The Controversy Over The Lectin
According to Scott Schreiber, R.D., chiropractic physician and rehabilitation and clinical nutritionist, a lectin-free diet may actually cause more harm than good. You can find many vitamins and minerals in foods that contain lectin. It is theorized that lectins are present in plants to discourage animals from eating them. Lectins can cause an upset stomach, which causes the animal to not eat that plant again, he explains. Translated to humans, it causes an inflammatory response. can lead to other conditions, such as weight loss and IBS, and diseases including celiac disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. The bottom line, he points out, is that theres not a lot of research that shows lectin is bad. The diet is based on theory as opposed to fact.
What Purpose Of Plant Paradox Diet
The Plant Paradox is a new diet trend from Dr Steven Gundry. The diet is designed to eliminate lectins from your diet and help you lose weight and get healthier.
It is a diet that encourages you to eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, complex carbs, and healthy fats instead of processed foods. This might sound simple enough but its actually quite remarkable when you consider how many of us consume processed food on a daily basis .
Potential Side Effects Of A Lectin
The lectin-free diet potentially reduces or eliminates a vast number of nutrient-rich foods, such as legumes, whole grains, and some fruit and vegetables.
We all know that consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables helps to reduce the risk of many illnesses, including heart disease, prevent cancer and help reduce weight gain. Well-established scientific data reveal that consuming whole grains reduces the risk of many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
One other potential side effect of a lectin-free diet is constipation due to insufficient dietary fiber. Many foods that are high in lectin are also high-fiber foods, such as beans, whole grains, and fruit and vegetables.
If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you might find a lectin free vegan diet challenging to follow, which excludes you from consuming beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains you would typically eat to obtain plant-based protein.
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Dr Gundrys New Food Pyramid
Dr Gundry has claimed the old food pyramid was apparently causing digestive issues, weight gain and fatigue.
In his new model, approved fats, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables make up the foundation. Dr Gundry says these are the most important foods in our diet and therefore can be consumed in unlimited supply. Cruciferous vegetables include spinach, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower and bok choy, to name a few.
Risks Related To The Lectin
This diet limits a number of foods which are known to be really good for us.
Firstly, there is very good evidence that consuming plenty of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and all-cause mortality.20
However, the lectin-free diet specifically limits a number of fruit and vegetables which are known to be beneficial. Such as the possible anti-cancer activity of mushroom lectins as discussed above. Tomatoes and blackberries have also been seen to reduce inflammation and the risk of chronic diseases.21-22
Similarly, consuming cooked beans and pulses can help to reduce inflammation, and improve metabolic health.23-24 These are also a good source of plant-based protein, fibre, B-vitamins and a number of minerals.
The lectin-free diet also limits wholegrains, although these are highly nutritious and a great source of fibre. There is good evidence that a high intake of wholegrains is linked with a reduced risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, bowel cancer, and all-cause mortality.25-27
Beans, whole-grains and certain vegetables are also prebiotics which feed our healthy gut bacteria and contribute to better gut health.28 Moreover, research is emerging that good gut health plays an important role in overall health by reducing the risk of chronic disease, and improving metabolism and immunity.27
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Why Should You Avoid Lectins
There has been limited data regarding whether or not lectins are beneficial or harmful to health. Some studies show that cooking lectin-containing foods correctly should leave no lasting impact on our health.
However, some information on animal research indicates that lectins can affect your overall health, including your heart and gut health.
If you have digestive issues or are prone to stomach problems, then you might want to try a lectin-free diet to see if your symptoms improve. As the human body cannot digest lectin, it binds to the digestive tract, which can disrupt metabolism and cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
Research shows that lectins can disrupt the microflora in your gut, irritating your gut wall, and causing diarrhea or vomiting. They also show that lectins can bind to the gut wall, consequently reducing the absorption of nutrients.
According to a study revealed at one of the American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions in 2013, a high-lectin diet can cause red blood cells to stick together in the bloodstream and may weaken blood vessels. Weak blood vessels are an early sign of heart disease and contribute to high blood pressure and diabetes.
Further Effects Of Lectins
Beyond causing nausea, the discomfort and danger of a leaky gut, or even diarrhea, lectins might also prompt you to gain weight, according to Dr. Gundry as hes witnessed in hundreds of thousands of his patients. But gaining weight wasnt always considered a bad thing, and its one of the reasons its ingrained in us to rely on lectin-rich foods.
You see, before we were able to process food or had the means to store it for long periods of time, folks werent too sure where their next meal was coming from. So, they actually wanted to gain weight to be able to make it through harsher winters. If a person had a belly, it was a good thing. It meant success or power.
And guess what they did in order to fatten up while they could? They ate wheat. And guess what wheat is full of? Lectins.
But, wheat lectins arent the only offenders. There are plenty of lectins in all sorts of foods. Unfortunately, there isnt a way to measure a foods exact lectin content, like sugars, proteins, or carbs, but we do know the foods that have higher amounts of lectins, like legumes, than others. Dr. Steven Gundry outlines these lectin-rich foods in his book, The Plant Paradox.
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Dr Gundrys Products Are Bullshit
Dr. Gundry doesnt just have dubious diet advice for you.
He also has an extensive line of suspicious supplements to sell you that are essential for protecting your body against the negative effects of lectins.
As he writes in The Plant Paradox, Getting all of the nutrients you need simply cannot be done without supplements.
One of his flagship products is Lectin Shield, which is supposed to bind to and block the plant-proteins, acting together to give your body full anti-lectin support making it easier for you every time you eat lectin foods.
Thats right, chump friend, if you dont want to follow Dr. Gundrys highly impractical and restrictive dietary advice, you can just take his supplements instead and eat whatever you want! Forever and ever!
And how does this wonderpill accomplish this? With the following . . .
- 300 mg of N-Acetyl D-Glucosamine
- 200 mg of Bladderwrack
- 100 mg of Okra Fruit
- 100 mg of Sialic Acid
- 50 mg of Vegetable Peptase
- 50 mg of Methylsulfonylmethane
- 50 mg of Larch Arabinogalactan
Ill admit that I didnt even know what some of these compounds were at first , so I asked Kurtis Frank, the Director of Research and Development for Legion Athletics and the co-founder of Examine.com, the premier source of science-based information on supplementation, to review the formulation.
In other words, you dont need to swallow expensive pills to achieve this effecta mouthful or two of rice will work just as well.
What Is Different About This Plant Paradox Shopping List
There are quite a few plant paradox food lists on the internet, including Dr. Gundrys YES & NO food lists. But this one is unique. It lists most of the plant paradox-approved foods and categorizes them into levels, according to Dr. Gundrys food pyramid.
On Level 1, the base of the pyramid, are the lectin-free foods you can consume without restrictions, ending with Level 5, the top of the pyramid, with the foods/drinks approved but in minimal amounts.
So, when you go shopping, you will know which foods to stock up on all the time and which foods are occasional treats.
Naturally, the YES foods will be foods low in lectins, and the NO foods will be foods high in lectins, but also foods that are highly inflammatory .
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The Plant Paradox Diet Is Ridiculous Full Stop
Of all the fad diets you can choose from these days, Dr. Gundrys is singularly bad.
Unlike most others exploiting the clean eating trend, the diet espoused in The Plant Paradox shuns most fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, which we recall are the foundation of healthy eating.
While its helpful to eat a high-protein diet if you want to improve your body composition, nothing improves health, vitality, and longevity like getting the majority of your calories from relatively unprocessed plant foods.
Dr. Gundry upends this well-established fact, however, and says that only some fruits and vegetables should be eaten because the rest dump lectins into your body that wage biochemical warfare against your organs.
Thus, if you truly want to maximize your health and wellbeing, you must . . .
In other words, you must eat like an orthorexic and give Dr. Gundry a bunch of money every month.
Dr. Gundry isnt a doctrinaire, however, and understands that many people wont be able to do the first and second steps consistently. Thats why he says you can also just skip them altogether and take his supplements! Dont you just love miracle pills?
I dont care if you can prove it, the editor supposedly told Dr. Gundry. I need to sell books. And youre gonna help me.
What an asshole!
Dr Gundry And Lectins
Dr. Gundry exposes the dangerous truth behind lectins and how they relate to autoimmune disease. Most importantly, he shares his vast experience and research on why lectins are so harmful for the body, and how to reverse the damage they cause.
Anyone who reads this blog knows I am very anti-lectin for people with autoimmune/inflammatory issues. Dr. Gundry, originally a very famous heart surgeon, discovered how dangerous lectins are and altered his career to help people reverse autoimmune disease through his matrix diet. He has completed the only human study related to lectins and is now the most knowledgeable person on the subject. Hes also written books on the topic one that will be coming out soon, and his first, Dr. Gundrys Diet Evolution. I was very excited to hear about his research and to have Dr. Gundry on for the interview.
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How To Hold Onto Your Progress At Someone Elses Table
Youre the boss of your gut. That is to say, you decide what you put in your belly. But so often, you have to grab food on the go, or get your fill at a work lunch. And then there are the times when you simply want to share a nice restaurant meal with your family or friends. And if youre celebrating a special occasion it can be really tough to say no to certain foods. Sometimes, it seems like all bets or off.
But you dont have to give up on your progress just because you find yourself eating out. Here are some helpful tips to assist you on your lectin-free journey when you find yourself at your favorite restaurants. I would urge you to keep the fast food experiment in mind when choosing a restaurant.
Who Is Dr Steven Gundry
Before We dive deep further in the blog, let us first see who actually Dr Gundry is?
Dr Gundry is an American doctor and the founder of the Gundry MD company, as mentioned in the introduction.
Dr Gundry is an American heart surgeon who has spent a lot of time studying and researching ways to improve peoples lives better.
In 2001, he was the former head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Loma Linda University, and after treating a chronically unwell overweight patient who was labelled a hopeless case, Gundry Md was founded.
Dr Steven Gundry believes that producing healthy goods allows him to help more people than using a scalpel blade.
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What Are A Lectin
If you landed on this page, you probably heard of The Plant Paradox book, by Dr. Steven Gundry. I hope you read it, and if you didnt yet, I recommend you do. The plant paradox program covers more than food, but this article will only focus on lectin-free food lists. The premise of this program is that lectins are proteins found in certain foods, harming our health.
Just as a bit of a background, I discovered Dr. Gundry and the plant paradox in August 2017. While I was what, by many standards, is considered a clean eater, physically active, and doing daily yoga, I felt like I was continuously gaining weight and had digestive issues and lots of inflammation. One day I came across an interview with Dr. Gundry about the dangers of healthy food. It was the first time I heard about lectins. Thats when I realized my clean diet was high in lectins.
This approach resonated with me so much that I immediately stopped the NO foods, cleaned my pantry, and started eating only from the YES list. Weight loss came instantly, and since then, Ive been able to maintain a healthy weight without making any efforts. While the primary focus of eliminating lectins is not losing weight, this is probably one of the first noticeable changes. My surprise came when I realized that the pains I had all my life suddenly vanished .
Dr Gundrys Just Say No Food List The Plant Paradox Phase 1 & Phase 2
While I like to focus on the food I choose to eat, its vital to have an overview of what is considered inflammatory and hence not a part of a healthy lectin-free diet. But remember, the plant paradox program is split into phases. Some of the foods below, like legumes, beans, or nightshades, can be reintroduced if prepared appropriately to reduce lectin content.
If you need help quitting sugar, you might find some motivation by reading this article: How I Quit Sugar 5 Years Ago. And I still Eat the Cake.
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How To Reduce Lectins In The Food You Love
Its best if you avoid foods that are high in lectins every day. But if a special occasion comes up where you must prepare foods that are high in lectin, here are a few strategies to reduce the lectin content.
Soaking. Soaking legumes and grains can help reduce plant lectins. Soak overnight and rinse well before you cook.19
Pressure-cooking. If you must cook with beans, tomatoes, or potatoes, the best way to prepare them is a pressure cooker. It wont remove them all, but cooking with a pressure cooker can reduce some of the lectins in food.20
Peel and De-seed. High-lectin plant foods, like cucumber, eggplant, squash, and tomatoes are easier on your body if you remove the skin. Make sure to peel off the skin and take out the seeds this is where most of those pesky lectins hide.21
Fermentation. Fermenting fruits, vegetables, and legumes allow good bacteria to break down some of the plants defenses. Fermenting doesnt kill all lectins, but it does reduce them.22
Dr Gundry Superfood To Eat
Dr. Gundrys theory on the harmful effects of lectins and the promotion of lectin-free diets has been controversial.
There is well-established scientific research on the benefits of a well-balanced diet, including plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Many experts have labeled Dr. Gundry a fraud upon his recommendation to exclude food groups such as whole grains entirely from the diet.
Whatever your opinion is of Dr. Gundry, you can take into account that the superfoods he suggests are indeed nutrient-dense and are beneficial to our body.
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What To Do When You Want A Snack
Of course, while on the cleanse, youll crave snacks.
I love munching on romaine lettuce boats with guacamole or a half-avocado. Just drizzle a little lemon juice and olive oil on top! And nuts like chestnuts, pine nuts, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and hazelnuts are always great to tide you over until lunch or dinner.
You could also check out my post on how to stop food cravings naturally!
Also, munch on olives of any kind whenever you like especially if you want to jump-start those anti-inflammatory effects.3
The Plant Paradox Phase 3 Reintroductions
In theory, Phase 1 will last three days, Phase 2 will last six weeks, and Phase 3 will be the maintenance phase. I stayed in Phase 2 for two years some people chose to wait even longer. Its up to you, and it depends on how you feel and if you have achieved your health goals. As you can imagine, a 20-year-old with no severe health conditions, who wants to do this for athletic performance, will have a different approach than a 50-year-old with an auto-immune disease and obesity. One size doesnt fit all.
Its important to note that, as in any reintroduction phase, these foods should be introduced gradually and in small quantities to understand how they affect your body, as we are all different. Its also OK not to want to reintroduce any of these foods.
- Beans and legumes, only soaked and pressure-cooked
- Nightshades: heirloom, local, seasonal, and preferably organic, peels and seeds removed pressure-cooking will also remove lectins
- White potatoes, pressure-cooked, cooled in the refrigerator , and consumed cold or reheated
- White Indian basmati rice, red rice, and black rice , pressure-cooked and cooled in the refrigerator before eating or reheating
- True artisan white sourdough bread, made with organic flour, consumed in extreme moderation, as an occasional treat, and only if there isnt any gluten allergy.
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