Eat right for your blood type -- introducing the Blood Type Diet

Is Your Blood Type Making You Fat?

Low-carb... low-fat... meal replacement... food combining... points.

You've tried just about every diet in the book, but nothing has worked. While plenty of weight-loss programs can be tailored to your wants and needs, how many are designed with your biology -- more specifically, your blood type -- in mind? Chances are you can't count them on one hand... or even one finger for that matter.

Probably because you're not familiar with Peter D'Adamo, ND (Naturopath), father of the Blood Type Diet and author of Eat Right 4 Your Type, Cook Right 4 Your Type and the Complete Blood Type Diet Encyclopedia. D'Adamo calls his innovative and ground-breaking approach to weight loss the first post-modern diet. Where the low-carb and low-fat diets have failed, he promises the blood-type diet will succeed.

If the mere mention of blood type and genetics in the same sentence has you yawning, you may want to snap awake and pay attention to D'Adamo's crash course in science and slimming. It could mean the difference between finally losing weight or remaining stuck in the fat lane.

According to D'Adamo, the The Blood Type Diet

is the first diet plan to add genetics to the equation. For too long, desperate dieters have put their faith in a one-size-fits-all plan. He's here to revolutionize the way we peel off the pounds.

There are no meal plans nor are there any recipes. Based on D'Adamo's ideology, there are beneficial, neutral and avoid foods" which are determined by whether you are type A, B, O or AB. In some cases, the foods most of us consider healthy could actually be hindering your progress. Of course, the first step is finding out your blood type. D'Adamo says about 55 percent of the population knows the answer.

If you donate blood, you probably know what type blood is coursing through your veins. Don't worry if you don't know the answer. There are at-home blood-testing kits readily available. D'Adamo says you don't need to know whether you're positive or negative -- that determination does not affect the diet.

The next step is consulting one of D'Adamo's great books, Eat Right 4 Your Type or Live Right 4 Your Type.

"The information you need is readily available," D'Adamo tells eDiets. "Once you get the book, you go to the chapter that deals with your blood type. You might look under meats and see which are beneficial, neutral or avoid. You find out which fish are beneficial.

"Most diets don't work this way. You get a 10-day eating plan and work from there. This diet is predicated on the exact relationship between the individual and a particular food. Say you're blood type B. Turkey is acceptable but chicken is an avoid because of the lectin (proteins found in foods) contained in the organ and muscle meat."

Type O's should avoid cauliflower, leeks, yucca, potatoes, juniper and cucumber because they too contain lectins that may be blood type specific. The list of beneficial, neutral and avoid foods goes on and on. What's most important to remember is that lectins interact in different ways according to blood type. When you eat a food containing lectins that are incompatible with your blood type, they interfere with digestion, metabolism and your immune system, making you sick and tired and fat.

Essentially, that means if you don't have a working knowledge about which foods impact your blood type, you may think you're eating healthy when you really aren't. And it's not just your weight that pays the price. By fitting your eating habits to your blood type you have the ability to improve your overall health, says D'Adamo.

"You have control over those things," he notes. "You can try not to eat the avoids and you can get phenomenally good results with this diet by having the knowledge of what's right and what's wrong. You don't have to follow the diet 100 percent to get dramatic results, mainly because the human body has a tremendous capacity.

"If you are sick and trying to control illness and maximize weight loss, you should keep your compliance level to 90 percent. Ninety percent of your foods should come from neutral or beneficial foods. This will move a person very fast, very far."

If you're still unsure of how the plan works, you can have the Blood Type Diet personalized for you on eDiets. Once you enter your blood type, along with your physical profile, you'll receive a customized meal plan with recipes, shopping lists and menus. We've done everything but prepare the meal for you.

In addition, you'll have 24/7 access to peer and professional support to answer any questions you might have about the Blood Type Diet. Click here to get started.

Here is a breakdown by blood type on how you can get started in changing your habits.

Type A: Emphasize vegetables; concentrate on stress management engage in yoga or gentle exercise to reduce stress; take naps or frequent breaks to stay focused; as you age, a regular sleep cycle is crucial to keep your health in balance.

Type B: Vary your diet; focus on creative outlets; engage in walking and meditation to reduce stress; use disciplines outlined in the book to avoid emotional overreaction; as you age, mental activities are crucial to retaining memory.

Type O: Emphasize animal proteins; focus on anger management; engage in aerobic exercise to reduce stress; use disciplines outlined in the book to help control Type O impulsive behavior; as you age, vigorous exercise is crucial.

Type AB: Eat smaller, more frequent meals; focus on cultivating your natural spiritual tendencies; break up your day with physical activity to feel more energized; use disciplines outlined in the book to avoid feelings of isolation; be aware of your environment as you age, to avoid susceptibility to bacterial infections.

To make following the Blood Type Diet even simpler, the plan is now powered by eDiets. Based on your blood type, you will receive a weekly menu of beneficial foods that will help you maintain optimum health and lose weight at the same time.