Is the Blood-Type Diet for You?

The basis of the blood-type diet, developed by the naturopathic physician Dr. Peter D'Adamo, is that blood delivers nutrients to every cell in the body. Because chemical reactions occur naturally between blood and food, blood types respond differently to certain types of diets. In other words, different blood types break down foods differently.

According to this theory, if you eat the wrong type of foods for your blood type, you suffer the equivalent of an allergic reaction. Your body essentially rejects the food and this process may cause any number of health problems, slow down your metabolic rate, and potentially cause weight gain.

The Diet Plan

The solution, according to Dr. D'Adamo, is to eat a specific diet according to your blood type to help restore and maintain the natural metabolic processes that keep you healthy. He recommends four different diets according to blood type.

The blood-type diet also includes exercise plans suitable for different blood types, with the goal of improving health and fitness levels and maintaining your best weight.

Although the blood-type diet advocates eating fresh, natural foods and eliminating processed foods for people with all blood types, it is a controversial plan because, for some blood types, it also recommends eliminating entire food groups.

For example, if you have blood type A or O, you are supposed to avoid dairy products, eliminating the best food sources of calcium and vitamin D. If you have blood type O, you are supposed to eliminate grains and beans, which are some of the best sources of B vitamin, iron, and plant protein.

In order to get the recommended daily amounts of these nutrients, you may have to take dietary supplements. Which is why, when Dr. D'Adamo first published his blood-type diet back in 1996, he also began promoting his own line of supplements to go with it.

What Health Experts Say

Dietitians and other nutrition experts believe that nutrients should come from food first and that vitamin and mineral supplements can provide a form of dietary insurance and fill in any nutritional gaps that result when you cannot eat a balanced diet.

Although elimination diets are often necessary for people with specific health problems, there is no scientific evidence available to prove the theory that diets should be prescribed by blood type. That doesn't mean it's not a valid theory, but it means there is no basis for recommending the diet.

When a diet plan recommends that whole populations of healthy people eliminate entire food groups, it raises a red flag for most health professionals because it creates a situation where supplements are not being used as extra insurance but, rather, as an essential component of the plan.

One question you can ask yourself if you are thinking about following the blood-type diet, or any restrictive diet, is this: Which seems the more natural, most effective way for you to get and stay healthy—eating a variety of whole foods or taking supplements to get the nutrients you need?

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Sources:

Eat Right for Your Type
http://www.dadamo.com/

New York University Langone Medical Center: The Blood type Diet. Web. 11 Nov 2011
http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=214387

University of Bridgeport: The Dr. Peter D'Adamo NaturopathicScholarship. Web 11 Nov 2011
http://www.bridgeport.edu/admissions/healthsciences/dadamo.aspx

Fortified or Natural: What's Better?

Fortified foods provide an alternative source of nutrients for people who don't consume enough of the foods that naturally supply those nutrients. Like supplements, fortified foods offer insurance against the health problems associated with nutritional deficiencies. The types of foods that are fortified with additional nutrients are usually those that are more commonly consumed by large numbers of people.

For instance, salt is fortified with the essential mineral iodine, because it is a product commonly used by most people and iodine is otherwise difficult to get in necessary quantities through an average American's diet. At the same time, many brands of fruit juices are now fortified with calcium for those children and adults who don't drink enough milk or consume enough dairy products to meet their requirements from these natural sources.

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies were prevalent in the United States, and the food fortification program established by the government in cooperation with food manufacturers was initiated to help prevent the diseases that resulted from these deficiencies. Salt was fortified with iodine to prevent a thyroid condition known as goiter, and milk was fortified with vitamin D to prevent a bone disease known as rickets, which was affecting many children. Soon after, flour and breads were enriched with the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, plus iron, nutrients that are naturally found in grains. More recently, grain and cereal products were fortified with additional folate, a B vitamin, as insurance against the development of neural tube birth defects. All of these fortification programs have been successful at reducing nutritional deficiencies and also reducing the incidence of related health problems.

Fortified vs. Natural
There is one important reason why it's better to get your nutrients naturally from foods, whenever possible, rather than from fortified products or supplements, unless prescribed for medical reasons. If you eat a normal, balanced, varied diet, it is all but impossible to get too much of any nutrient from food alone. But consume enough fortified foods every day, and you could easily top the upper limits established by government nutritionists, especially if you are also taking dietary supplements.

Although rare, nutrient overdose is possible and can lead to illness or even death. A study performed by the Centers for Disease Control and published in a 1995 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, found that out of 56 people who consumed too much vitamin D from over-fortified milk produced in a local dairy, 41 were hospitalized with illness and two people died. Other factors, such as use of vitamin D supplements and pre-existing medical conditions, increased the risk of illness for some of the study participants, but all had side effects specifically related to the over-fortification of the milk they were drinking.

Although fortification of foods is not mandatory, an abundance of foods now contain added nutrients and many consumers seek out products that promise to provide extra nutrition. Over the years since the 1970's, government agencies have even sought to limit the number of fortified products available on the market. Although there are no regulations in place, the Food and Drug Administration encourages food manufacturers to follow published guidelines and policies when fortifying their products to prevent unacceptably high intakes of some vitamins and minerals. It is up to you, the consumer, to use fortified products (and supplements) with discretion.

Sources:

Blank S, et al. "An Outbreak of Hypervitaminosis D Associated with the Overfortification of Milk from a Home Delivery Dairy." American Journal of Public Health. May 1995;85(5):656-9. Web. 17 June 2011

Harvard School of Public Health: Keep the Multi, Skip the Heavily Fortified Foods. Web. 17 June 2011
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/folic-acid/

Dietary Reference Intakes: Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortification. National Academies Press, 2003. Web 17 June 2011
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10872&page=45

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12 Natural Aphrodisiacs for Women

Having trouble getting in the mood? Given the stressful schedules and lack of free time that most people endure these days, it's hardly surprising that you lack the will or desire to be intimate with your partner. But you can feel amorous, sexy and ready for love without having to resort to pills or patches.

"Even though there's not a lot of scientific evidence that foods are aphrodisiacs, I believe that some of them are," says Mary Jo Rapini, LPC, an intimacy/sex relationship psychotherapist. "Eating the right foods adds to the excitement of sex."

 A variety of simple, natural remedies can "soften you and put you in the mood," says Charla Hathaway, sex and intimacy coach, author of 8 Erotic Nights, and the founder of "Body Joy" in Austin, Texas.  "Just setting aside some time for pleasure, maybe from 7 to 10pm, can be very helpful," she says.

Before you spend another night alone, consider these natural aphrodisiacs:

1. Eat in bed together. "It's part of the foreplay," Rapini says. "Before you even start doing anything else, get in bed, sit back, have a glass of wine and something to eat. It adds to the excitement of sex."

2. As for what to eat, salmon is a good choice, she says, since it contains the "good" kind of fat and is good for your heart. "And anytime that your circulation is increased, you are more likely to be aroused," Rapini says.

3. Chocolate is a rich source of a love-promoting substance in the body called phenyl ethylamine (PEA), Rapini says. "It's a natural substance, and while you can get the same chemical from hugging people and from being in love, it's in chocolate," she explains. "PEA elevates your mood and when your mood is elevated, you feel more receptive to sex."

4. Pumpkin seeds are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, and these are thought to "enhance and increase your sex drive," Rapini says.

5. Asparagus is "loaded" with vitamin E, notes Rapini. "And E is called the sex vitamin in that it has a good effect on a woman's libido," she says.

6. Tomatoes contain two health-promoting nutrients: vitamin C and lycopene. "These are good for the heart and they're good for the libido," Rapini says.

7. Avocados are also believed to be an aphrodisiac for women, Rapini says. "They're soft and kind of messy to eat," she says. "And the texture is somewhat sensual." Try feeding each other chunks of soft, perfectly ripe avocado. In bed, of course.

8.  A hot bath, followed by a rub- down with vanilla lotion. Enough said.

9. Watching a sexy movie with your guy. "It can really set the mood," Hathaway says.  

10. Making time for the two of you to just be together. "When you are in the moment together and you don't feel like you have to get anywhere, that's all you need to feel sexy," she says.

11. Certain scents can also be aphrodisiacs for women, says Alexandra Katehakis, MFT, CSAT-S, CST-S, clinical director of the Center for Healthy Sex in Los Angeles. "Try vanilla, lavender, and white musk," she says.

12. Strawberries and champagne are often believed to act as aphrodisiacs when paired together, she says. "Strawberries are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants," Katehakis says. "And a large part of what makes a woman become aroused has to do with oxygen and blood flow." As for the champagne's role? Alcohol makes people feel less inhibited and more relaxed, and when women are more relaxed, they're more in the mood for sex.

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