Lectin Free Diet??
Recently, I overheard a cook at a long-term care facility explaining to her friends/co-workers that she read a book by a doctor and that they should not eat any foods containing lectins. According to what she read, lectins are poisonous and cause disease. She started naming foods to avoid. This list included foods I consider to be healthful and gave me pause….fruits, vegetable, beans, and whole grains. Hmmm….
The book she is referring to is written by Dr. Steven Gundry. Dr. Gundry claims that lectins cause weight gain, inflammation, and damage intestinal lining. Dr. Gundry also suggests that lectins block the absorption of important nutrients. Most notably, he sells “lectin blocking” supplements on his website – 120 capsules for $49.95 (plus shipping).
What exactly are lectins and is there scientific evidence to back up these claims??
Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins found in all plant foods. Lectins as a group offer no nutritional value and are not digested. They are most highly concentrated in foods such as legumes, whole grains, and plants from the nightshade family such as tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes. All lectins are not created equal, some lectins have toxic qualities while others are not toxic at all. What the science tells us is that these toxic qualities are deactivated by processes such as cooking and fermentation, rendering them harmless. So, while beans such as kidney beans may contain high levels of toxic lectins, nobody eats them raw, and the cooking process makes the lectins negligible. Foods that are eaten raw that contain lectins, such as tomatoes, would have to be eaten in huge quantities to cause harm, these levels are basically unattainable in the human diet.
There is no clinical proof to support the claims made by Dr. Gundry, and others that advocate a lectin free diet. The data used to substantiate their statements is coming from a small number of studies done with isolated lectins in animals and test-tubes. These are not human studies done with whole foods.
What do these foods have in common? They all have evidence based, proven, health benefits. There is a huge body of evidence that supports a well-balanced diet rich in plant-based foods such as these. They contain vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and are plentiful in dietary fiber.
If you know you have a sensitivity to any of these foods, by all means, avoid them. Otherwise, that’s not my conclusion. Until I see significant scientific evidence that actually supports the idea that dietary lectins are harmful, I’m personally going to continue to embrace legumes, whole grains, fruits and vegetables…..EVERY DAY!!
NSB
References:
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-what-are-dietary-lectins-and-should-you-avoid-eating-them/
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