[.ca] Eat Right For Your Type Complete Blood Type Encyclopedia (ISBN 1573229202)

More scientifically oriented than Eat Right...:
I admit it: I was suspicious of this diet. Before examining this book, I thought the diet sounded very "fad-like" (and I remain wholly unconvinced by the personality-trait correspondences which are NOT essential to the scientific basis of the diet, just a curiosity). I read negative reviews and their justifications. What I noticed was that most of these reviews sounded a lot like the criticisms leveled at the Atkins diet, a diet that does work for a lot of people (though not all--this book makes clear why) that have since been disproven by double-blind studies. A number noted that d'Adamo's theories weren't backed up by scientific research. Fair enough; this book cites double-blind studies and peer-reviewed research extensively, far more so than the Eat Right and Cook Right books. It also fine-tunes some of the earlier findings. This is ongoing research, something you just don't see in proponents of "fad" diets. D'Adamo has clearly been listing to his critics, and makes every attempt to clarify, fine-tune, and explain how all of this works. I picked this book--and the diet--up when I browsed it in the store and noted that the medical problems in my family charted almost exactly with the risk factors for blood type. (Blood type correlations with disease have actually been established in peer-reviewed medical journals for a long time, although they aren't much talked about.) I tried the diet. I'm about three weeks in. I've lost 10 pounds, my digestive problems are much improved, I feel more energetic, I don't crave sweets, and -- the most convincing thing for me, because I wasn't looking for it and therefore can't attribute it to the placebo effect -- the morning stiffness I've had for 30 years is gone. It takes at least a week for things to kick in--especially if one has increased intestinal permeability due to intestinal damage--but it does, and for many, myself included, the results are quite profound. I am not a scientist, nor am I claiming that d'Adamo has everything right. There are some typos in the book, although most misprints are corrected on the website (www.dadamo.com)--hard to find, but worth looking. This is ongoing research, however. D'Adamo also uses that site to update new findings on food compatibility. I think this diet could easily be used in conjunction with others appropriate to type. For instance, type O people will do well with Atkins as long as they cut out the wheat gluten and dairy; people with food allergies may have to limit intake of more foods than he lists. He suggests 70-80% compliance works for most people. Even the critics suggest that this diet isn't likely to harm anyone. I fully expect some version of this to be exonerated as fully as, if not more than, Atkins. In the meantime, this is a great resource, it's interesting reading even for the healthy, and it is more likely to engage a reader like myself who likes to see detailed scientific justification before jumping into a health plan.

Eat Right for Your Blood Type by Dr. D'Adamo:
This is a top medical reference in the alternative medicinal area. The book discusses dietary implications based upon blood types. For instance, Type A is the agrarian which is comfortable with grains and livestock. Blood type B people require a balanced diet of meat and dairy. (B-Antigen) Type AB is the modern man with an inherited tolerance of AB with enhanced abilities to manufacture more antibodies. (A & B antigen) The blood type is key to the immune system. Blood type 0 persons have no antigens. (Anti-A and Anti-B antibodies) Type B people may have milk ; whereas, Type A people tend to have systems which agglutinate and reject it. The author mentions an Indican urine scale for bowel putrification; wherein, the liver and intestines do not metabolize proteins. Instead; they produce indols- toxic byproducts on the Indican Scale. Foods with toxic Indicans should be avoided. i.e. Bologna which magnifies nitrites Lactin activity inflames the intestines, causes bloating and slows food metabolism. Blood type O discourages the metabolism of animal protein. This type person needs lean and chemical - free meat, fish and chicken. Wheat gluten slows the metabolism and interferes with insulin efficiency. Kelp, seafood,liver, kale, spinach,brocolli and red meat are ideal for metabolism and weight loss/stabilization. Bacon, ham, pork, American cheese, cheddar and ice cream should be minimized. Soy may be utilized as a good alternate to the dairy group. Flax oil and olive oil are beneficial. Corn oil and peanut oil should be avoided. Type B persons have stronger immune systems and may eat meat, green veggies, eggs, liver, licorace tea and ginger. Type AB persons benefit from TOFU, dairy , green veggies and millet. Persons with sinusitis and Type B should avoid fenugreek. Type O persons should avoid alfalfa. Type B persons react badly to vaccines. Type A persons should avoid cayenne due to potential nausea. Type O and B should avoid aloe vera juice. This book contains a wealth of important dietary material. It should be read carefully. The contents should be placed in a daily diary for maximum benefit and systematic measurement of progress. The book is worth the price. I find the information content of this book nowhere else. For this reason alone, the book should be purchased and read carefully.

Comprehensive Volume for All Following the ER4YT Program:
This updated 2002 volume supercedes D'Adamo's original title ER4YT as it adds secretor/non-secretor practical information regarding food choices for those who wish to further refine their diet. Set up in an alphabetically arranged encyclopedia format, the text covers topics that range from the anthropology of the blood types, the history of blood types in medicine, a listing of conditions and diseases with relation to blood type and food choices for all 4 types. If you are an advocate of the ER4YT program, this book is a must as is the delightful cookbook, 'Cook Right For Your Type'. I have been on the program at the advice of my health care provider for over 2 months and have slimmed down without really dieting all while feeling a heck of a lot better. Referring to this book, the cookbook as well as the original ER4YT help keep you interested --- as boredom resulting from monotonous food choices seems to be one of my number one problems with staying with any program.

This book needs more information:
This book needs more information and some sort of telephone numbers or contacts to understand what exactly need to be done for certain problems. For example, it recommends some protocols to use, but it is not clear as to we should use all of it at one time or are they optional, meaning can we use any one of them. It will also be helpful if it says where these are available. This book was not as helpful as I expected it to be.

1st diet, last diet?:
Having studied, tried, or heard about many "health diets" in the last 35 years, I have always wondered why distinguished health professionals would produce diets that were so contradictory to one other. After all, it's the same human body we're talking about, right? This book is the most complete in a series of books that answers these questions in a way that passes scientific muster. Of course we are not all the same, but why? The answer lies in the fact that we each have a unique genetic heritage that dictates how we react to the foods we eat. The basic premise of Dr. D'Adamo's book reflects current thinking on the anthropological origins of our various blood types, which, although similar, are different enough to provoke adverse reactions not only to each other, but to foods that share the chemical markers of those various blood types. If I can sum up my experience with this book in one sentence, it is this: If thousands of years of history of Homo Sapiens can be seen as a long dance of adaptation between plants and animals, we would all do well to know what our genetic ancestors adapted to, and stick to it. This book will help you do just that! Individuals new to the study of genetics may find the science in this book to be quite overwhelming, as well as the many pages of footnotes. I say bring it on! To those who say this is pseudoscience: Give this book a try. You may just discover what foods make you feel, think, and look your best, and discover why at the same time!