Recipes for the Blood Type B Diet

The blood type diet is both unusual and controversial. While it is frequently used for weight loss, promoting overall health is its primary goal. Based on the work of Peter D'Adamo, and his book "Eat Right 4 Your Type," the blood type diet deals primarily with restricting certain kinds of foods rather than portion control. According to D'Adamo, Type B first evolved in the Himalayan highlands. It is characteristic of the herder, whose diet is a balance of meat and cultured dairy products. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Ingredients to Embrace

"Balance" is the watchword for Type B. An omnivorous diet that incorporates foods selectively from each food group is essential for Type B to thrive. Of all the blood types, Type B can most easily digest dairy, especially soft cheeses like cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzarella and goat cheese (but excepting highly-processed cheeses, like American cheese or string cheese products). Rice, puffed rice and oatmeal are beneficial grains. All green leafy vegetables are beneficial to Type B, and the best fruits are pineapple, banana, cranberry, grapes, papaya and plums. The ideal sources of protein are eggs, goat, lamb, mutton, rabbit and venison.

Ingredients to Avoid

There are several ingredients Type B should avoid or omit from recipes if possible. Corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds slow down the metabolic process of Type B, lowering blood sugar and creating fatigue. Chicken and pork should also be avoided, according to D'Adamo, because of an agglutinating lectin in the meat that Type B blood interprets as an antigen. Most nuts and seeds should also be avoided, especially cashews, pistachios, peanuts, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds, because they interfere with Type B insulin production.

Spices

When it comes to flavoring food, Type B does best with warming herbs. Indicative of this category are ginger, horseradish, curry and cayenne pepper--all traditionally associated with "spicy" foods. Peppermint and ginseng are also beneficial, and are delicious in teas and other beverages. Seasonings Type B should avoid are pepper (both white and black) as well as the sweet herbs and artificial sweeteners, particularly cinnamon, corn syrup and almond extract.