The thought behind the Blood Type Diet, created by naturopath Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo is that eating a diet based upon your blood type; O, A, B, or AB will make you healthier. Dr. D’Adamo claims that since foods react chemically with your body eating foods based on your blood type is beneficial and may even help individuals feel healthier, more energetic, and (always the forever claim with diets) “lose weight”. So what are some of the key factors to why this may work?

Your blood type undoubtedly is a key genetic marker to what diseases and conditions you are more predisposed to; perhaps eating in this way and understanding how foods reacts to YOUR body is a helpful tool. It is also interesting to see what your blood type may mean in terms of your reaction to stress and how best to utilize exercise for health.

Naturally I was interested to see if the study held true for myself, any way to better my health and create my own self-experimentation intrigues me and this was no different. Interestingly, I found that I have already narrowed down the foods that work best for me and they correlate closely to what Dr. D’Adamo recommends for my blood type. The correlation continued along with areas I find most stressful and which types of exercises leave me feeling most invigorated.

Interested? Here’s what Dr. D’Adamo recommends:

Type A blood: A diet free of meat based on fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, and whole grains in their purest form; meaning fresh and ideally organic. This is crucial because Type A individuals tend to have very sensitive immune systems.

Type B blood: Avoiding wheat, buckwheat, corn, tomatoes, lentils, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Chicken can be problematic for these individuals, although other meats work well in the body such as; goat, lamb, mutton, rabbit and venison. He also encourages these individuals to prominently include green vegetables, eggs, the meats listed above and low fat dairy. Type B’s tend to suffer from autoimmune disease much like Type A’s; although it stems from inflammation in the body rather than a high level of cortisol.

Type AB blood: This blood type reflects the inheritance of both A and B types. Foods to include in your regular diet include seafood, tofu, dairy and green vegetables. Avoid caffeine, cured meats, and alcohol because people with blood type AB tend to have low stomach acid.

Type O blood: A high-protein diet benefits these individuals; including lean meat, poultry, fish and vegetables. They should limit consumption of grains, beans and dairy, as this seems to aggravate their predisposition to tummy troubles. Dr. D’ Adamo recommends supplements to aid in digestion. Studies have shown that type O’s are twice as likely to suffer from ulcers and thyroid disorders.

The avoidance of processed and refined foods is important in this diet and eating this way is certainly healthy in that regard. Any weight loss has not been linked to your blood type and eating in this manner directly. Energy improvement and digestive aid in this diet has not been backed up with research outside of Dr. Adamo’s. However, if the Blood Type Diet intrigues you (as it did me) consider that the science of this diet is peppered with the traditional recommendations for healthy eating and well being—not purely the restrictions based on your blood type.