Valentine’s Day is just around the corner – but you can stay healthy this year and forgo the beautifully wrapped chocolates and sweets. 

This Valentine’s Day give the gift of health - and healthy eating.  Prepare yourself and your Valentine a delicious, healthy meal that’s based on blood type and can help revive and renew – naturally.

 Not sure about your Valentine’s blood type?

 No problem.  Here are some basic guidelines for a healthy Valentine’s Day dinner -- ideal for most Blood Types -- from the D’Adamo Institute the originators of Blood Type Diet by Dr. James D’Adamo.

Rick Wilson came to the D’Adamo Institute in June of 2010 suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes with glucose levels that read 383.  The medical community considers Type 2 level diabetes chronic and lifelong.   

Rick is one of the 23.6 million Americans living with diabetes – an additional 57 million – 1 in 5 - are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment -- complications arising from Diabetes include: heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and death.

According to the American Diabetes Association, “nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States are living with diabetes, and an additional 57 million Americans are at risk” and Diabetes is on the rise. 

This is astonishing – especially that there is a way to reverse this by simply changing what we eat!!!

The rate of new cases rose by 14 percent between 2005 and 2007 alone, fueled by growing obesity and sedentary lifestyles.

Controlling sugar and insulin levels are key to treating type 2 diabetes.  All sugars and starches have to be kept to a minimum—people of all blood types should strictly adhere to the hypoglycemic diet for their blood type.

According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, “approximately 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional during their lifetime and an estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, with 250,000 annual deaths attributed to the disease.”

But most of those suffering from Asthma could reserve their condition if they only followed eating regimens based on their blood type.   

Let me tell you about one of my patients – a boy named Ivan. Ivan suffered with severe asthma and frequently visited the ER, wheezing, coughing, and gasping for air. He had Type A blood. 

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 1.6 million elementary school-aged children are diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity.  Imagine that 1.6 million children are not able to lead a healthy life not to mention that some are medicated for an ailment that can, for the most part, be relieved by changing eating habits.

In my recent book – Just an Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure – I refer to ADD as an Inner Tsunami. That’s exactly what it is – but this inner storm can be calmed by a simple change in eating habits.

Let me tell you about Roger, a patient of mine diagnosed with ADD and who was a Type O.  

I hope the following tips will help parents hone in on their child’s eating and exercise needs based on their blood type – as well as what foods and environments would be best to keep the children alert in school and healthy. 

Your Type-O Child must use their bodies. The key to creativity and academic achievement for them is heavy physical exercise. Before class begins, and intermittently throughout the day these children should participate in vigorous physical activity.

Games that involve running – such as basketball -- are extremely beneficial.  Why your Type O blood type child is  physically active, they become more alert.  If your child has a an exam – have him run and play right before taking an exam rather than sit quietly and study. These children are “high octane.”

Type O blood type students learn best from teachers who are active and enthusiastic. Teaching methods that involve competition are most effective for these children who are highly competitive by nature. They would, for example, enjoy spelling bees. 

You simply cannot attain your potential for health without exercise. The human body requires movement and the proper type of exertion.

Just as your eating menu according to your blood type and subtype, your exercise program has to be designed just for you.

Strenuous exercise is perfect for O’s, good for B’s and detrimental to A’s. All proper exercises are wonderful for: 

·     Relieving tension

·     Burning off excess calories

·     Balancing blood-sugar levels

·     Curbing appetite

·     Increasing energy level

·     Clearing the mind

·     Lowering cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood

Start your exercise plan with a specific exercise program and stick to it. Be selfish with your time. This is your chance to do something just for yourself – consider it a gift that will benefit your body, mind, and spirit. Don’t let anything or anyone take it away from you.

Start all your exercise regimens with warm up and cool down. Do a slow warm-up of five to ten minutes to increase circulation and bring warmth to cold, stiff tissues. Spend a few minutes shaking out your arms and legs before you begin more strenuous movements.

Ankle, knee, and hip circles will lubricate the joints to prepare them for harder work. Start slowly and gradually increase effort to the desired level of exertion. End every workout with a five to ten minute cooldown followed by some gentle stretching. All this will avoid athletic injuries.

Our complex physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual bodies are increasingly read through our individual DNA…our stories are also written in our blood. Still, with food-associated diseases like obesity and cancer claiming more than a half-million lives a year, we do need to pay more attention to our dietary habits.

When I talk about a blood-type diet, I’m not referring to a faddish regimen or a weight-reduction program…but about what I believe – and have proved time and time again – is a Truth in nature.

I hope these simple guidelines – detailed in my most recent book Just an Ounce of Prevention …is Worth a Pound of Cure – will be helpful: