Top 6 Lectin Free Take-Aways

1. First, be very careful with skins and seeds. Most plants store their lectins in the skins and seeds, with nightshades and squashes being the most common examples. It’s advisable to peel the skin of any nightshade vegetable (tomato, eggplant, pepper, and potato) and squash, and when possible, remove all seeds before consuming. This would also include vegetables like cucumbers, too. (Note: sweet potatoes are a different plant than normal potatoes and are exempt from this). For patients with active moderate to severe disease, Gundry says it is advisable to avoid the nightshades and squashes completely for a period of time, if not forever.

2. Avoid all grains and “pseudo-grains”, aside from millet and sorghum. Dr. Gundry describes the grain family as the worst of the lectin offenders. This includes not just the gluten containing grains, but also oats, corn, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and others. Not only do these grains cause inflammation in the gut, but they also can “cross-react” with gluten itself and cause worsened intestinal permeability in patients with gluten sensitivity. This means if you have gluten sensitivity, or the most severe form of this called celiac disease, you can have the same reaction in the body as if you were eating gluten when you eat other grains! Dr. Gundry says that millet and sorghum are two types of grains that don’t contain lectins, so these are safe to eat. Moreover, if your health has been in a good place, and you want to start reintroducing some grains, avoid the whole grains. Stick to white rice, particularly white basmati rice. A good bread to try would be organic artisan sourdough bread as this already has the bulk of the lectins predigested. Moreover, Gundry notes that many people who travel to Europe can tolerate grains much better than in the United States. There are multiple reasons for this, but the most likely reason involves the healthier farming practices that are mandated by the government. Less pesticides sprayed on the food = happier gut for you.

3. Avoid all legumes. This includes beans of all types, peas, cashews, and peanuts. Dr. Gundry cites numerous anecdotes of patients who drastically improved after removing the legume family. He also describes multiple scenarios where patients reintroduced legumes and had abrupt flare ups. Note: There is one safe way to consume legumes, which takes us to the fourth tip:

4. Buy and use a pressure cooker! Pressure cookers, such as the Instant Pot, remove all lectins from foods aside from those found in the gluten-containing grain family. But for beans, nightshades, non-gluten grains, and squashes pressure cooking is a fantastic way to reduce and even eliminate the lectin content. It’s still recommended to peel the skin and remove the seeds when possible. Soaking and sprouting grains or legumes whenever possible is also a plus, as this helps make them more easily digested. Dr. Gundry notes that the Eden Foods brand pressure cooks all of their beans before selling them. This means the lectins are already destroyed!

5. If choosing to consume dairy products, only consume those from grass-fed cows with A-2 casein (or sheep/dairy products). This includes the breed of cow known as the Jersey cow. Conventional dairy products are made from cows of different breeds which includes a highly gut-busting lectin known as A-1 casein. Much of the time the gastric distress that is caused by dairy is from the casein A-1 (lectin) and not the lactose (sugar). This is why many people still suffer from GI upset when switching to lactose-free milk. It is important to note that goat and sheep dairy products are naturally A-2 casein so these are considered low-lectin options. The best way to find out if the dairy products you are consuming are coming from Jersey breed cows is to buy local and ask the farmer what kind of breed they have. And remember, grass-fed is always better than grain-fed because, as Dr. Gundry says: “You are not just what you eat. You are what the thing you are eating, ate.” What he means in that tongue-twister is that if a cow is eating genetically modified grain products, then some of those lectins (and the pesticides sprayed on them) will end up in you!

6. Eat fruit only in season. This helps to keep the lectin content low and helps limit our intake of fructose, which can cause inflammation in susceptible patients. Gundry says there are 3 fruits that are on the menu more long-term as long as they are eaten when still green: bananas/plantains, mangoes, and papayas. Not only are they lower in sugar when still green, but also contain some resistant starch which helps to feed our good gut bacteria. The one fruit of notable exception is the avocado, which Dr. Gundry describes as “our dear friend.” The avocado is high in healthy fats, low in sugar, and can be used in many different dishes. Eating this fruit is highly encouraged.

Lectins beware! Our Crohn’s/Colitis Lifestyle patients are now on the lookout! Armed with valuable information from The Plant Paradox and Dane Johnson’s interview with Dr. Steven Gundry, we have a new tool in the arsenal in defending against inflammation from our food. Just to recap what we learned:

Plants want to live long and happy lives just like every other form of life. Over millions of years they have developed protective strategies to ward off predators (us!) and one of their main strategies has been the development of lectin proteins in their skins, seeds, rinds, and leaves. These lectins often make animals sick, thus keeping the plant alive long enough to reproduce and spread its offspring. The foods with the highest lectin content include grains, legumes, nightshade vegetables, squashes, and certain fruits. Limiting our total lectin intake will help reduce inflammation in our guts. We can do this by pressure cooking legumes, nightshades, and squashes, sticking to white rice and other “white” grains that have the hull removed, eating only pasture-raised animal products that aren’t fed grains, and peeling and de-seeding vegetables before eating.

While this may seem like a lot at first, remember that everyone is individual. Tomatoes may cause GI distress in one person, while black beans may cause it in another. This book isn’t here to scare you into never eating your favorite foods again. Instead use it as a tool to help modify your diet into one that fits YOU best. In times of stress or flare-ups, going strictly low-lectin/lectin-free may help you navigate until the storm passes. Then, as the flare up passes, reincorporating some pressure-cooked beans or sprouted sourdough bread might work for you. There is no one size fits all approach, and remember to be kind to yourself through the process. We are in this together, and we are here to help at CrohnsColitisLifestyle.