Blood Type Diet? Veg*ns Turned Carnivores?

[eternalknot]

A few friends did this under the advice of their doctor, and have seen amazing results as far as weight loss and general health (better sleep, improved skin, etc.) They're trying to convince me to do it, and out of curiosity I checked the book out from my library.

 

My brothers are doctors and agreed it's probably based on some fact, and couldn't hurt BUT that it's not a Bible of sorts that need be followed religiously. One said to try it if I wanted to, but that he didn't suspect it'd be the solution to what ails (me). Another skimmed through the book for me and said he didn't think it was a good fit based on the blood type requirements and my current diet BUT that the diet followed traditional allopathic recommendation for what ails me. I have anaemia, and require occasional transfusions (this is a relatively new development, since my last pregnancy five years ago).

 

I follow a pretty traditional ethnic diet, and nothing resembling the standard American diet. We were raised vegetarian Buddhist, so I don't eat meat or dairy. My blood type (O) suggests lots of meat. Like, a ton of meat. I have a religious and psychological aversion to meat so I'm kind of turned off by that aspect BUT I'm curious enough to still consider it. Mostly because of the anaemia/meat tie.

 

My brothers both have a different blood type than I do, and their blood type seems way more compatible with the diet we grew up with and still follow. Figures!

 

I don't know any of you, but thought I'd ask anyhow :tongue_smilie: I'm always amazed at the wealth of information on here, and the willingness to share it.

 

Has anyone tried this, and what was your experience? Has anyone gone from veg*n to carnivore?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I've gone from vegan to vegetarian but that isn't quite the same. I love the idea of the hunter/gatherer kind of eating but I just couldn't eat meat if I wanted to.

 

Sorry, I know you're looking for someone who has and could speak specifically to that experience. I just thought I say that I really understand where you're coming from.

[KidsHappen]

I don't know how much I buy the blood type hype but for the record, I am type O. I eat predominately meat and snacks (due to preference alone). This ends up providing me with a larger precentage of fat and protein than carbs. I have never had a problem with weight. If I were to recommend a diet to someone, I would recommend a traditional hunter/gatherer or paleo diet, mostly meats and veggies. I have never seen a person who adhered to this kind of diet have weight problems. Or course, I have never heard of a fat stoner either so? :confused:

[Nestof3]

I am type O too, and I just cannot eat much meat. I cannot eat meat for breakfast -- yuck. I've always loved plant-based foods more. I just have a hard time believeing that fruits, veggies and grains aren't better than meat.

 

A few friends did this under the advice of their doctor, and have seen amazing results as far as weight loss and general health (better sleep, improved skin, etc.) They're trying to convince me to do it, and out of curiosity I checked the book out from my library.

 

My brothers are doctors and agreed it's probably based on some fact, and couldn't hurt BUT that it's not a Bible of sorts that need be followed religiously. One said to try it if I wanted to, but that he didn't suspect it'd be the solution to what ails (me). Another skimmed through the book for me and said he didn't think it was a good fit based on the blood type requirements and my current diet BUT that the diet followed traditional allopathic recommendation for what ails me. I have anaemia, and require occasional transfusions (this is a relatively new development, since my last pregnancy five years ago).

 

I follow a pretty traditional ethnic diet, and nothing resembling the standard American diet. We were raised vegetarian Buddhist, so I don't eat meat or dairy. My blood type (O) suggests lots of meat. Like, a ton of meat. I have a religious and psychological aversion to meat so I'm kind of turned off by that aspect BUT I'm curious enough to still consider it. Mostly because of the anaemia/meat tie.

 

My brothers both have a different blood type than I do, and their blood type seems way more compatible with the diet we grew up with and still follow. Figures!

 

I don't know any of you, but thought I'd ask anyhow :tongue_smilie: I'm always amazed at the wealth of information on here, and the willingness to share it.

 

Has anyone tried this, and what was your experience? Has anyone gone from veg*n to carnivore?

[Excelsior! Academy]

I have never been a vegan, but I have heard this information before. My blood type is O, and I know that if I don't eat meat occasionally, specifically red meat, I don't feel well. I don't know if it is related to my blood type or just the way I eat, though.

[Carol in Cal.]

I don't know about the blood type connection, but have read that traditional vegans actually derived a fair amount of animal protein from little bugs that infiltrated their grains and dried beans--something which was not known until some of them moved to England, where the sanitation and storage controls on dry goods were stricter, and promptly started to develop severe malnutrition illnesses of various types. So, I can well imagine that the vegan diet as it is traditionally known may be different in practice from the US vegan diet that appears to be identical, and that that could lead to health problems.

[Peela]

Many vegans do eventually swing to a high meat diet due to long term deficiencies. It is possible to eat well on a vegan diet but it is rare for people to put the effort into it that is necessary. I have heard people rave about how much better they feel when they move to eating meat. THe book Nourishing Traditions addresses this issue on the physical level, although they dont address the ethical/spiritual aspect.

 

I would prefer to be vegetarian and was for years, but I now eat meat for thereason you have suggested- my system (type )) does actually seem to thrive better with meat and I have chronic anaemia.

However I do not like to eat as much meat as the blood type book suggests.

I hoep after menopause I may go back to being vegetarian, but we will see.

 

I still believe we are designed to thrive best on a mainly plant based diet. But for many of us, it is hard to be healthy without the addition of some meat.

 

There is a guy called Dr Gabriel Cousins who has done a lot of research into these issues. He has found that people can thrive on mainly raw food plant based diets even with type 0 blood, but it has to be speficially biased towards their own constitution. I have the Rainbown Green Live Food Cuisine book and it is full of valuable information about these issues. He is vegan.

amazon.com/Rainbow-Live-Food-Cuisine-Gabriel-Cousens/dp/1556434650/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

[catz]

I was a vegetarian before I had kids. And even for a while after my oldest. I was anemic constantly and worn out. I went back to meet eating while pregnant with my 2nd and it's been a good thing I think. I was eating way too many bad carbs when I wasn't. I try to buy responsibly processed, organic meats. But my body feels much better eating meat at least occasionally.

[DawnM]

Interesting.

 

I have a friend who touts this as well. I am type A though and can be vegetarian. I feel better when I don't eat meat.

 

Dawn

[BMW]

I studied the "Eat Right For Your Type" book when I was fighting melanoma. It was interesting and it is spot on for my family, personally. Family members who are NOT O get sluggish if they eat a lot of meat. I, personally, thrive on meat. I feel sluggish without it. I can be drudging through the day, have some meat and it is a huge turn around for me.

 

That said, I know people who are not o, who are vegetarian, have very little energy and gain weight fast. They should be thriving on their vegetables, but they are not.

[joannqn]

I think the author of the French Don't Diet Plan started out a vegetarian and turned carnivore. Might be an interesting read for you.

 

I have a friend who mostly follows the blood type diet and talks about feeling better and losing weight with it. But she also complains about her weight yo-yo-ing all the time. Her list of foods she "can't have" is a mile long, making it very difficult to accommodate her dietary needs.

 

I looked at the book once and was amused to see I would be miserable on the diet for my blood type. Most of my favorite foods were banned and most of the foods I dislike were on the list of foods to eat.

[creekland]

I never read the book, nor cared what I ate for ethical reasons, but when I cut back meat thinking it would be healthier I both gained weight and became borderline anemic (sometimes just below the cut off, other times just above). My Dr told me to eat more meat. Since then, I've changed to eat quite a bit more meat and cut more carbs (but not Atkins) and feel much, much better. I'm also losing weight. Oh yes, I was also borderline diabetic and that has improved as well. Before I cut more meat I had none of the "issues."

 

I'm type o positive.

[Nestof3]

So is egg whites for lunch and meat in dinner four times a week enough for an O blood type?

 

I was also discouraged by the limitation of other favorite foods -- like certain nuts.

 

I have cut my morning coffee sugar down to 1 tsp instead of 2 tsp.

 

For lunch, I have been eating a small portion of slow-cooking oatmeal with no sweetener, a diced apple, some nuts and skim milk. I eat this eith egg whites and nonfat yogurt. I've been feeling really good after that lunch.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

with fish.

 

He looks great and feels pretty good. I think cutting out dairy really helped us. We were dairy-eating vegetarians for a few years, and we lost weight (were skinny), but HE felt bad. I felt fine.

 

This time, he says he feels a lot better. I'm not sure how much of his fish eating plays into it. He eats 1 serving of Mahi-mahi (95 calories, 40 protein) once a week.

 

Just my .02.

 

K

[Rebecca VA]

I would never have believed this if I hadn't seen it play out in my own family. My husband and daughter are Type O, and they crave meat. My son and I are Type B, and we don't crave meat, at least not much.

 

As my husband has gotten older, though -- he's 47 -- he tolerates meat less well. He's more and more content with eating several vegetarian dinners each week.