Those of us in our middle adulthood have probably experienced one of the following symptoms: excess weight, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis or insulin resistance. Often our primary concern is the food intolerance, cravings, digestive issues, headaches, brain fog, lack of energy, aching joints, morning stiffness or many other symptoms. These symptoms may be related to what are autoimmune diseases or disorders such as type 1 and 2 diabetes, thyroid issues, or metabolic syndrome.
To combat these terrible symptoms, we try new diets and exercise routines. All of us are willing to try even the most controversial diets as long as it makes us feel better. One of the latest controversial approaches to diet is explained in the New York Times bestseller, The Plant Paradox, by Dr. Steven Gundry.
Dr. Gundry, a Yale graduate and former chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at the Seventh-day Adventist coeducational health sciences center at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, developed “The Plant Paradox” diet after studying the way humans have eaten throughout history and pinpointing lectin-containing foods.
“When major lectin-containing foods were introduced to our diet about 10,000 years ago in the form of grains and beans, our health dramatically changed for the worse,” explains Dr. Gundry in his book.
Differently from other experts that have pointed out our laziness and abuse of fast foods, Dr. Gundry goes on to explain that the real cause of our health issues is well hidden, and it starts with plant proteins called lectins.
Lectins are part of the defense mechanism of plants. Plants use lectins to paralyze predatory insects. Lectins pass through your body without being digested and are categorized as an anti-nutrient since they lower your ability to absorb key vitamins and minerals. Lectins are found in almost all plants, as well as some other foods like meat, poultry and fish. The lectin we are most familiar with is gluten.
The Plant Paradox diet calls for avoiding lectins by cutting out a long list of foods, including common vegetables such as eggplant, tomatoes, red peppers, grains and raw legumes. By doing so, we reduce inflammation, repair gut health and prevent weight gain. Dr. Gundry states that consuming the lectin in beans and grains is “like swallowing razor blades that literally cut the lining in our intestines.”
After deciding to adopt this way of eating for himself, Dr. Gundry lost 70 pounds, cured his arthritis, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome and migraines. It was from this experience that he developed The Plant Paradox.
It is widely accepted that lectins can have negative health effects in certain contexts, but a recent study concluded that, at least in the case of cooked foods, lectins don’t carry negative health effects, and the nutritional benefits from these fruits and veggies far outweigh any limited evidence of potential harm from the lectin. If you are still interested in giving the diet a try, first consider consulting your doctor, who can best weigh in on if an elimination diet like The Plant Paradox is prudent. Once you’ve done that, then check out the following sample menu for a day of eating on the diet.
For breakfast, the recommendation is nothing. If you cannot avoid it, then have a green smoothie, grain-free muffin, or pastured eggs with spinach, mushroom, and olive oil. For lunch, eat a salad with “lots of olive oil,” and finally, for dinner, egg rolls or Pad Thai. Farm-raised and grain-fed meats are a no, as are out-of-season fruits. Dr. Gundry recommends eating one avocado a day. If interested in following this diet, you should invest in a pressure cooker, as all legumes need to be pressured cooked to more efficiently eliminate all lectins.
