Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
By Nicola Cowell
Take a tip from Courtney, Liz and Cheryl and take up the Blood Group Diet. David Mills had to become a vegetarian as a result, but he is very happy with the results
IT’S the plan that helps Courteney Cox, Cheryl Cole and Liz Hurley keep their bikini bodies, but is the Blood Group Diet sustainable and does it work?
Well, David Mills from Mills and Mills Medical group is living proof that it really does help to shed the pounds… and he wasn’t even trying to lose weight!
“I would never have believed before I tried it that it would have such an incredible effect,” he explains.
“I lost ten kilos in ten weeks after I was put on the diet by my doctor to reduce my cholesterol.
“It’s about targeting what you eat according to your blood group and changing your diet to fit in with this.”
The diet, developed by US naturopath Dr Peter D`Adamo, bases itself on the idea that there are certain foods we are supposed to eat depending on our blood type.
If we eat the correct foods, our bodies digest it better and absorb it more effectively.
According to Dr D’Adamo all humans started out with blood group O, the group he calls ‘hunters’. Through time however, blood group A evolved because of the excessive amounts of meat being eaten by the hunters, and the vegetarian ‘cultivators’ were born.
‘It’s about targeting what you eat according to your blood group’
Next, the B-type ‘Nomads’ came along and their strong immune system meant they could eat dairy without a problem, unlike A and O types.
Finally, along came the ‘Enigma’ blood type AB, with people who could tolerate an even more varied diet.
This is why people with blood group O are the main meat-eaters of the Blood Group Diet.
According to D’Adamo, they should follow a high protein, low-carbohydrate diet. This means lots of meat, fish and olive oil with eggs, nuts, seeds and only certain vegetables in moderation.
“Those in group A are better off following a vegetarian lifestyle, avoiding dairy, and should stick to nuts, seeds, beans, cereals, pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables,” says D’Adamo.
B-types can get away with eating meat and dairy but must avoid processed foods and watch their carbohydrate intake.
Finally those with rare type AB are allowed to add dairy to their vegetarian lifestyle but can eat meat and fish occasionally too.
The diet is certainly not all about weight loss, insists David, 50, who has run the Mills and Mills group in Marbella for five years.
While most users do lose weight, he was put on the diet after a routine blood test revealed he had high blood sugar levels and cholesterol.
“They did a full screen of my blood and the nurse was surprised that my blood sugar was so high at my age, so she referred me to this diet as a way of becoming healthier,” he explains.
Because David has blood-group A, he had to give up all meat and dairy, something which he found very difficult in the first few weeks.
“It was a shock to the system at first because I had to go from drinking 16 cups of tea with milk a day, to drinking none at all! I now drink black coffee, which I never used to drink,” he explains.
“I didn’t used to drink a lot of alcohol anyway, so cutting that out wasn’t really a problem and you can still drink red wine with meals because it’s an anti-oxidant.
“I suppose if you’re used to eating burgers and drinking lots of beer, the diet would be a big change. The only drawback is that you do have to completely cut out certain food groups, but I didn’t really get any cravings for meat because I was very motivated to sort out my health.”
Sure enough, after just six weeks on the diet David’s blood sugar level was back to normal and his cholesterol had dropped to within a healthy range again. And that wasn’t the only benefit.
“I’ve been able to relax the diet a bit now, but I still follow it because it helped me to sleep better, gave me more energy, and helped me feel more alert and just generally a lot fitter”, he says.
‘I would definitely recommend this diet if you want to lose weight’
“I was told to do one hour of exercise a day, but I had to eventually stop doing most of that because I was simply losing too much weight and went from a waist size 34 to a 30.
“My friends and family were getting worried that I was a shadow of my former-self!”
David and his staff were so impressed with the effects of the Blood Group Diet that nearly all of them have now adopted the plan to lose weight.
They have also set up a Blood Group Diet clinic at the medical centre, where they offer consultations with blood screenings and diet plans for 160 euros.
David says: “Some people say it’s wacky but I would definitely recommend the diet if you want to lose weight; you absolutely cannot fail!”
For more info contact David at Mills and Mills at www.millsmedical.com
David ,what exactly are you allowed on your diet this blood group diet is not new ,its been around for years . Do you eat fish ? what do you eat with pasta ?do you eat bread?
do you use soy milk instead of dairy . I would appreciate your comments thank you
I’ve been on the diet for over 4 years, and can’t imagine where I’d be without it. It’s exciting to see that Dr D’Adamo is starting to receive the praise he deserves. Thanks for the great article!
Thanks for the nice article. I encourage you to take it a bit further, why not read the rest of Dr. D’Adamo’s books, since 1996 he has written quite a few. Live Right for Your Type and the most recent book The Genotype diet are two of my favorites. You may be surprised what you discover about yourself as you move toward more personalized nutrition, a diet designed just for you.
I posted your article to my face book as well as on the Long Island Eat Right for Your Type Support group page. I am sure people will be sending this off to friends and family who have been sitting on the fence. Andrea Cayea
I have followed this diet for many years . .I cannot recommend this diet highly enough . .. any one starting it will be amazad at the results . . its also strange how people also think I am younger then I am . . .and yes people will always have somethink to say . . but once on it you will always want to be on it as much as possible . .because you feel so good kind regards karen
Hi David,
I’m an A also. I believe you may be able to have black tea. Pick up the SWAMI program, from the Dadamo.com website and get an individual diet. I have black tea, green tea and coffee as super beneficials. Why deprive yourself? :)
Thanks for this great article! I have been eating right for my blood type for several years (also an A) – my weight has been stable even into my 40’s when my friends are starting to gain weight, but, most important, I FEEL great. I have lots of energy and rarely get sick. I’m glad you discovered this path to health and are spreading the word! We need more people like you!
David, I agree! Dr. D’Adamo’s approach to individualized eating is revolutionary and powerful. I have been eating for my blood type more than a decade and my health has improved in leaps and bounds. His research has continued diligently, and he has many more books available. My favorite blood type book is LR4YT. He also has blood type approaches to major diseases covered in his health series library. The next generation of his work is the Genotype diet, which is even more effective, and I have been following it for 2 1/2 years now.
I tried to give the article 5 stars, but didn’t understand how the system worked. Accidentally clicked on 2 stars. :( But I give it 5, really! :)
Hey Nicole…thank you for the wonderful article. David and staff…glad that you have found this way of life and that it has helped you to lose weight. And rememeber…it is not only a weight loss diet, but an anti-inflammatory/anti-aging diet. Health problems you have will disappear before your eyes. The longer you are on it the better off you are. Myself…7 years (and 80 pounds lost) on Blood Type Diet and now over 2 1/2 years on GTD (the sequel) and I have such an inner peace. Enjoy.
I have been doing the blood type diet for over 7 years now and it was a complete turnaround for me. I am blood type A and used to eat more food in the avoid list than beneficial. I had bad allergies, acid reflux, asthma, vertigo, migraine, always bloated and had indigestion, could not get good sleep at night for years and did not have energy. In a matter of 5 days, I felt like I was a completely different person. Now I follow the SWAMI Genotype which is an individualized diet and exercise plan developed by Dr. Peter D’Adamo and life keeps getting better each day. Dr D’Adamo is such a genius and a blessing to a lot of people.
3 cheers for news of this nature. I’ve been a follower for 8 years or more. Anyone can look at the food charts at http://www.dadamo.com. You’re awesome Dr. D!!!
Thanks for this great article. I have been on the Blood type diet for 2 years due to health problems. I am now feeling wonderful, younger & lost 20 lbs without even trying but for me that’s just icing on the cake.
this blood type way of eating delicate well tested menu’s is the way we save our lives.. ***** is not enough, its the way to sanity, to mental relaxation, eliminating pain and allergens.. thanks for a good write up explaining what needs to be understood.. it’s not about diet,, but about health,,and wealth and saving us from illness for the next generation even..
I must try the diet, though the science behind it is very dodgy.
Baboons for example, are mainly blood group A, and the O group is clearly a mutation of that, rather than the other way round.
But if the diet works, stick to it.
Jill
“3 cheers for news of this nature. I’ve been a follower for 8 years or more. Anyone can look at the food charts at http://www.dadamo.com. You’re awesome Dr. D!!!”
He is also a charlatan. Peddling pseudoscience to sell books to gullible people.
Try http://www.vegsource.com/klaper/diet5.htm
or //health101.org/art_blood_type_diet.htm
Essentially it is nonsense, but it sells a lot of books, and some people find a change of diet refreshing anyway, which is a good thing.
Petermac.. so you can’t wrap your head around what Dr. D’Adamo writes about?
Why not let us each have our own diet? you can keep yours and we can continue with ours? Individuality is the key.
Andrea,
By all means have your own diet, and change it to fit you and the way you feel.
But please don’t think that D’Adamo is a medical Doctor, because he is not, or that what he says has any scientific basis.
If it works for you, that is great. Different diets work for different people.
Pete,
What difference does it make, ND/MD? What’s important is Dr D’Adamo is on top of the latest research, unlike many medical doctors who spend their time off playing golf. And here’s the scientific basis that you’re so eager to read: “http://www.dadamo.com/science.htm”. Cheers
I am blood group 0 positive and have started the diet i also have Hypothyroidism which Dr D’Adamo says most O positive people have and I’d like to know can I have Rye bread or Spelt bread while on the diet? Could you please let me know as I’d like to go shopping tomorrow to buy it.
Thanks
Erika Thorpe
We interviewed Peter J. D’Adamo, ND, for the AANMC, and discovered that Dr. D’Adamo actually inherited the notion behind the blood type diet from his father, another renowned naturopath, and then spent years validating and synthesizing the science behind the idea, culminating in his award-winning “Eat Right 4 Your Type” book.
In the interview he shares what it was like growing up under the influence of his father, what type of diet he grew up eating, who began the research on blood types as they relate to diet, his newest medical endeavors, and much more about food as medicine.
You can read the interview here:
“http://www.aanmc.org/careers/alumni-leaders-in-the-field/peter-dadamo-profile.php”