Hailey Baldwin-Bieber boasts over 15 million Instagram followers, a collaboration with Adidas, and increasing media interest as a result of her recent marriage to Justin Bieber – so anything she recommends is more than likely to be taken up by thousands of her young followers, with real muster.
She’s the latest A-lister to open up about her diet and in a recent interview with Women’s Health: revealed she follows something called the ‘Blood Type Diet.’
So beyond the obvious of avoiding sugar and alcohol, she has announced that she follows the blood type diet.
It’s something that seems a natural progression after growing up eating organic and gluten-free food, she told Women’s Health: “I have a hard time with my stomach digesting foods. If you’ve been a certain way for so long and you start putting other stuff in your body the reactions can be really intense.”
What is the blood type diet we can hear you ask? The Blood Type Diet was brought to the public’s attention in the 90s when American naturopathic physician, Peter D’Adamo published a book titled ‘Eat Right for Your Type’.
In the book, D’Adamo claims the body’s response to food is directly linked to your blood type. As a result, he says that each blood type merits its own set of rules about the foods you should and shouldn’t eat.
As you would expect the book claims to help people lose weight, improve digestive health, and improve general well-being. The physician’s website explains: ‘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.
Could eating a diet based on your blood type — O, A, B, or AB — help you trim down and get healthier? That’s the idea behind the Blood Type Diet, created by naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo.
D’Adamo claims that the foods you eat react chemically with your bloodtype. If you follow a diet designed for your blood type, your body will digest food more efficiently. You’ll lose weight, have more energy, and help prevent disease.
What You Can Eat
That depends on your blood type. Here’s what D’Adamo recommends for each type:
- Type O blood: A high-protein diet heavy on lean meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables, and light on grains, beans, and dairy. D’Adamo also recommends various supplements to help with tummy troubles and other issues he says people with type O tend to have.
- Type A blood: A meat-free diet based on fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains — ideally, organic and fresh, because D’Adamo says people with type A blood have a sensitive immune system.
- Type B blood: Avoid corn, wheat, buckwheat, lentils, tomatoes, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Chicken is also problematic, D’Adamo says. He encourages eating green vegetables, eggs, certain meats, and low-fat dairy.
- Type AB blood: Foods to focus on include tofu, seafood, dairy, and green vegetables. He says people with type AB blood tend to have low stomachacid. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoked or cured meats.
WebMD medical review teams Dr. Melinda Ratini Says:
Does It Work?
One study found that adults eating the type A diet showed improved health markers, but this occurred in everyone, not just those with type A blood type. In 2013, a major review concluded that no evidence exists to support benefits of blood type diets.
It’s likely that you would lose weight, though, because the diet can be very restrictive.
Is It Good for Certain Conditions?
The Blood Type Diet makes recommendations based solely on your blood type. So, if you have a chronic condition (say, diabetes), you may be told to eat high protein, while another person with diabetes may have to avoid dairy or chicken. This may conflict with your diabetes treatment plan.
The American Diabetes Association recommends a more practical approach to your day-to-day eating. It also cautions against focusing on specific foods. In most cases it doesn’t recommend cutting out any major food groups.
The Blood Type Diet also fails to address other conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or cholesterol. Any needed weight loss is sure to have a positive impact on these conditions.
But no matter your blood type, you should follow the same guidelines issued by The American Heart Association (AHA) for a low-fat and low-salt diet.
Also, everyone should aim for 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week and at least 2 days of strength training per week.
On The Blood Type Diet, you’ll avoid processed food and simple carbs. That may be enough to help you lose some weight. But any weight loss on this diet has not been linked to your blood type.
There’s also no research proving that this diet can aid in digestion or give you more energy.
Meanwhile, Web MD notes that as processed food and simple carbs are to be avoided on the diet, it’s possible it may aid in some weight loss. However, any loss has not been linked to a specific blood type. There’s also no research to prove that diet aids digestion or increases energy levels.
We can’t deny the influence A-listers have in the way we buy, what we believe, and how we live. As a result, we should always remain vigilant and educate ourselves properly with the help of medical experts before following any diet or eating plan promoted in the media.