The Blood Type Diet

Peter D'Adamo, a natural health practitioner who considers a person's blood type to be the most important factor in determining their ideal diet, developed the Blood Type Diet in his book Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type'.

How Does The Blood Type Diet Work?

Because the blood type diet considers that food lectins react differently with different types of blood - A, AB, B or O - some creating antigens which cause a reaction as if to an allergen or invader, you are advised to consume more of some foods and avoid others, according to your blood type and cellular profile, in order to lose weight.

Group 0 - The Hunter: A high protein diet of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables is recommended for what is claimed to be the oldest blood type.

Group A - The Cultivator: Suitable for a vegetarian diet as it consists of very little red meat and more vegetables, seafood, tofu, fruit, beans, and legumes.

Group B - The Nomad: Though dairy products are not recommended for the other blood groups, they are allowed for this group, along with most foods including meat, vegetables, beans, fruits, and grains.

Group AB - The Enigma: Intermediate between groups A and B, in moderation.

There are many foods that should not be eaten for each blood type because of the action of the lectins.

Does The Blood Type Diet Work?

Although Dr. D'Adamo claims to have around a 70% success rate in terms of improved health conditions and/or weight loss, these results are self-reported and do not come from independent research (people who respond to polls). There is no analysis of the results of the people who have read his books and tried the diet because there is no way of tracking all of them. There apparently have been no structured clinical trials of the diet.

In cases where people have had good results with the diet, losing weight and/or regaining health, it is possible that the diet happens to suit them, but it could also be the result of simply being more conscious of what they eat and avoiding certain foods.

Since a much larger percentage of the population have either group A, AB or O blood types (where dairy products are not recommended), just cutting out the dairy products can result in significant weight loss for the majority of people. It's surprising how many processed foods contain milk in some form, so avoiding dairy products will automatically cut out a lot of fat, fast food and junk food in the average person's diet, almost certainly resulting in weight loss.

Any Drawbacks With The Blood Type Diet?

Virtually all independent research suggests that there is no link between blood type and diet, and as a result Dr. D'Adamo has been heavily criticized for the lack of structured research to back up his ideas.

Also, many scientists consider that lectins in foods do not act in the way that extracted lectins might act. That is, when they are included in food they do not set off a hostile reaction with antigens or antibodies. Additionally, research has not found a link between blood type and food allergies.

You may be suited to the blood type diet if you like a diet with lots of rules that clearly lays out what you can and cannot eat, but it is a somewhat complex diet, and some people will not be suited to some versions of it. As always, of course, consult your doctor before going on this or any other weight loss programs.

The Grapefruit Fat Burning Diet

The Grapefruit Diet is a short term moderate protein, low carb, low calorie diet that you follow for 12 to 18 days at a time. Popularized by movie stars as long ago as the 1930's, it came to be known as the 'Hollywood diet' and is still considered by many to be a very popular fat burning diet today.

During the 12 to 18 days you're on the grapefruit diet, you must eat 3 low carb meals a day plus a snack. The snacks must be low carb snacks as well, and you're instructed not to skip any meals. Since no original version of the diet is known to be published anywhere, the plan can vary depending on where you get it, but this is an example of the diet menu plan:

The Grapefruit Diet Plan

Breakfast:

1/2 Grapefruit, 2 Eggs, 2 Slices Bacon, Black Coffee (optional).

Lunch:

1/2 Grapefruit, Large Salad with Dressing, Unlimited Meat.

Dinner:

1/2 Grapefruit, Unlimited Salad or Cooked Red Or Green Vegetables (except those on the banned food list below), Unlimited Meat or Fish.

Evening snack:
8 oz Skim Milk.

The allowed foods on the diet can be fried, and you can use butter and oil in their preparation. You must drink 8 glasses of water per day and coffee is allowed at breakfast time, but no other drinks are allowed.

The following foods are banned while you are following the grapefruit diet:

Starchy vegetables, including potatoes, pumpkin, corn, etc.

Peas, beans, nuts, seeds, grains, bread, cereals, sugar, and fruit (except grapefruit, of course).

How Does A Fat Burning Diet Work?

Fat burning diets are designed to get the body to burn stored fat rather than use the food you eat for energy. The grapefruit diet is a fat burner diet that is usually followed just long enough to get weight back to normal for those who only have a few pounds to lose.

This is accomplished by restricting calories for the 12 to 18 days on the plan. Most people will eat far fewer calories than normal while following this diet plan (despite the high fat content) and will lose weight the same as they would with any other low calorie weight loss product or low calorie diet - if they stick to it. No high carbohydrate foods are allowed on this low carb diet, so the body will burn stored fat for energy, the same way as with other fat burning diets such as the Atkins diet.

It has been claimed by some that grapefruit has a weight loss effect in itself - that by having half a grapefruit before each meal you would slowly lose weight even if you didn't change anything else. The grapefruit is also considered a fat burner by some who claim that it contains a fat burning enzyme - or that it controls insulin levels - thereby affecting the metabolism. However, though the grapefruit is a great source of vitamin C, none of these claims have been proven by research.

Drawbacks Of The Grapefruit Diet

If you need to lose a lot of weight you might need to look into other fat burning diets that you can follow for longer periods of time as grapefruit diets are not intended to be followed long term. You could use it to kick-start another weight loss program, but after the recommended duration you will need to move on from this program. If you don't have another plan to continue the weight loss, there is a risk that you will just go back to your old eating habits and put the weight right back on, as happens in so many short term weight loss programs.

Once you have lost the desired weight, you may be tempted to go out and celebrate by eating high carbohydrate meals, but this can lead to yoyo dieting, which is not good for your health. Yoyo dieting occurs when your weight goes up and down very quickly by strict dieting, followed by weight gain.

Because of the high saturated fat content allowed on the Grapefruit fat burning diet, this could be a dangerous plan for some people, even though it is short term. As with any other diet, you are advised to see your doctor before starting any weight loss program.

The Raw Food Detox Diet

'Gourmet Raw Food' is a great new cuisine consisting of vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts and sprouts that are prepared in new and interesting ways. These are often healthier, more delicious versions of cooked dishes that you are probably familiar with, and their texture, flavor and heartiness is quite surprising.

Reportedly, the risks of such issues as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and others can be reduced, and in some cases reversed, just by omitting processed grains and sugars, animal-based foods, and most of the trans-fatty acids from the diet. The body can do amazing things when your internal environment is not laden with toxicity.

Though many people turn to a raw food diet rather than some of the other weightloss programs in order to lose weight, there are many others with normal weight who follow the diet because it is a more natural and healthy way to eat. There are people who consider cooked food to be unnatural.

But, whatever your beliefs are about a diet of raw foods, following a cleansing diet such as the raw food detox diet is almost certain to alleviate symptoms you may have such as mood swings, insomnia, indigestion, sugar cravings, fatigue, and problems losing weight, among others. Eliminating toxins by detoxification purifies the whole body, and the liver in particular, which is the body's filter.


Raw foodists claim that not only is a raw food diet extremely nutrient dense - affording you many times the nutrients you get from heated foods where most of the nutrients are destroyed - but that raw food contains no toxins.

As with many other diets out there, the raw food diet has many variations, depending on who you talk to. But for the most part, raw foodists seem to agree that heating any food above 118 degrees significantly reduces the nutrients in the food.

What Foods Are NOT Raw?

Determining the difference between foods that are eaten cold, and raw food, can be confusing to some people, so here is a run down of foods that are NOT raw:

• Bread or any other food that has been cooked before you bought it.
  
• Any food that has been pasteurized (including all dairy products unless marked raw or unpasteurized, all fruit juices unless freshly squeezed from the fruit, and almonds from California).
  
• Nuts that have been heated to extract them from the shell, even if marked raw (macadamia, brazil, cashew). Nuts in shells are usually raw, as are out-of-shell unroasted filberts (hazelnuts), peanuts, pine seeds and non-Californian almonds.
  
• Sugar, molasses, maple syrup, most commercial brands of honey.
  
• Oils, unless marked extra virgin.
  
• Nut butters and tahini, except from a specialist raw food supplier.
  
• Almost all canned and processed foods.
  
• Dried foods are raw only if they are dried at temperatures below 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius).
  

Some raw foodists eat foods that have been frozen, if safe, but others do not - citing that freezing breaks down the food in much the same way as cooking. Defrosted frozen fruit usually looks and tastes more like cooked than raw fruit.

Why Does A Raw Food Diet Work?

Most forms of a raw food diet are very high in fiber which leaves you feeling full with fewer calories, and as a result you will lose weight just from the calorie reduction. However, this may not be the case if you include a lot of high fat raw food in your diet such as nuts, seeds, avocados and coconut. If, after trying raw food you find that you are not losing weight, try reducing your consumption to 2 ounces (50 g) of nuts or seeds, or 1/2 an avocado per day.

Though the raw food community will argue that cooked food is unnatural and is harder on the body, causing weight gain and disease, whether you will actually lose more weight eating raw food than you would if you ate the same food cooked, is not known.

Negatives Of Raw Food Diet Explained

There are plenty of negatives with this diet. Nevertheless, people attribute some amazing health benefits to it including weight loss and overcoming depression and chronic fatigue, among other things.

• The raw foods diet is notoriously difficult to follow 100% on social occasions. And though you can normally ask for salad and fruit in a restaurant, you will likely have to take along your own food when visiting with friends.
  
  
• It can be difficult to meet nutritional requirements on this diet, and you will need to eat a lot of raw green vegetables, which some people may find unpalatable. You can however, blend many of your vegetables with fruit to make green smoothies, rather than trying to eat them all.
  
  
• The vegan diet, whether cooked or raw, requires supplementation of vitamin B12, and it may not be suitable for small children. Some versions of the diet are very high in fat, and this can be a negative factor depending on your medical history.
  
  
• If you have diabetes or problems with candida overgrowth, a high fruit diet may not be a healthy way to lose weight. A combination of high fruit and high fat is definitely to be avoided if you suffer from either of these medical conditions.
  
  
• Some foods, including kidney beans and their sprouts, and unpeeled potatoes are actually dangerous if eaten raw. Other foods, such as raw meat, can be deadly if it is contaminated, and unpasteurized dairy products could cause food poisoning and should not be eaten by pregnant women or anyone who is at risk.
  

Some vegetables contain natural pesticides which may be dangerous in high doses, but are destroyed or altered by cooking. The brassica family of vegetables including broccoli, cabbage, etc., falls into this category. However some people are big fans of raw broccoli, including it in their raw food diet because the natural pesticide in broccoli has been shown to protect against cancer in many research studies.

Whatever your medical history, it's always a good idea to talk with your doctor before embarking on any diet, including a raw food diet. Please visit our sister site - Carolina Health Notes - for more great weight loss tips.