Alopecia World
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Blood Type & Diet
Hello there everyone! I am curious, how many of us with some form of Alopecia (AA, AT, AU or others) are of Blood Type O? I am O+ and am exploring the notion of "Eating Right For Your Blood Type". Are there any individuals out there that have any experience with this "diet" (and I use the term loosely as it is not intended for weight less, just more of an overall balanced healthy body). If so I'd love to hear about how it has worked or not worked for you. What improvements have you noticed if any? While hair growth would be great, it is not my main motivation, I just feel like I eat a lot of foods that irritate me in someway or another and I am trying to determine if I have any food or environmental allergies. Thanks in advance for any light on the subject!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Carol on
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Hi Orbit
My blood type is also O+ however I've never really been inclined to worry about the foods I eat. Of course I do my best to eat from all the food groups as I should however I also eat as much of the foods that I enjoy that are not neccesarily good for me. The only allergy I really seem to have is to certain metals, I have to watch the jewellery that I buy. Greasy foods and a lot of corn based foods irritate my stomach but that's about it. Hope that helps with your research. Take care! :)
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Permalink Reply by Cat on -
I'm also O+, and I'm looking into a gluten-free diet. I've been a vegetarian for the past 13 years with rare exception (I've eaten turkey twice, and fish maybe 15 times). I'm thinking of eating meat again because there's definitely something strange going on with my body, and I wonder how much can be corrected with diet. I also have insulin resistance, so I have to limit carbohydrates. I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis as well, and I've read that I should not eat soy, which is (of course) one of my staples! It's too bad that I really don't like meat at all! I've never liked seafood, so even that's a struggle.
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Permalink Reply by Orbit on -
catfancy, as i research this whole notion of blood type and diet i was surprised to find out that O type persons are supposed to do better with a "Hunter's diet" so that means lots of red meat. That works well for me, as i love steak!
Interestingly things that are suggested to avoid are: anything wheat, corn anything, red and white potatoes (sweet potatoes are okay) , dairy, (butter is okay though) peanuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pistacios, poppy seeds, navy beans, kidney beans, pork, safflower oil, pumpernickle, couscous flour, graham flour, oat flour, white flour, semolina pasta, spinach pasta (but raw spinach is good), avacado, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, domestic and shitake mushrooms, mustard greens, black olives, alfalfa and brussel sprouts.
Yes it may seem like a huge list, but surprisingly there's still lots that considered okay. I'm obviously going to research this much more before going a head with it full force. My guy and i are seeing a naturopath and having a food and environmental allergy assessment in a few weeks. Should be interesting.
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Permalink Reply by Cat on
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I'd actually read that people with O types should eat red meat. Argh!! I wish I could make myself like it!
I also love lots of things on that list of things to avoid. I love the nuts, avacado, cabbage, cauliflower, and eggplant. Oh, and mushrooms. And dairy. Oh, and wheat. I actually went about 11 months on a gluten-free/dairy-free/meat-free diet, but I felt ravenous most of the time!
I do want to work my way up to eating meat again, but it's difficult for me. It will be easier for me, though, when I'm not living on student loans and buying cheap food!
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Williams on -
I'm O+ as well.
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa on -
Hello Orbit from another Ontarian (now living in BC),
I went to see a naturopath almost two years ago when I had just started losing my hair (before I had any diagnosis). When I told him my blood type (O-), he insisted the best thing for me would be to 'eat right for my type'. Interestingly, he told me that people with O blood types are prone to auto-immune disorders (though he hadn't recognized my AA). He also tested all my 'allergies' and so I had a huge 'do not eat' list. I was told to eat lots of meat and green veggies. I had been a vegetarian for 20 years! I actually started eating meat (free range and organic) and tried my best to avoid foods on the 'no' list (dairy, wheat, corn, potatoes, etc.). I ate this way about a year (being fortunate to live in a community with lots of spelt and non-dairy substitutes) but unfortunately my hair just kept falling out. However, I did feel good eating fewer carbohydrates and the eczema I had on one of my hands went away. Also, my fingernails on that hand, which were quite 'pitted' (apparently related to alopecia) became much improved - almost normal. Coincidence?
I have kind of fallen off the wagon with the diet, though I still eat meat - I guess just because it takes a lot of energy, and there were sooo many things to avoid (cucumbers, avocados, vinegar, cabbage, lentils, and on and on...) that I found myself stressing about what to eat all the time, and started to wonder if the cure was worse than the ailment?? I sometimes think 'if only I'd followed the diet exactly...' and think of trying again -so we'll see. I know quite a few people who believe the blood type diet has helped their health. So all the best to you!
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Permalink Reply by kristin on -
Hey there, I am currently studying nutrition at Colorado State University. I want to encourage you to YES absolutely get a food allergy test! It is so very important especially when dealing with an autoimmune disease. Unfortunatley so many physicians are have very little background in nutrition so it is uncommon for them to recommend this. But it is so easy, all you have to do is ask.
I can go into great detail about why food allergies affect the immune response if you like (I love this topic).
Good luck! Please share with us what you find.
Kristin
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Permalink Reply by Cat on
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I'd be interested, Kristin. I really think I have some weird food issues. My best friend has celiac, and I'm pretty sure that I don't, but I think I might have some kind of wheat sensitivity. I get really strange weight fluctuations, and I have a feeling that has something to do with the foods I eat and how my body processes them (even though I generally don't eat much fatty stuff).
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Permalink Reply by kristin on
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Well, as you probably know it is the antibodies which attack our hair follicles, falsely interpreting them as foreign invaders, and as they do this the follicle swells and the hair is let loose, and falls out.
With food allergies the unwanted foods enter into the small intestine (this is where absorption takes place) and over time the food irritates the lining of the intestine and the body reacts by creating antibodies to defend itself. These antibodies which are now over present in the body can than go on to attack other parts of the body for example your joints or your hair follicles etc. You mentioned celiac disease, this is very similiar to what happens with celiac disease. Also with these "bad foods" reeking havik on your small intestine other "good foods" are not able to be properly absorbed, and other problems arise from not receiving the adequate balance of vitamins and minerals. Now food allergies can be different for everyone, the most common are dairy, wheat and eggs. A food allergy panel will let you know which ones your body reacts to. I myself am allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, garlic, pineapple, white sugar, kidney beans and even asparagus!! It is a tough transition into a new diet, but nothing, really nothing has helped me more than this. It is good to also note that taking all of the foods out of your diet can often mean that you will need to take some vitamin supplements.
hey im not a doctor so sorry if this was hard to understand as it is written in very none medical terminology!
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Permalink Reply by JayB on -
Personally, with the elimination of animal products and refined white sugar I saw and felt my body respond positively and I now have small amounts of regrowth (brows,eyelashes,mustache). It's your body experiment with it.
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Permalink Reply by Orbit on
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Okay, so I have noticed something strange. For 10 days I have eliminated the offending foods I mentioned in an earlier post (mainly the wheat, corn, potatoes, and dairy) and my tiny little pumpkin looks like a furry little peach! I have had small bouts of peach fuzz before, but it usually only lasted a few days and nothing really turned into "hair". This time I have several real hairs growing. I even got out the clippers to take them off. I have even noticed blonde hair growing on my arms (not the ideal place, but hey I'm not picky). So I'm going to stick with the elimination diet and see how it goes.
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