First published in 1996, Eat Right 4 Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight was written by Peter J. D’Adamo, N.D. along with collaboration from Catherine Whitney.  The basic premise of this diet is that what you should and should not eat is completely based on your blood type and that by following the program one can allow for the “restoration of your natural genetic rhythm.”  The program claims that if one eats right for their type that they will lose weight, live longer, have less stress, improve mental clarity, improve digestion, have healthier joints, decrease allergies, and improve immunity to just name a few.  One should note that because this diet bans entire foods and food groups depending on blood type it can be difficult for people to follow. 

This book has spent time on the National Bestsellers List, but does that make it a good choice when choosing a diet plan?  Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. a dietician at the Mayo Clinic stated that “Some research suggests that people who have certain blood types may develop specific patterns of food allergies. However, there’s no scientific evidence to support the so-called ‘blood type diet,’ in which different diets are recommended based on a person’s blood type. At this time, eating or avoiding certain foods according to your blood type isn’t thought to have any favorable influence on weight or overall health. In fact, a ‘blood type diet’ may not meet your nutritional needs.”  Hematologist Dr. Victor Herbert of New York’s Mt. Sinai Medical Center held very strong views on the idea of linking blood type and diet.  He once called the link “pure horse manure. It has no relation to reality. The genes for blood type have nothing to do with the genes that handle the food we eat.”

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