B, and Type AB) emerged as the environmental conditions and eating styles of our ancestors changed. Between 50,000 BC and 25,000 BC, all humans shared the same blood type—Type O. These early humans were skilled hunters, and thrived on a meat-based diet. The Type A blood type emerged between 25,000 BC and 15,000 BC, a necessary adaptation to a more agrarian lifestyle. Climatic changes in the western Himalayan mountains led to the appearance of Type B, and the blending of Type A and Type B blood types in modern civilization resulted in the appearance of the Type AB blood type.

Dr. D’Adamo believes that our ancestors’ successful adaptation to environmental changes hinged on the relationship between diet and blood type. As a result, he believes that the key to optimal health is to eat as our ancestors with the same blood type ate. For example, D’Adamo recommends that people with Type O blood eat a diet rich in meat and people with Type A blood follow a grain-based, low-fat, vegetarian diet.

In addition to eating specific foods based on your blood type, Dr. D’Adamo recommends that you engage in the same kinds of exercise that people were doing when the blood types emerged. So, Type O (hunters) should do vigorous aerobic exercises like running and cycling. Type A (settled farmers) should do calming exercises like yoga and golf.

In the Blood Type Diet, foods are divided into 16 categories: meats and poultry; seafood; dairy and eggs; oils and fats; nuts and seeds; beans and legumes; cereals; breads and muffins; grains and pasta; vegetables; fruit; juices and fluids; spices; condiments; herbal teas; and miscellaneous beverages. Foods in these categories are then labeled as “highly beneficial,” “neutral,” or “avoid” according to each of the four blood types. If you are interested in being even more thorough, you can order a test from Dr. D’Adamo’s Web site that will determine your “secretor status.” Then you can access a list of the foods for each type divided into “secretors” and “nonsecretors” to determine even more specifically which foods are highly beneficial for you.