BLOOD TYPE DIET AND SUPERFOODS

“Greetings Mr. Patenaude,

“Just a quick e-mail to thank you for all the information and insights you bring every week. It is very much appreciated.

“I got introduced to the raw movement and to your work while staying at Gordon's Farm hostel in Ojai, California. I don't know if you know him that well, but it truly was a blessing for me to end up there...

“I'd just be curious to get your opinion on 2 matters. Obviously, you must get tons of mail and get the same questions all the time... You talked briefly about other diets in your last e-zine, but I was wondering what was your take on the BLOOD TYPE DIET. Given that I'm O+, I'm naturally "supposed" to be a carnivore, so I was wondering if by being vegan, I was going against my body's natural instincts. Is there any logical and reasonable rationale behind that diet?

“Secondly, I was just wondering what you thought of such "superfoods" as maca, chlorella, etc. Are they the real deal, or just false hype? Given that I put a ridiculous amount of stress on my body (amateur cycling training, working night shifts), I'm always on the lookout for new ways to take care of my body (the five tibetan rites are working wonders...).

“Thank you very much for your time, and keep up the good work.”

ANSWER:

1) The blood type diet issue has been discussed before in some articles that I have published. But here's my take on it: I have a lot of experience studying that diet. In fact, I was even in close contact with one of the foremost promoters of this diet here in Canada. I have read all of the books and been to every website that promotes it. After reviewing all of that information, I came to the conclusion that the blood type diet is based on very weak evidence. There is no real scientific evidence to prove that certain blood types must eat meat while others should not. It is true that there our blood type is part of our genetic makeup and there is some evidence to show that some blood types are more prone to certain diseases, but there is absolutely no evidence to show that certain blood types should eat totally different diets.

Consider this: different kinds of animals have different kinds of blood types, yet they all eat the same foods. Cats have 11 blood types, and cows about 800 - yet you'll never see a cow eating like a cat!

The biggest differences in metabolism in humans are found between men and women, yet no one so far has come up with a “man's diet” and a “woman's diet,” where each gender should eat completely different foods!

There is as much evidence to prove the validity of the blood type diet as there is to prove the validity of astrological predictions. In fact, the idea that our blood type influences our personality is so popular in Japan that people over there ask “What's your blood type?” like we ask “What's your sign”?

2) Mostly, superfoods are 95% hype. I found that most “superfoods” are in fact “super-stimulants” - not a real source of energy. If you place tremendous stress on your body in terms of increased physical activity and working at night, then you need more rest. But unfortunately, there's no “superfood” that's going to compensate for the lack of sleep. And of course, there's no money in saying that.