The Plant Paradox Diet, popularized by Dr. Steven Gundry, centers around the idea that lectins, proteins found in many plant-based foods, are harmful "anti-nutrients" that contribute to weight gain, inflammation, and chronic diseases. This diet advocates for the avoidance of foods high in lectins, such as wheat, beans, potatoes, nuts, and dairy, to promote better health.
Understanding the Plant Paradox Diet
The Plant Paradox Diet is based on the book "The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in 'Healthy' Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain" by Dr. Steven Gundry. The book suggests that lectins, which are present in the hulls, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against predators, including humans. The diet proposes that avoiding foods high in lectins or removing the "lectin parts" of a food can lead to significant health benefits.
Dr. Gundry's approach has revolutionized the functional medicine landscape and the definition of "healthy" food. The Plant Paradox Diet has sparked terms like "lectin-free" and "plant paradox" to go viral, inspiring new hashtags, community support groups, and social supper clubs.
Who is Steven Gundry?
Steven R. Gundry, MD, is the director of the International Heart and Lung Institute in Palm Springs, California, and the founder and director of the Center for Restorative Medicine in Palm Springs and Santa Barbara. After a distinguished surgical career as a professor and chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at Loma Linda University, Dr. Gundry changed his focus to curing modern diseases via dietary changes. He is the author of bestselling books, including The Plant Paradox, The Plant Paradox Cookbook, and The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy. Dr. Gundry is also the host of the top-ranked nutrition podcast "Dr. Gundry Podcast" and founder of Gundry MD, a wellness brand.
What are Lectins?
Lectins are proteins found in many foods, especially legumes, grains, and nightshade vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants. According to Dr. Gundry, lectins are toxins that plants produce to survive and should be avoided because of the complications they cause, including inflammation, intestinal damage, and weight gain.
Read also: Delicious Plant Paradox Breakfasts
Core Principles of the Plant Paradox Diet
The Plant Paradox Diet involves avoiding lectin-containing foods. There isn't a highly structured program, but there are two main spin-offs of the diet:
- A low-carb, high-fat ketogenic version of the diet for people with cancer.
- A 3-day "detox" plan for people who are new to lectin-free eating patterns.
Foods to Eat
The diet encourages the consumption of foods that are low in lectins and high in nutrients, such as antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. These foods include:
- Proteins: Grass-fed or -finished meats, pasture-raised poultry, free-range eggs, wild-caught fish, and hemp products.
- Starches and grain-free products: Sweet potatoes, plantains, rutabaga, parsnips, and paleo wraps or breads.
- Nuts and seeds: Macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, and hazelnuts.
- Fruits: Avocados, berries, and coconut.
- Vegetables: Mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, okra, carrots, radishes, beets, kale, nopales (cactus), and cabbage.
- Dairy: Goat’s milk and cheese, organic sour cream, organic cream cheese, organic heavy cream, and Brie. A2 milk is allowed.
- Fats and oils: Grass-fed butter, plus olive, coconut, and avocado oils.
Foods to Avoid
The diet restricts foods that are believed to contain high levels of lectins or other compounds considered harmful. These foods include:
- Proteins: Soy products, grain- or soy-fed livestock, farmed fish, and all beans and legumes.
- Grains and starches: Pasta, potatoes, cookies, crackers, pastries, whole grains, wheat, rice, oats, quinoa, barley, corn, and popcorn.
- Nuts and seeds: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, peanuts, and cashews.
- Fruits: All fruits, except berries.
- Vegetables: Cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, and other squashes, as well as nightshades like tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplant.
- Dairy: All conventional A1 milk products, as well as Greek yogurt, American cheese, and cottage cheese.
- Fats and oils: Vegetable, soybean, canola, corn, peanut, and sunflower oils.
Some of the banned veggies - tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers - can be eaten if they’ve been peeled and deseeded.
Potential Benefits of the Plant Paradox Diet
The Plant Paradox Diet may provide several benefits, such as improving insulin sensitivity and digestive health.
Read also: Nutritious Granola Recipes
May Aid Insulin Sensitivity
Limiting sugary items, grains, and most starchy foods may improve your insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that regulates your blood sugar levels. Sugary foods, processed grains, and starchy foods - especially those with little fiber, protein, or fat - rapidly increase your blood sugar levels, causing a spike in insulin. Removing these foods from your diet may boost insulin sensitivity, decreasing your risk of weight gain and chronic disease.
May Boost Digestive Health
One of the key benefits of the Plant Paradox Diet and other lectin-free diets is better digestive health, especially for people struggling with digestive issues or lectin sensitivity. By eliminating lectins, people with lectin sensitivity may see improvements in their digestive symptoms, allowing their gut time to heal.
May Aid Autoimmune Conditions
The autoimmune protocol (AIP) is a lectin-free eating pattern that’s similar to the Plant Paradox Diet. The AIP is a type of paleo diet that may help manage autoimmune conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, and Hashimoto’s. The lectin-free Plant Paradox Diet may likewise benefit individuals with autoimmune conditions.
Criticisms and Downsides
Despite its potential benefits, the Plant Paradox Diet has faced criticism from experts in the scientific and medical communities.
Excessive Food Restrictions
The Plant Paradox Diet eliminates a wide variety of foods, from legumes and seeds to nightshade veggies to conventionally raised meats. While this may help people with lectin sensitivity, you’re unlikely to see many benefits if you’re not sensitive to lectin.
Read also: Advantages of a Plant-Based Cleanse
Many of these banned foods are nutritious and contain relatively few lectins, especially after cooking them. For instance, beans and legumes are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Moreover, most of their lectins are neutralized when they are properly prepared by soaking and cooking.
Lack of Scientific Evidence
Critics argue that there is not much scientific evidence to support the idea that all lectin-containing plant foods are harmful. T. Colin Campbell, a biochemist and advocate for plant-based diets, states that The Plant Paradox contains numerous unsupported claims and refutes that it makes a "convincing argument that lectins as a class are hazardous."
Cost
Because the diet discourages grain-fed meats and conventionally raised poultry, it can also be expensive to follow. Grass-fed meats are typically much more expensive than grain-fed ones, as well as potentially more difficult to find.
Abstract Controversy
In November 2021, Gundry published a poster abstract in Circulation which claimed that mRNA vaccines against the COVID-19 virus "dramatically increase" inflammation and that this was associated with heart disease. Commentators in British media cited the abstract as evidence of the mRNA vaccines being unsafe. The abstract was not peer-reviewed before publication.
Sample Meal Plan and Recipes
To provide a better understanding of what a typical day on the Plant Paradox Diet might look like, here's a sample meal plan and a couple of recipes:
Sample Meal Plan
- Breakfast: Coconut yogurt and a handful of blueberries, black coffee
- Lunch: Grilled shrimp and half a sweet potato
- Dinner: Chicken skewers, broccoli, and white rice
Recipes
- Garlic Cheddar Biscuits: Combine 10 ounces of lectin-free bread mix, ½ Tbsp. baking powder, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 omega-3 eggs, ½ cup organic sour cream, ¼ cup French or Italian butter (cold), ⅔ cup of shredded goat’s milk cheddar cheese, and 2 Tbsp. chopped chives in a food processor. Mix until a large dough-like ball forms. Spoon 1-Tbsp. portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Mexican Fried Rice: Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of dry basmati rice to a pressure cooker. Add 1 tsp. of distilled white vinegar and a pinch of salt. Seal the lid and press the “rice” button. In a hot frying pan, add grass-fed ghee butter (2 Tbsp.), 1 sliced green onion, 1 cup of the cooked rice, ½ tsp. of cumin, and ½ tsp. of chili powder. Pan fry while tossing to mix the flavors.