lectins
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Now We have to Worry About Lectins…Oh Boy!
Let’s take a look at Dr. Steven Gundry’s book, The Plant Paradox, which is all of the sudden the IT book since Kelly Clarkson said she read it and lost 45 pounds. What ensued is a stampede to the book store by thousands in hope that they too will lose 45 pounds. After all, Kelly said she did this, lost weight, without exercise! Hello! Lose weight without exercising. Much different than the poor people who were forced into workout slavery by Jillian on The Biggest Loser! Boy, she got under my skin.
I, being a self-described health researcher, thought it my duty to check Dr. Gundry’s book out. What did I find? Dr. Gundry is against plants. What???? Okay, some plants. He claims that plants have their own defense mechanism that wards/kills maundering insects. The big plant evil ingredient is LECTIN!
What is lectin? A plant protein. Lectins in plants are a defense against microorganisms, pests, and insects. They may also have evolved as a way for seeds to remain intact as they passed through animals’ digestive systems, for later dispersal. This irritates your digestive system and causes an inflammatory response and leaky gut.
Dr. Steven Gundry sets out to demystify long-held myths about plant-based foods. These foods, believed for the most part, to be healthy, have been responsible for hurting the human body for so long.
Gundry exposes the real cause of weight problems, and if you’re one of those people who seem to be eating right and doing all the right exercises, yet suffering weight problems and related diseases, then you’ll want to read this book. Gundry’s book contends that your weight loss efforts are failing not because of any fault of yours, but because you’re mostly misinformed.
Dr. Gundry Bio
Steven R. Gundry is an American cardiac surgeon and held the Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery title while he was a Professor at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine.
Here is a comment from a representative from the Hallelujah Vegetarian Diet.
First, I don’t buy the war between animals and plants or evolution. In Genesis 1:29 God originally gave us the plant kingdom for food. My understanding of creation is that mankind is the crown jewel of all God created, and He put us in place to be good stewards of His creation. So, thinking that plants were made to be food for us just makes sense. There is a symbiotic relationship between mankind and plants, even indicated by their generation of oxygen for us and our generation of carbon dioxide for them. They are good for us and we are good for them. I don’t see a war here.
Is it a coincidence that some of the most allergic food contains the most lectin?
Beans
Tomatoes
Peanuts
Potatoes
Soy Beans
Wheat
Dr. Gundry has products/supplements that he claims helps your system ward off the ill effects of lectin.
From the Amazon listing: At his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world.
The simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including:
- Peel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content.
- Shop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption.
- Swap your brown rice for white. Whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress—and are full of lectins.
He has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating.
Looks like he has many fans. In my opinion, if it worked for Kelly Clarkson, it can work for you.
Here are some of the supplements he recommends.
Thanks for reading,
Terry Ryan, health blogger and pickleball enthusiast