The Power of Food Combining and Blood Type: Tailoring a Customised Diet for Optimal Health
We’re not all the same.
A key tenant of naturopathic medicine is bio-individuality, which understands that each person is unique. We all differ in how we experience the world, how our body reacts to it’s environment, and how our body will heal when it’s out of balance. Though symptoms of disease will manifest in the same way, how an individual becomes sick, and how their body choses to embark on self-healing, are key considerations for naturopathic practitioners as they guide people towards healing.
I’m often asked, “what the best diet is to lose weight or get more energy….”. That’s almost impossible to answer without understanding someone’s unique bio-individuality.
Food isn’t just fuel for our bodies; it's the key to unlocking our potential for vibrant health, self-healing and wellbeing. It isn’t just that a simple calories in and out, or a vegan diet will heal all disease … each of us are very different, and require different things.
That’s not to say there aren’t some key points around nutrition and diet that are general to every human, because there are. Human’s require a balance of macro and micronutrients to sustain our basic chemical functions. What I am saying, is that when taking any advice around a diet plan, you should seek guidance or engage tools to examine your individual constitution (individual physiological character) before taking the advice of others.
And a way to get started is by focusing food combining and attempting to eat for your blood type.
The concept of appropriate food combining has gained significant attention in recent years as a way to enhance digestion, boost energy, and promote overall health. It’s scientifically backed and easy to follow. It’s aim is to guide people on the best foods to eat in one sitting, to ensure optimum absorption of nutrients and better digestion.
The blood type diet, on the other hand, hasn’t had the same scientific backing. But, it provides a stepping stone for people to think about how their unique constitution impacts their eating practices. Unlike food combining, depending on environmental factors and other genetic factors, the Blood Type Diet may provide little benefit. But in trying it, what you may learn is a bit about yourself and why you gravitate to certain foods.
The Basics of Food Combining
Proper food combining is based on the principle that certain foods digest better when consumed separately. The primary objective of food combining is to optimise digestion and nutrient absorption by eating foods that digest well together.
So the steps to food combining are:
Separate Carbohydrates and Proteins: This principal rule states that you should not consume carbohydrates and proteins in the same meal. Carbohydrates primarily digest in an alkaline environment, while proteins require an acidic environment for digestion. Combining them can create digestive stress, as the acid balance in your stomach will become confused. This may lead to foods being digested poorly or at different rates, in the same meal.
Fruits Mainly Eaten Alone: Fruits are best consumed on an empty stomach or 20-30 minutes before a meal. This is because they are digested quickly due to the high sugar content, and can ferment in the stomach if eaten with slower-digesting foods. Non-starchy fruits can be eaten with proteins.
Eat Vegetables Freely: All non-starchy vegetables combine well with all other foods, making them a versatile choice for meal planning.
Nuts and Seeds with Green Leafy Vegetables: Combining healthy fats (found in nuts and seeds) with non-starchy vegetables is a great blend, and enhances the uptake of protein from vegetables.
Eliminate Processed Foods: Processed foods, which contain artificial additives and preservatives, disrupts digestion.
The Role of Blood Type in Tailoring Your Diet
The Blood Type Diet, theorised by Dr Peter D'Adamo, suggests that your blood type can influence your dietary needs and health. The four main blood types (A, B, AB, and O) are thought to have evolved under different dietary conditions, affecting how the body processes and metabolises food.
One of the main takeaways from the diet is that the one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition does not work, and has not worked for the vast majority of people. If anything, the more generalised nutrition approaches have become, the higher the obesity rates in western society.
Here's how you can align food combining dietary principles with your blood type:
Blood Type A (Agrarian): People with blood type A may do well with a primarily plant-based diet due to a sensitive immune system. Aligning this with food combining, they can focus on combining vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Limiting or eliminating meat, especially red meat, and dairy products may support digestive health. Dr D’Adamo has found that Type A’s are more predisposed to heart disease, cancer and diabetes, which aligns to a plant-based, low inflammatory dietary focus.
Blood Type B (Nomadic): Individuals with blood type B may have greater tolerance for a variety of foods, but should avoid foods that are high in fat. Food combining can be tailored to include lean meats, some dairy, and non-starchy vegetables. Dr D’Adamo has found that Type B’s have a more robust immune and digestive system, and resist chronic degenerative diseases better than the other types.
Blood Type AB (Mixed): Blood type AB individuals may benefit from a combination of the recommendations for types A and B, with an emphasis on protein and a variety of plant-based foods. It’s thought that people with this blood type have low stomach acid, and Dr D’Adamo finds that this blood type is the most biologically complex.
Blood Type O (Hunter): Type O individuals are often advised to follow a diet rich in animal protein, and this aligns well with the food combining principle of separating proteins and carbohydrates. Meats, fish, and non-starchy vegetables are thought to be ideal for their diet. This blood type tends towards stomach upset, and may need supplementation of key vitamins more than others. Dr D’Adamo states that Type O’s are more likely to suffer allergies, asthma, arthritis and diabetes.
Interestingly, it’s been established in studies that all non-O blood groups are associated with a higher risk of heart attack. Yet, even with that being the case, it’s important for every blood type to focus eliminating stress and engaging in low inflammatory diets.
Creating Your Customised Diet
In 1930, Japanese professor Tokeji Furukawa published a report in the Journal of Social Psychology called “A Study of Temperament and Blood-Groups,” popularising the belief in "blood type personality theory" or "ketsueki-gata" as it’s called in Japan. There’s absolutely no proof in this, but what is interesting is that Professor Furukawa was attempting to build on Hippocrates’ classification of temperaments. In Hippocratic medicine, the four temperament theory of sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic was established to give insight into the excess of certain bodily fluids that may be affecting a person’s mood.
Professor Furukawa’s reason for his classification was to further study into the temperaments. The Professor described people in a similar way as the classic classifications, as those with type A blood group are described as being more sensitive and detail-oriented. Type B blood groupings are thought to be more passionate and free spirited. Type AB blood groupings are thought to be more rational and adaptable, while Type O are thought to be more confident, assertive and practical according to the Professor.
Despite this being unfounded, what’s fascinating about these ponderings around temperament, is that they compel people to seek out a deeper understanding of themselves. Whether it ends up as confirmation bias (people only paying attention to information that supports their existing beliefs) or it’s proven to be true in time, understanding the personality and how it may impact on health is a worthwhile endeavour. It’s a key element of Mind-Body connection.
When creating a customised diet, think about food combining. And don’t discount blood type. It may be a helpful way to get started on listening to your body and what it needs.
Some simple steps would be to:
Identify your blood type through a blood test. Knowing your blood is good information in case of emergency or hospitalisation, to avoid any incompatibility if you require an infusion.
Familiarise yourself with the food combining principles. Experiment with different combinations to see what works best for your digestion.
Keep a food journal to track how different combinations affect your energy levels, mood, digestion, and overall wellbeing.
Consider consulting a health coach or nutritionist to ensure you’re getting all the essential nutrients your body needs.
Conclusion
Appropriate food combining is a valuable tool to optimise digestion and improve your overall health. If you consider it with your blood type, it can help you further tailor your diet to your unique constitution.
You are an unique person, and you should acknowledge that in your health and healing journey. Combining food appropriately while eliminating sugar, processed carbohydrates and toxins from your diet is a standard … but to truly optimise your health, you need to develop a deep understanding of yourself. Explore all avenues to acquire a deeper sense of self. This will lead to a greater knowing of who you are, which will generate a powerful love of yourself.
