NewAfricanWoman Issue 49 - Flipbook - Page 75
FEATURE
| HEALTH & WELLBEING
Knowing your blood type is an important tool for understanding how your body reacts
to food, your susceptibility to disease, your natural reaction to stress, and so much
more. A single drop of blood contains a biochemical make-up as unique to you as your
fingerprint. Here are the recommendations for each blood type:
TYPE A
Type As flourish on a vegetarian diet — if you are accustomed
to eating meat, you will lose weight and have more energy once
you eliminate toxic foods from your diet. Many people find it
difficult to move away from the typical meat and potato fare to
soy proteins, grains and vegetables. But it is particularly important for sensitive Type As to eat their foods in as natural a state
as possible: pure, fresh and organic.
TYPE B
For Type Bs the biggest factors in weight gain are corn, wheat,
buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts and sesame seeds. Each
of these foods affects the efficiency of your metabolic process,
resulting in fatigue, fluid retention, and hypoglycemia — a severe
drop in blood sugar after eating a meal. When you eliminate these
foods and begin eating a diet that is right for your type, your
blood sugar levels should remain normal after meals. Another
very common food that Type Bs should avoid is chicken. Chicken
contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue.
Other foods that encourage weight loss are green vegetables,
eggs, beneficial meats, and low-fat dairy. When the toxic foods
are avoided and replaced with beneficial foods, Blood Type Bs
are very successful in controlling their weight.
TYPE O
The initial weight loss on the Type O diet is by restricting
consumption of grains, breads, legumes, and beans. The leading factor in weight gain for Type Os is the gluten found in wheat
germ and whole wheat products, which interferes with insulin
efficiency and slows down metabolic rate. Another factor that
contributes to weight gain is that certain beans and legumes
(lentils and kidney beans) contain lectins that deposit in the
muscle tissues making them less ‘charged’ for physical activity. The third factor in Type O weight gain is that Type Os have
a tendency to have low levels of thyroid hormone, which also
causes metabolic problems. Therefore it is good to avoid foods
that inhibit thyroid hormone (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, mustard green) but increase hormone production (kelp,
seafood, iodized salt).
TYPE AB
Type AB should avoid caffeine and alcohol, especially when
you’re in stressful situations. It is recommended that Type ABs
focus on foods such as tofu, seafood, dairy and green vegetables if you are trying to lose weight. Avoid all smoked or cured
meats. These foods can cause stomach cancer in people with low
levels of stomach acid. There is a wide variety of seafood for Type
AB, and it is an excellent source of protein. A few highly beneficial fish are mahi-mahi, red snapper, salmon, sardines, and tuna.
Some dairy is also beneficial for Type AB — especially cultured
dairy such as yogurt and kefi.
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March 2023 New African Woman
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