A lectin-free or low-lectin meal plan has provided many people with relief from digestive symptoms and other disorders. But, what the heck are lectins, and who should avoid or limit them? Let’s take a look at the topic of lectins in more detail to find out if you would benefit from a low-lectin diet.
One important thing to remember is that following a lectin-free diet has preliminary, but not conclusive research to support its benefits.
What are Lectins?
Lectins are a type of protein that is found in many plant foods, especially grains, nightshade vegetables, and legumes. They are also found in some animal foods like conventionally-raised eggs and milk. A type of lectin you may be familiar with is gluten, but there are many more in foods like peanut lectin, wheat germ agglutinin, low mannose-binding lectin, and phytohemagglutinin.
These proteins called lectins are found in nature and their role is to protect the plants that they are found in. When we eat lectins, however, they can irritate our tissues because they bind to various forms of carbohydrates in our bodies. This is why some can combat this with a low carb diet.
Research shows that lectins stimulate antibodies in the body that may damage tissues in susceptible people, such as those at risk for diabetes, stomach ulcers, some kidney diseases, Parkinson’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Common foods containing lectins
Foods that are otherwise considered healthy can contain lectins that can have unfortunate side effects for many people.
Here are the most common lectin-containing foods. The good news is most of the following foods can be prepared in certain ways to greatly reduce their lectin content with the exception of the foods with an asterisk next to them.
- Wheat*
- Wheat germ
- Wheatgrass
- Brown Rice
- Barley*
- Rye*
- Oats*
- Corn
- All whole grains
- Nightshades like peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplant
- Lentils Beans (especially kidney beans)
- Cucumbers
- Melons
- Soy
- Cashews
- Chia
- Peanuts
- Pumpkin
By soaking, fermenting, and pressure cooking most of these foods, you can greatly reduce the lectin content with the exception of wheat, barley, rye, and oats. These grain lectins don’t break down with cooking or fermenting methods like the other foods do.
A person on a low-lectin diet should avoid those four foods with asterisks* altogether. Some people choose to avoid all lectin-containing foods in an effort to get to the root of their symptoms too.
Other lectins that you may know
Lectins that are well-known to cause irritation or damage in the body include latex, ricin from castor beans, and phytohemagglutinin from red kidney beans. Red kidney beans contain phytohemagglutinin, which is a toxin that can cause severe food poisoning if only a few raw beans are eaten.
Other beans and lentils also contain phytohemagglutinin, but a smaller amount. Luckily, most of this toxic lectin compound is reduced by soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and pressure cooking (preferably do all 4!). As you can see, lectins are not benign and certainly can be a problem for some susceptible individuals.
As Dr. Berg points out, lectins effect each of us differently and some of us are more susceptible than others.
Lectin Intolerance Symptoms
Lectins irritate tissues, so symptoms can be wide and varied. It is important to know that high intakes of lectins result in sensitivity symptoms in virtually everyone. Naturally, the level of sensitivity will vary from person to person.
Here are the most common symptoms connected with lectins:
- Chronic fatigue
- Altered mood
- Brain fog
- Skin rashes
- Dry skin
- Allergies
- Joint aches and pains
- Nerve conditions like numbness and tingling
- Weakness
- Belly upset
- Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and colitis
- Nausea
- Impaired immunity
- Celiac disease
Certain diseases like Parkinson’s disease have connections to lectins too. For example, lectins may impair the function of dopaminergic neurons by binding to them.
A followup study from 2022 titled Gut-brain axis: Review on the association between Parkinson’s disease and plant lectins states that there still isn’t enough information to make the tie between lectins and Parkinson’s. “Although the current literature provides a connection between the consumption of plant lectins and the pathophysiology of PD, further research is required to evaluate confounding variables such as food antigen mimicry and other harmful substances found in our diets.”
Lectins bind to vitamins like vitamin B12, making them unavailable for absorption, so this explains why some people may get nerve symptoms like tingling in the body when they eat a lot of lectin-rich foods.
As you can see, these symptoms are often sneaky and are often blamed on genetics. It may be time to take a look at your diet to see if lectins are at the root of some of your ailments.
Lectins trigger histamine
One reason that lectins are irritating to tissues is that they can trigger the release of histamine from cells. The end result is inflammation and an amped-up immune response.
Histamine is a necessary neurotransmitter, but it also causes a lot of discomfort, such as allergic-type symptoms like congestion, asthma, runny nose, sinus pressure, brain fog, digestive symptoms, and more. This is part of the reason that people can feel so much better when they begin an elimination diet-their histamine levels may normalize. Some people may have weight loss for this reason too, although I suspect the weight loss happens due to an improvement in the microbiome and ditching the junk foods.
Leaky Gut may be caused by lectins
The term leaky gut has been a popular description of the sensitivity to lectins as well as other inflamatory gut conditions.
Leaky Gut Syndrome (LGS) is a condition characterized by increased permeability of the intestinal lining, allowing harmful substances to seep into the bloodstream. While healing LGS requires time and patience, several dietary and supplemental approaches can aid in the recovery process.
Dietary adjustments form the cornerstone of LGS management. Additionally, incorporating specific supplements can provide targeted support for gut health:
- Bone Broth: Rich in glycine and other anti-inflammatory compounds, bone broth helps soothe the inflamed gut lining.
- Collagen Peptides: By stimulating gastric juices and repairing the mucosal lining, collagen peptides contribute to gut healing.
- Probiotics: These beneficial bacteria help restore a healthy gut microbiome by outcompeting harmful microorganisms and improving gut pH levels.
- Digestive Enzymes: Reducing the workload on the gut, digestive enzymes can help alleviate inflammation.
- L-Glutamine: As a primary energy source for gut cells, L-glutamine plays a crucial role in promoting gut lining repair and recovery.
- Curcumin: Known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, curcumin can accelerate the healing process of a leaky gut.
- Licorice Root: With its ability to reduce gut pain, irritation, and soothe the gut lining, licorice root can provide relief for LGS symptoms.
By combining dietary changes with appropriate supplementation, individuals with LGS can work towards improving their gut health and overall well-being.
How to reset and heal the gut
Diet should always be the first step to healing, not a fast fix-it pill or other invasive treatment. There are several ways you can purposefully improve your gut health. Taking supplements, prebiotics and probiotics, Avoiding seed oils, Exercise, Fasting, and semi or permanent changes in your diet like the Carnivore or Lectin-free diet are all actions steps you can take.
Lectin free meal plan
A lectin-free meal plan will be one that avoids all of the foods high in lectins listed above. Lectin-free foods include:
Protein:
- Wild-caught fish like salmon and sardines
- Grass-finished meats
- Wild game
- Free-range eggs and chicken (not fed grains)
- Goat cheese
- A2 cheeses
- Hemp hearts
- Tempeh
Starch:
- Cooked millet
- Almond flour, blanched
- Cassava
- Arrowroot
- Coconut flour, coconut milk, and coconut oil
- Sweet potatoes
- Sorghum
- Tapioca
- Tiger nuts
Vegetables and Fruits:
- Root vegetables (except potatoes)
- Green vegetables (except cucumbers and peas)
- Berries (except Goji berries)
- Fruit (except melons)
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Nuts, Seeds, and Fats
- Nuts and seeds (except peanuts and cashews)
- Hazelnuts
- Sesame seeds
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dark Chocolate
- Coconut Heavy cream from A2 cows
- Grass-fed butter
- Avocado oil
As you can see, you can maintain a healthy diet with lots of healthy fats, protein, and fiber-rich foods on a lectin-free diet. If you first want to try a low-lectin diet where lectins are reduced in foods, you can use the following tips to help remove lectins from your meals.
There are many dieticians who don’t subscribe to the lectin-free or carnivore diets, claiming that we are missing many nutrient dense foods. In many of us, this is true. Most of the population can benefit from all the foods God gave us, however, there are those who struggle. The main point is find out what works best for you and your body and remember moderation in everything is best.
Dr. Ann makes some excellent points about the benefits of the same foods on the naughty list above.
How to Remove Lectins from Foods
There are 5 ways to help remove lectin content from your foods. Remember, this applies to all lectin-rich foods except wheat, barley, rye, and oats, which have stubborn lectins that won’t change with these methods. By using these methods, you will still have a small amount of lectins in your foods, but there may be enough reduction in lectins to reduce lectin sensitivity symptoms in some people.
Soak
By soaking many types of grains and beans, you can help begin the process of lectin breakdown in foods. Do not ever skip the soaking step, and preferably soak your grains and beans for as long as possible.
Sprout
Sprouting helps to further reduce the lectins, so foods like lentils, beans, and rice can become low-lectin foods with this step. Typically, you will want to soak your beans and grains first, then sprout them for 3-5 days by keeping them moist. For more tips on sprouting visit Nutrition Studies.
Cook
Pressure cooking your foods helps to continue to reduce the lectin content due to pressure and high heat. Investing in a pressure cooker like this one can really help you if you want to be on a low-lectin diet.
Ferment
Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to ferment your grains, quinoa, and beans. For example, soybeans aren’t allowed on a low lectin diet, while fermented soy like tempeh and miso are allowed because the fermentation process helps to eliminate those irritating lectins. Ancient Aztecs fermented their quinoa to help this pseudo-grain be more nutritious and healthy.
Peel or Hull
If you are wondering how to remove lectins from tomatoes and cucumbers, peeling them is the way to go. This will remove a good portion of the lectins. Cooking the tomatoes in a pressure cooker helps remove any remaining lectins.
Take it a step further and make a fermented salsa with them or pickle the cucumbers using fermentation methods.
To help remove lectins from rice, you should ideally choose white rice because, unfortunately, the lectins reside in the fibrous parts of the grain. Again, fermented rice is much better than non-fermented rice.
Whether you know it or not, lectins may be silently causing your body various digestive symptoms, body aches, and even mood changes. By following a lectin-free meal plan, reducing lectins in your foods, and trying lectin blockers, you may be surprised how your health changes. Still, a low-lectin diet isn’t for everyone, and it’s best to seek out the help of a qualified practitioner who understands lectins and food sensitivities well, such as a functional medicine doctor.
Discover more from Hale Multimedia LLC
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply