Diet of Choice: I shall Try the Blood Type Diet.....What about You!

If it’s Good Enough for Cliff Then Surely it’s Good enough for me?

A Young One with the right idea

For an alternative approach to the festive period and beyond, consider following in the footsteps of the former boy wonder of British pop music, Mr rainy Wimbledon sing-a-long himself, Sir Cliff Richard.

No, l don’t mean make a record aiming for yet another Christmas number 1, l was thinking more of the great man’s approach to his diet and fitness, who for a man pushing 70, seems to have taken on board the concept of the Blood Type dieting and food choices with the desired affect of making him look as well as a man half his age.

Created by naturopath Dr Peter D’Adamo, the Blood Type diet is designed for individual blood groups that highlight foods that may react badly with certain individuals more than others due to blood type, and for those foods to be eliminated leading to greater control of weight and a more healthier outlook, short term and long.

Be happy in food, be happy in body

It is also believed that levels of Stomach acidity and digestive enzymes needed to break food down for digestion and absorption are also linked with your blood type, as is the idea that blood types evolved at different stages throughout history, and that because of this, it’s the foods of our ancestors that should play a big part in our food choices of today.

The Living Doll himself, Cliff, along with many other celebrities is a convert to this nutritional way of thinking, him, like others highlighting the great energy levels and feeling of wellness.

Cliff is Blood type A, points to his adverse foods of red meat, wheat, dairy, potatoes tomatoes, mangoes and papaya, whilst being able to eat good sources of lean protein such as fish, chicken and that lovely Christmas Turkey, as well as some carbohydrates such as Organic brown/brown basmati rice.

Blood Type A: believed to have emerged from the age when Hunter-gatherer days were at an end from around 15,000 BC, and is the second most common Blood Type in the UK.

Foods to stick to for the Festive period and beyond if thinking of this approach include:

No dairy or red meat, but plenty of Yoga

• Chicken or Turkey, great at Christmas but all year round also
• Less red meat such as lamb, beef, duck, goose, pork, veal, game
• The quality lean meat of Turkey is perfect for Blood Type A
• Wild cold water fish such as Salmon, mackerel, sardines and trout are a great option, with lean protein and a good source of minerals as well as a abundance of beneficial Omega 3 fatty Acids
• Try and keep clear of too much smoked fish, as well as highly salted fish such as anchovy, and also fish such as plaice and haddock…..not so many visits to the fish and chip shop then!
• Avoid a majority of dairy products from cows milk, cheese and butter, but could include some amounts of feta, mozzarella, ricotta, goat’s cheese and goat’s milk in moderation
• Nuts such as Brazil nuts and cashews, seeds, cereals, wholemeal pasta, brown or wild rice are on the eat list
• Plenty of fruit and vegetables, during the Christmas period, cabbage, sweet potatoes
• Eggs, poached or boiled in moderation

• Calming exercises such as yoga and Tai chi maybe highly beneficial in reducing stress for Blood Type A

Vicky The Viking had a Varied diet too!

Blood Type B: A rare blood group, Type B has the least of all the dietary restrictions, with our well travelled ancestors from around 10,000 BC with Nordic routes being exposed to a variety of foods and diets as they moved around and that variety is reflected in the choices available:

• Variety and choice, but avoid processed foods and too much salt
• Variety of meat, beef, lamb and the Christmas Turkey
• Lots of choice with fish, but wild, cold water fish such as salmon, trout and mackerel are good options, again with good mineral source and Omega 3 fatty Acids
• Most dairy products are fine, but again, all in moderation as too much rich cheese and dairy products can produce increased acidity that plays a role in Gout formation in men
• Nuts, seeds, cereals such as oats, quinoa, spelt, wild and brown rice, along with wholemeal or Buckwheat flour and pasta are a good option
• Legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, black and kidney beans
• Wide variety and choice of Fruit and vegetables, Organic where possible, well washed on all occasions. Plenty of beneficial Pomegranate in stores this time of year so make full use of this fantastic fruit
• Mental exercises such as hiking and swimming like our active, well travelled ancestral thinkers maybe beneficial to Blood type B

Catch it if you can, keep fit at the same time!

Blood Type O: The most common blood group in the UK, the Hunter gatherers of 50,000BC, survived on high protein, meat based diets, low in carbs, high in fish, but low in dairy. The cave man diet to some, slow metabolism that breaks down food slowly, the catching of your food was of extreme importance to keep fit and active. Food choices include:

 

• Organic, free range red meat and poultry, though with less emphasis on pork, and pork based products such as overly processed and salted meats
• Regular consumption of wild, cold water fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and herring
• Goat’s cheese and milk is ideal as it was with our ancestors, cows milk and cheese is not. Again, Everything in moderation.
• Almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and macadamia in moderation but avoid Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, sunflower and poppy seeds.
• Legumes and pulses occasionally for good protein source, but as a replacement to meat or fish
• Oats, quinoa, rye, buckwheat, spelt and brown and wild rice in moderation, but avoid wheat and wheat products
• A variety of certain fruits and vegetables in essential with a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. So while their will be plenty of Turkey, cut down on the potatoes, as well as cauliflower, cabbage, and the christmas Brussels sprouts, but increase Kale, spinach and broccoli, all are great steamed for Christmas dinner with a chilli and Turkey gravy broth
• 3 servings of fruit per day, such as plums, prunes and figs, great during the festive season, high in vitamins and fibre, with grapefruit and most berries in moderation to add variety and beneficial polyphenol antioxidants
• Exercise for Blood Type O should follow the role set by those hunter-gatherer ancestors, with more vigorous aerobic exercise such running in the parkland, hills, mountains or along the beach that help with such a slower metabolism.

 The Blood type diet: Theory or fact or just plain commonsense?

One size does not fit all, everyone is different

Finding the right foods for each individual is the most important aspect when thinking about diet and health, the concept of Functional medicine, that we all are individuals with different tastes and likes, as well as dislikes, and that is never more reflected in food choice and how foods affect us, and also how various health promoting diets will affect each individual differently.

The original Young one, the Bachelor Boy himself Cliff Richard, has found the food he likes and dislikes and a programme that suits his lifestyle. He is remember, a multi millionaire, does not work much, houses in the sun, personal trainers, home gyms, good food, good ideas, good medicine that all go in making him look as great as he does for his age.

This concept of almost endless wealth and time off in sunny climes is not one many of us can comprehend, so whether the Blood Type diet is solely the great indicator for his good health will be open to question, but what isn’t is the concept of being aware of foods that we like and don’t like, foods that we react to negatively with sluggishness, feeling bloated, tiredness, feeling anxious, stressed or hyperactive and how if we can see what foods we react badly too, we can eliminate them or control better how and when we have them.

As has been pointed out, keeping a diary of foods or taking a picture with a camera phone when out eating or at functions and seeing how you feel after eating such foods can quickly highlight if you do have issues with certain foods and provide you with the option of change should you feel this might be beneficial.

Keep it well balanced and Enjoy

Good balanced diet, leaving out foods that make you feel not how you want to feel, doing the right exercise and activity that suits you, not just because a friend or colleague may be doing it, getting the right amount of sleep within the family and working environment that is right and happy for you then maybe we all don’t have to sell millions of Christmas Number 1’s to look good at Sir Cliff’s age.

Merry Christmas and Good, Happy Health to all.