Lectin free diet for Autoimmune Disease
Every time you look at the news there is a new reason why you should avoid foods like sugar, gluten, dairy, and now lectin. Can a Lectin free diet for Autoimmune Disease make a difference? The experts say things are good one day and bad the next. Sometimes it’s rather confusing as if everything is bad for us. Hopefully we can dive into the topic of Lectins and Autoimmune Diseases like Lupus, Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and to see if they make sense at a practical level. We will cover the following topics:
- What are Lectins are
- Are they bad for you
- Which foods contains lectin and which ones don’t
- Can you remove lectins from foods
- Should you remove lectins from your diet if you have an autoimmune condition
So what are Lectins? (A plants secret weapon)
Lectins are a protein that comes from plants. Plants are like human beings in the sense that they want to thrive and survive. They want to enjoy their life and have babies. Unlike human beings they can’t physically protect themselves so they need to use other means. Where plants are strong is that they are great chemists. They created the compound which we call Lectin to prevent animals from eating them. Some plants want us to eat them and actually get us to do their bidding. Consider that when a fruit is ripe it usually falls to the ground to be eaten by animals. The animals eat the fruit and enjoy the nutrients. They later poop out the indigestible fibre (seeds) which results in new plant babies. The magic and intelligence of nature is truly surreal.
Are Lectins Bad or toxic? (missiles that cause Leaky Gut and Autoimmune issues)
Lectins when consumed they act as guided missiles that are sent to the gut. They ride in on Chylomicrons and pry open the lining of the gut wall(*).They do this by releasing a compound called Zonulin which flips the switch or opens the gate (tight junctions). Once the gate is open invaders can slip in causing havoc on your system. The Immune System (border control) sounds the alarm that their is an invasion and calls all hands on deck. Border control tells its troops to shoot to kill everything that is foreign and doesn’t belong. Over time this contributes to a Leaky Gut and leads to autoimmune conditions.
What foods Contain Lectins
- Grains (Gluten)
- Rice
- Potato chips
- Corn
- Maltodextrin
- Legumes, peas, lentils, sugar snap peas,
- Pea protein
- Peanuts (the world’s most popular nut is not actually a nut)
- Nightshade veggies: potatoes, peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes
- Chia seeds
- Cashews
- Sugar
- Diet drinks
- Vegetable oils (PUFA’s): corn, peanut, sunflower, canola, and safflower
- Melons
For a full list of foods that contain Lectin see this list
What is the Lectin Free Diet for Autoimmune Disease: The Plant Paradox or Low Lectin Diet
This is a diet approach created by Dr Gundry who is the author of: The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in “Healthy” Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain. He has been interviewed many times explaining his findings and approach to helping people with disease. He is a board certified Cardiologist that has done thousands of operations until he finally started asking more questions. Why are my patients getting sick? how do some of them get better? I must say that Dr Gundry’s info makes sense on a practical level. The dude knows his stuff. His knowledge is not only on lectin theory but he also has a great understanding of the microbiome and totality. I think you should keep an open mind and consider his findings. I urge you to check out some of his interviews or read his book The Plant Paradox.
So what foods can I eat on a Lectin Free Diet
- Avocado
- leafy green veggies
- meats and preferably pasture raised and avoid corn fed animals
- Garlic and onions
- Cruciferous veggies, brussel sprouts and broccoli
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Coconut oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, olive oil
- Nut flours: almond, coconut
- Dairy: cheese, yogurt, and butter
Can you remove Lectins from your food?
There are a few ways that you can dramatically reduce the lectin levels in your foods. Here are some of the ways that are suppose to reduce or remove the lectin content in your food:
- Pressure Cooking
- Soaking
- Fermenting
- Peeling and Deseeding
Many ancient cultures and tribes utilized these methods on their foods. Compare this to our fast food processed nation where we rush food processing at every stage to increase profits.
Should you DITCH the Lectins? and go on a Lectin Free Diet to Cure or Reverse Autoimmune Disease
If you are visiting my channel or site than there is a good chance that you are suffering from some kind of autoimmune condition. Should you try a Lectin free diet, Lectin avoidance, or low lectin diet for Autoimmune Disease? It may be impossible to avoid or remove all lectins, but can you reduce them. If you are experiencing flare up symptoms of your disease then it couldn’t hurt to try removing them. This is especially true if you are doing a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet and are still experiencing symptoms. A few small tweaks to your healing program can dramatically change your results. This is true for people utilizing diets like: Keto, Carnivore, GAPS, SCD, Paleo, Primal, and other Ancestral based diets.
Removing or minimizing Lectins may help heal Autoimmune Disease (Crohn’s and Colitis)
I have found people who utilized a lectin-free diet and experienced awesome results. You can see their stories below this post. I urge you to Look for peoples testimonials and try experimenting yourself. Fail forward and tweak along the way! Do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
I kindly ask if you try removing the Lectins from your diet please share your results with me. This is ultimately a healing collaboration!
If your looking for help to overcome your autoimmune and gut issues feel free to check out my free guide.
