Pros and Cons

Here are descriptions of various diet types that exist to help you understand what kinds of foods are consumed by those who follow these particular diets.

Blood-Type Diet:

  • Blood TypesA very credible food regimen based on your specific blood-type.  Very well-researched theory that outlines how different foods are assimilated by the human digestive system based on the 4 different blood types.  Foods are categorized as being beneficial, neutral or to be avoided: http://www.4yourtype.com

PROS:

Everyone’s body is different so something that works for one person may not for another.  This type of diet caters to individuals in a much more specific manner.  Once you know your blood type, you can really focus on eating the foods recommended for optimum health while avoiding those that are deemed as being detrimental.  If you’re not as healthy as you’d like to be, this is a great protocol to try and see if things improve for you.

CONS:

If you are cooking for more than one person with different blood types, this starts getting really complicated.  For practical reasons, I would cater primarily to whoever in the family has health issues and see if this helps (don’t forget to stick to the program for at least 3 months to find out if it is helping).  With time and practice, you will learn what’s good or not good for which blood type, but this will certainly take effort and dedication.

Another con is the inclusion of meat, especially for Type O’s.  Due to the reality of meat consumption in today’s world, this is just not something I can recommend.  Just because your blood type has a genetic ability to process meat, this does not mean you are not susceptible to the detrimental effects of cooking the meat or ingesting meat products containing disease-promoting ingredients.  So I would just replace any of the meat suggestions throughout the recipes with plant-based alternatives.

Update (Aug. 2019)

This diet type never did sit right with me for its promotion of animal protein consumption for some people, and the avoidance of nutritious, plant-based foods for others. Read this informative assessment by a Naturopathic Doctor on the merits, or rather, lack thereof, this diet: Credibility of the “Blood-Type Diet” Theory

Macrobiotic Diet:

  • This consists mostly of bancha tea or cereal grain coffee, beans, grains, sea vegetables, seaweed, seeds, sesame salt & sesame butter, soups, umeboshi plums and vegetables
  • Small amounts of fish and fruit are allowed
  • NO dairy, red meat or any type of sugar whatsoever

PROS:

Some have claimed a cure from cancer while on this diet, so this may be beneficial for a short-term period and really cleanse your system while halting the progress of diseases

CONS:

You may find this diet quite restrictive due to lack of variety and you would likely need to consume supplements where certain nutrients may be lacking

Mediterranean Diet:

For those of you who don’t want to entirely give up meat but still want to eat healthier, you can adopt these diet guidelines as part of your lifestyle:

  • eat lots of different fruits and vegetables (serve these as main dishes without meat)
  • use olive oil for all your oil requirements
  • include fish & poultry (organic) a couple of days a week
  • organic red meat once or twice a week
  • can have red wine in moderation

PROS:

Studies of this diet have indicated the following benefits:

  • up to 20% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease
  • 42% less deaths from cardiovascular disease
  • 58% less likely to develop cancer
  • 68% less chance of heart attacks

CONS:

This diet does include meat and it has been proven that animal protein is conducive to cancer growth

Paleolithic Diet:

This involves consuming the same types of foods as our ancestors from the Paleolithic era while humans were evolving from the “Homo habilis” genus to the modern-day “Homo sapiens”.  The primary foods include meat, fruit, vegetables, seeds & nuts; so the diet will be rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and easily digested proteins.

  • no heavily processed foods containing preservatives, artificial flavours, excess sugar or salt, etc…
  • no empty calories from sugary sources that have no nutritional value
  • drink lots of water and eat whole foods like vegetables (as opposed to processed & packaged goods on store shelves)

PROS:

Longer energy levels, sustained weight loss, improved health

CONS:

We are no longer “Homo habilis” living as hunter-gatherers searching for dinosaurs to eat raw or cook on the firepit.  Our internal organs have evolved and the meat available today is contaminated with pesticides and antibiotics.  Is it realistic to try and copy a diet from a million years ago and expect to achieve optimum health with modern day food processes?

Vegetarian includes 5 types:

  • Semi-vegetarian: dairy foods, eggs, chicken, fish but NO other animal protein
  • Pesco-vegetarian: dairy foods, eggs, fish but NO other animal protein
  • Lacto-Ovo vegetarian: dairy foods, eggs but NO other animal protein
  • Ovo-vegetarian: eggs but NO dairy or animal protein
  • Vegan: NO animal protein whatsoever

PROS:

Basically, the less animal protein you consume, the healthier you will be; so Vegan would be the ideal diet to follow.  You may choose to follow any of the above-vegetarian options for better health as it is your choice as to the amounts of animal proteins you consume on a weekly basis.  You may be semi-vegetarian but if your consumption of animal proteins occurs only once or twice a month, your state of health would certainly benefit accordingly.

CONS:

As a society, certainly in North America, we still have a long way to go when it comes to offering healthy alternatives.  Many fast food joints have no vegetarian options or if they do, there is only one item on the menu.  Even restaurants have limited veggie options.  Grocery stores have small selections with limited variety.  Food labeling leaves a lot to be desired.  In other words, you really have to take the initiative to educate yourself where food choices are concerned.  It definitely requires an effort on your part to seek out healthy foods and to resist all the disease-causing temptations that are front and center at every establishment.

BUT! Don’t despair, there is a slow, steady & growing food movement happening throughout the world as people become more aware about the connection between food consumption and health.  We CAN initiate better health – one person at a time!