The Plant Paradox Quotes

“In addition to the potential to cause health problems, lectins can also stimulate weight gain. The reason that wheat became the grain of choice in northern climates is thanks to a uniquely small lectin in wheat, known as wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), which is responsible for wheat’s weight-gaining propensity. You read that correctly. Wheat helped your ancestors gain or maintain weight in ancient times when food was often scarce; back then, a “wheat belly” was a great thing to possess! And guess what? That WGA in the “ancient” forms of wheat is just as present in modern wheat—hence the weight gain.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“I will go so far as to say that if you’re overweight, there’s a good chance that it’s because you’re a believer in the myth of “whole-grain goodness.” Distressingly, the renaissance of whole-grain products has reintroduced WGA and a host of other lectins back into our diet.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Depletion of Vitamin D Sunscreens prevent the absorption of vitamin D. But all the compounds discussed above, whether in sunscreens or other products, also lower your liver’s ability to convert this critical vitamin to its active form. This prevents the regeneration of new cells in your protective intestinal wall barrier, allowing more lectins and LPSs through, along with other foreign bodies. Men with prostate cancer have very low levels of vitamin D. Despite the fact that my practice is in Southern California, I have found that almost 80 percent of my patients have low levels of vitamin D in their blood. In fact, anyone in my practice with leaky gut or autoimmune diseases has low levels. Lacking sufficient vitamin D, and in the face of repeated assaults on the walls of the intestine and the lack of ongoing repair to keep out lectins and LPSs, the body constantly senses that it is at war. It’s not surprising, then, that most of my overweight and obese patients are also very deficient in vitamin D.20 Such a deficiency also impedes the generation of new bone, setting the stage for the development of osteoporosis. My thin female patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis also have low levels of this critical vitamin when they first come to see me.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“The next step in the process of making modern farming more efficient and profitable was genetic modification. In bioengineered plants, lectins are artificially inserted. Scientists selectively add foreign genes into a plant’s basic genome to command the plant to manufacture specific lectins that enhance the plant’s ability to resist insects and other pests. This is one form of genetically modified organisms (GMO).”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“The lectins in the nightshade family include solanine, a neurotoxin.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Believe it or not, a Duke study showed that a single Splenda packet kills 50 percent of normal intestinal flora!”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“the most dangerous trick pulled by lectins, which I now see on a daily basis in my patients, is that they bear an uncanny similarity to the proteins on many of our important organs, nerves, and joints.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“This means that white bread contains gluten but not WGA, while whole wheat bread contains the double whammy!”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“nonfood products such as over-the-counter and prescribed drugs, room fresheners, hand sanitizers, and countless other disruptors are not just a problem in their own right but also compound the negative effects of eating lectins.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“The mummified remains of Queen Nefertiti suggest that she most likely had diabetes. The legendary queen was not the only one with problems related to her grain-heavy diet. In fact, oatmeal has been associated with dental problems even in modern times.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Did you know that a plant knows when it is being eaten? Well, as recent research reveals, it does, but it doesn’t just sit there and accept its fate.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Quite simply, plants don’t want to be eaten—and who can blame them? Like any living thing, their instinct is to propagate the next generation of their species.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Lectins also facilitate the attachment and binding of viruses and bacteria to their intended targets. Believe it or not, some people—those who are more sensitive to lectins—are therefore more subject to viruses and bacterial infections than others. Think about that if you seem to get sick more often than your friends do.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“SLEEP-AID ENEMIES: Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta, and Xanax. • Friendly substitutes: My favorite combination of sleep aids is in Schiff Melatonin Ultra, or buy time-release melatonin and take 3 to 6 mg before bed.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“products, which grocery stores have recently started selling, particularly on the West Coast. Alternatively, use goat or sheep milk products to be safe.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“cranberries”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Buffalo butter (available at Trader Joe's)”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“justgetflux.com”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Glucose raises insulin levels in primates and humans, which initially raises levels of leptin, a hunger-blocking hormone—but fructose does not.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“RULE NUMBER 4: You Are What the Thing You Are Eating, Ate”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“RULE NUMBER 3: Fruit Might as Well Be Candy”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“RULE NUMBER 2: Pay Attention to the Care and Feeding of Your Gut Bugs, and They Will Handle the Care and Feeding of You. After All, You Are Their Home.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Rule Number 1: what you stop eating is more important than what you start eating.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“According to a 2007 federal law, chickens labeled free-range (or cage-free) can be crammed inside a warehouse and fed corn and soybeans as long as a door to a small patch of grass is left open for at least 5 minutes a day. Of course, under crowded conditions, most chickens never see the light of day.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“The use of mouthwashes, which kill mouth bacteria as they give you that “minty clean” breath, dramatically increases blood pressure.19 If you use mouthwash and have been told you need to take medication to lower your blood pressure, ditch the mouthwash ASAP.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“SPOILER ALERT: Any sweet taste, even from stevia, stimulates an insulin response that makes you want more, as discussed above.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Don’t get me wrong, targeted antibiotics can be lifesaving; but you should be very cautious about taking broad-spectrum antibiotics for anything other than a life-threatening infection.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Every time you take a course of Levaquin, ciprofloxacin, or another broad-spectrum antibiotic for a urinary-tract or another infection, you kill most of the microbes in your gut. Shockingly, it can take up to two years for them to return. Many may be gone forever. Even worse, each time a child takes antibiotics, the likelihood increases of him or her developing Crohn’s disease, diabetes, obesity, or asthma later in life.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“Americans spend on average of $8300 per person annually on health care, but only $2200 for food. The Japanese spend $3300 and $3200 on health care and food, respectively.5 What does that say about our priorities?”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

“How do we compare with the rest of the world’s population? Globally, the United States doesn’t fare very well in the life expectancy department, ranking thirty-fifth. Japan, on the other hand, ranks second.”
― Steven R. Gundry, The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain