Lectins: Friend or foe?

This was an interesting research dive for me; shamefully, I had purchased “The Plant Paradox” ages ago and just recently made the time to read it. It was a logical explanation of root causes for so many serious ailments.

My particular “one stop shopping” on this subject matter was gleaned from Dr. Steven Gundry. There were a few things about his book that didn’t set well with me (he is an evolutionist) as he maintained that plants absolutely do not want to be eaten and destroyed by man or animal. While I could not dispute or disrespect his painstaking research and incredible patient results, I know God put plants on our earth to be used as food and medicine!

Gundry maintains that lectins are part of the plant’s defense mechanism and that is, in effect, why we can become ill (often a slow and insidious process) from their consumption. Though this sounds “out there,” I can’t argue with the patient statistics, but this is why I would like to try it and just see.

Apparently, according to “The Plant Paradox,” there are roughly 1,000 types of lectins of which gluten is one. I honestly believe our natural immune systems were equipped to handle all the lectins before and early on when people weren’t popping antacids and numerous other over-the-counter meds or quick fixes and disrupting our natural microbiome.

Let me backtrack here: I should have defined lectins. They are plants’ defense mechanisms to keep plants from being eaten or destroyed. They are a protein that naturally binds to and with sugars. When our immune system isn’t working optimally and has been “hacked” or compromised by drugs, chemicals or other disrupters, the lectins are responsible for a vast array of disorders, conditions and diseases—to name a few:

1) the entire autoimmune collection

2) hormonal issues

3) general/systemic inflammation

4) heart ailments

5) asthma and allergies

The main thrust of the PPD (Plant Paradox Diet) is to drastically reduce systemic inflammation since that is the initial “bedrock” of all disease, heal the gut by removing lectin containing foods and then, of course, weight loss as it can’t help but to occur, from the foods that are diet indicated.

Also, by reading Dr. Gundry’s book, I was able to answer a question that had been plaguing me for years. I’m not the type that has ever been allergic to much at all due to a great immune system, but I have had an allergy to something the last few years. It would be all year around so I knew it had nothing to do with flowering plants. Also, never been reactive to mold other than having a sensitive nose for it, so, why have I had constant drainage in back of my throat? It just didn’t “compute” for me util I read “The Plant Paradox.” It has to be the lectins! So, I will give this new way of eating a try and see if things clear up! The only side effect of the PPD, other than getting shed of many ailments, is weight loss…not too shabby.

The foods to avoid are:

1) beans, peanuts, and soy

2) wheat, quinoa

3) tomatoes, peppers

4) potatoes, eggplant

5) dairy such as cow’s milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream

Foods allowed would be:

1) broccoli, cauliflower

2) sweet potatoes, tubers

3) olive oil, avocados

4) pasture raised meats

This is going to take a while to get used to!