The Blood Type Diet and why it really works! Immunology isn't just for blood transfusions...

Giving blood to people on a daily basis is my life's work. At some point in your life, you may need a blood transfusion. Immunohematologists make sure that the blood you get is compatible with your blood type.

Death is an unfortunate side effect of receiving the wrong blood type. Your body will violently react to even small amounts of incompatible blood. A cascade effect follows and your organs shut down either immediately or within a few days.

Incompatible blood is sometimes transfused because of emergency situations. Sometimes a blood transfusion is only "slightly" incompatible. There are hundreds of antibodies and antigens present because of your blood type. We can't test for every single one and as a general rule, only the major blood types are significant.

These major blood groups are called Group A, Group B, Group O and a combo group called AB. Group O is considered to be a "universal donor" because the red blood cells of a Group O person do not contain either of the antigens called Group A , Group B or the combo.

Group AB people are considered "universal receivers" because their blood contains both of the major antigens and they will not react with either Group if transfused.

Group O people, on the other hand, can ONLY receive blood from other Group O donors. If you give a Group O person some A or B blood, they will most likely die. It just isn't compatible. Since a large majority of people in the U.S.A. are Group O, this is a very important piece of information to have.

As an Immunohematologist, I work daily with plant sera that detects the antigens of Group A and Group B blood. This plant sera is so powerful, that I can see an immediate and strong reaction between the "antibody" in the plant sera and the specific "antigens" on the cells.

This striking reaction is complete, powerful and forms a nearly unbreakable bond. It is so fast that I can tell you your major blood group in seconds! So do all plants and animals have this "sera". Is it present in the food we eat?

As it turns out, it IS present in the foods we eat! Dr. Peter D'Adamo and his father worked for years to discover the reactions between specific foods and our blood types. Scientists have been skeptical about it, but typical results from blood type dieters have been very encouraging.

Lectins are similar to blood antibodies in their ability to agglutinate red blood cells. Lectins have been identified as toxic by people who consume foods with a high content of certain lectins or lectins that their system is not compatible with.

Consumption of plant lectins (agglutinins) leads to diarrhea, nausea, bloating, vomiting, even death (as from ricin - an extremely toxic plant lectin). Many legume seeds have been proven to contain high lectin activity. They have hemagglutinating activity, which means they can cause red blood cells to clump and get stuck in your veins and arteries. Some plant lectins have been associated with atherosclerosis and heart disease.

From Wikipedia:

"Soybean is the most important grain legume crop, the seeds of which contain high activity of soybean lectins (soybean agglutinin or SBA). SBA is able to disrupt small intestinal metabolism and damage small intestinal villi via the ability of lectins to bind with brush border surfaces in the distal part of small intestine"

"High heat processing can reduce the toxicity of lectins, but low temperature or insufficient cooking may not completely eliminate their toxicity, as some plant lectins are resistant to heat. In addition, lectins can result in irritation and over-secretion of mucus in the intestines, causing impaired absorptive capacity of the intestinal wall."

In plain English, plant lectins can seriously harm your body! In the Eat Right For Your Type book, the action and morbidity of the various lectins are explained.

Plant lectins are what I use in the laboratory to type people's blood. To reiterate - these lectins agglutinate blood cells rapidly and strongly and I can see a relationship between plant lectins and the foods we eat. To avoid foods that may cause harmful agglutination in your body, you will first have to know your blood type. These lectins are specific and attach themselves to people with certain blood types.

Some are safe for your blood type, others are not safe at all and may actually damage your body.

1. The easiest way is to go donate some blood at your local blood center. They will not only type your blood, they will test you for many common blood diseases like: HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis and others. Plus you will have the satisfaction of possibly saving as many as five blood product recipients!
   
2. You can buy a kit to test your blood online or perhaps through Walgreen's. I've provided a link for this. It will require a finger puncture with a small lancet to obtain the blood yourself.
   
3. You can ask your doctor to order a blood type with your next check up that includes blood work and call you with the results.
   
4. If someone you know needs a transfusion, you can ask to be tested to see if you are a "compatible" match.
   

I've tried the Eat Right For Your Type diet. I also monitor my blood work pretty frequently. When I started the diet, it worked so fast that I was amazed that I had been killing myself with incompatible food!

My blood sugar dropped to normal. My cholesterol came down. My kidney function is returning to normal. I feel a whole lot better!

My blood type is Group O. My compatible foods include:

• lean meat - beef, buffalo, venison
• most salt water fish
• most vegetables are ok - there are some exceptions including potatoes, other nightshade plants and cabbage.
  
• No Cow milk - I've switched to Almond milk with dramatic results
  
• No wheat, or gluten or most grains (Rice is ok as is unprocessed sprouted grains) - I wonder why so many people are allergic to this? Could they be Group O people?
• A few fruits are compatible with Group O and I'm lucky that they are the fruits I actually like. A lot of fruits contain high amounts of lectin though and quite a bit of sugar, so specific fruits should actually be eaten by Group O people.
• Peanuts and other legumes should be avoided by Group O's
• Pinto beans are ok as are black-eyed peas