A new way to fitness


After hitting the gym, doing yoga and jogging, people are now trying blood group-based diets, popular in the West. Experts say the secret to a fit body may be hidden in the blood type, and these diets are finding a foothold in India.

Explaining how such diets work, Ekta Tandon, dietician at dailydiet.in, says a chemical reaction occurs between your blood and foods as they are digested.

“Lectins, a diverse and abundant protein found in food, may be incompatible with your blood group. I recommend that one follow a blood group diet along with regular food to provide the body with all nutrients,” she adds. American naturopaths James D'Adamo and his son Peter D'Adamo, founder of blood group-based diets, feel each person's blood group is the key to how he/she burns calories. Also, it decides what food they should eat and how they benefit from a certain type of exercise.

“People with A blood type have a different set of characteristics from people who are Type O — they are susceptible to different diseases, should eat different foods and exercise differently,” says Peter on their website www.dadamo.com.

The blood group diet chart suggests that ‘Type O' people should eat high proteins; ‘Type A' should avoid heavy proteins and dig on carbohydrates; ‘Type B' people should drink more milk and avoid fruits such as corns, lentils and peanuts.

People with the rare Type AB blood group can go for a combination of the diet recommended for Type A and Type B.

“In the three months that I have been on a diet, I have lost almost five kg. So far, everything is good,” says Akankasha Darswal, who is a Type A.

“The only difficulty was eating more carbohydrates. I was a bit sceptical, because we all believe that we should avoid carbohydrates to lose weight, but the results are there to see,” she adds.

However, Tandon says that one should not overdo this diet. Also, it is important to consult a professional and factor in your age into the programme.”

Food and exercise go hand in hand — eat well and exercise well to stay fit. But, the diet has its critics. “I don't recommend that my clients go on such a diet, and have never seen a particular diet showing the same results on those with the of the same blood group,” says Sonia Narang, a senior dietician