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Again, when fruit is allowed to ripen naturally, the parent plant reduces the amount of lectins surrounding the seeds in the fruit and skin and then communicates this information by changing color.
SO, WHAT ARE lectins anyway? For the most part, with one important exception, they are large proteins found in plants and animals, and they are a crucial weapon in the arsenal of strategies that plants use to defend themselves in their ongoing battle with animals.
If you have ever experienced brain fog, thank lectins. Lectins also facilitate the attachment and binding of viruses and bacteria to their intended targets.
As the old saying goes, “You are what you eat.” But you are also what the thing you ate, ate.
A four-pronged defense mechanism protects us from the toxic effects of plants, and specifically of lectins.
THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE is the mucus in your nose and saliva in your mouth,
THE SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE is stomach acid,
THE THIRD LINE OF DEFENSE is the bacteria in your mouth
THE FOURTH AND FINAL LINE OF DEFENSE is a layer of mucus produced by certain cells throughout your intestines. Like the mucus in your nose, mouth, throat, and extending all the way to your anus, this layer of gut mucus acts as a barrier.
The Plant Paradox Program is actually a microbiome- and mitochondria-centric program that recommends a diverse array of the right plant foods at the right time, prepared the right way, in the right amounts.
of glutenlike lectins, including zein, oryzenin, panicin, kafirin, and penniseitin.
yeast ferments and destroys the lectins in wheat, taming their effects. And guess what? In France and Italy, where bread is produced by traditional yeast-rising techniques, almost all the bread is white, not whole wheat. It contains gluten, which has been digested by the yeast, but no WGA. Would it surprise you then to learn that sourdough bread, made by fermenting wheat with bacteria and yeast, consistently ranks as one of the safest and least injurious breads, in terms of blood sugar spikes?
This compilation of hypothyroidism, arthritis, acid reflux, osteoporosis, bowel issues, and depression (and the
drugs they took to relieve them) formed a pattern in these slim women. I
That’s because their TLRs and G-spotters were receiving information from input sources that never existed fifty years ago, thanks to a fundamental alteration in the foods people eat and the drugs and personal care products they (and you) use.
And some lectins are specifically designed by the plant to resemble compounds that are considered harmful by the body—such as lipopolysaccharides (LPSs), which are molecules that make up the cell walls of certain bacteria in our microbiome. I’m not one for swearing, but I can’t resist calling them “little pieces of shit,” because that’s exactly what they are! LPSs are fragments of bacteria that are constantly being produced as bacteria divide and die in your gut.
“FRIENDLY” BACTERIA, WHICH populate the innermost layer of cells in the gut (the mucous layer, right next to the intestinal cell border), thrive on complex resistant starches called fructooligosaccharides (FOS).
These drugs blow gaping holes in the mucus-lined intestinal barrier. As
now I am convinced that leaky gut underlies all our disease issues, just
What impacts that permeability? As we learned above, NSAIDs, antibiotics, acid-blocking drugs such as Nexium and Prilosec, and the biocide Roundup all change your gut flora and the mucous layer of your gut.
This compromises the barrier wall of your intestines on a daily basis, thereby allowing lectins in. And this confluence of forces prompts your immune system to unleash an attack on you, in a classic case of mistaken identity caused by molecular mimicry. As a reminder, molecular mimicry is caused by our immune cells attacking proteins on cells or organs that resemble the patterns on lectins and LPSs.
Friendly Substitutes: Stevia (SweetLeaf, which contains inulin), Just Like Sugar (made from chicory root), the sugar alcohols xylitol or erythritol (Swerve), yacón
Sorry, folks, but tomatoes, zucchini “noodles,” bell peppers, goji berries, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, and chia or pumpkin seeds are not ancestral foods—and they are loaded with lectins.
In plain English, the reason to avoid red meats is to avoid an autoimmune attack that promotes heart disease and cancer, all because of a genetic mutation of a lectin-attracting sugar molecule that’s found in humans.
Just to be clear, there are three fruits that you can have, so long as you eat them when they are still green: bananas, mangoes, and papayas. Unripe tropical fruit has not yet increased its sugar (fructose) content. Instead, it is made up of resistant starches, the things your good gut bugs love to dine on, but we mere humans don’t have the enzymes to digest.
Our dear friend the avocado is the only acceptable ripe fruit because it contains nary a trace of sugar and is composed of good fat and soluble fiber, which help you lose weight and absorb fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants.
An Overview of the Plant Paradox Program
Instead, you will eat delectable dishes made with vegetables and small amounts
Consume no more than 8 ounces of wild-caught fish (such as salmon, shellfish, or mollusks) or pastured chicken a day in two 4-ounce portions (about the size of a deck of cards). Certain
And why are Tabasco and other hot sauces fermented? Because using bacteria to break down the lectins is a time-honored method of lessening the lectin load, just as the Incas did with their quinoa.
For example, fermentation in sourdough kills gluten.13 And fermentation eliminates 98 percent of the lectins in lentils.14 If you are willing to invest the time, you can banish lectins with the age-old technique of fermentation—although a pressure cooker can do the job in a fraction of the time.
Instead of using olive or coconut oil in this period, I recommend perilla oil.
Nuts—particularly pistachios, walnuts, macadamias, and pecans, which are full of polyphenols—promote the growth of “gut buddies.” Nut consumption is also associated with reduced risk of overall mortality.
• Eliminate NSAIDs and replace with Tylenol, or preferably 5-loxin (boswellia extract). There are several good products that contain boswellia such as Now D-Flame and MRM Joint Synergy.
achieve. I have absolutely no qualms keeping my patients’ levels of vitamin D greater than 100
Both animal and human studies show that the lower your IGF-1, the longer you live, and the less chance for developing cancer.
methylfolate 1000 mcg tablet each day and putting a 1000 to 5000 mcg methyl B12
I’ve recently released it as GundryMD Lectin Shield.
Studies show that people with the highest levels of omega-3 fats in their blood have a better memory and a bigger brain than people with the lowest levels.
There are several good national brands. Kirkland Signature Fish Oil, 1200 mg Enteric Coated, available at Costco
