Lectins, to begin with, are proteins found in legumes and grains. The lectin-free diet is now gaining popularity and is hitting the market well.
There are several varieties of lectin available in the market. Some are harmless, but others could cause digestive issues if consumed in a raw state. However, research regarding lectins is limited, but it indeed leads to poor digestion, inflammation, and multiple diseases. If you avoid lectins in your diet, you must let go of specific categories of foods, but properly cooking food is also essential.
Lectin-Free Diet: An Introduction
A lectin-free diet involves reducing the number of lectins in your diet or removing them from the diet. It is beneficial for people with food sensitivities. Most plant foods comprise lectin, but they are in large quantities in legumes like beans, lentils, peas, soybeans, and peanuts. In the nightshade, you can observe vegetables like tomatoes and eggplants, dairy products including milk and grains like barley, quinoa and rice. The lectin-free diet is restrictive and removes a lot of nutrient-dense foods – including those which might be healthy.
When you properly cook food containing harmful lectins – like kidney beans, the lectin content goes down to a large extent and becomes safe to eat. But at the same time, peanuts do not become safe for eating – even after being cooked. As per Food and Drug Administration, if you boil beans for 30 minutes – you can get rid of their harmful lectins. You should know that after properly preparing meals, generally avoid eating foods that contain a lot of active lectins.
A 7-Day Diet Plan
Many foods can be a part of a lectin-free diet, but there is no guidance on what kinds of meals or where to get the ingredients. You won’t have any restrictions on your calorie intake or portion sizes, so feel free to eat till you’re satisfied. You may occasionally eat more than you used to but still lose weight.
A 7-day lectin-free diet plan starts with phase 1, where your diet is severely restricted and continues for the following three days. But before starting any diet, you must speak with your doctor and follow the instructions.
Day 1: You can go for a spinach smoothie consisting of avocado, mint, lettuce, lemon juice, plus stevia extract. Next, have 3 ounces of pastured chicken, sauteed mushrooms, and mustard greens with coconut oil. Your day will also consist of having 2 ounces of wild-caught salmon, buttered lettuce with olive oil and lemon, plus steamed asparagus.
Day 2: On the second day, you can go for 2 ounces of halibut (a type of fish) plus lemon and sauteed spinach with coconut oil. You should include spinach smoothie and avocado into your diet with mint, spinach, lemon juice, stevia extract, cabbage, broccoli, and carrot-stir fry with kimchi.
Day 3: On the 3rd day, you can go for cooked asparagus, avocado, raw sauerkraut, beet greens, some avocado plus beet and lemon smoothie. Also, include 3 ounces of pastured chicken and kale cooked with garlic, olive oil, and lemon.
Day 4: The diet on the 4th day will be very similar to the one on the 3rd day, along with coconut oil, carrots, beet greens, avocado, lemon juice, and coconut oil, as well as walnuts. You can also include 3 ounces of pastured chicken, shredded cooked Brussel sprouts, plus raw sauerkraut salad with an ounce of dark chocolate.
Day 5: You can go for green mangoes, avocado and an ounce of dark chocolate on the 5th day. Also include leafy greens, hemp protein powder, and a mint & lemon smoothie in your diet. Add 3 ounces of wild-caught cod and a raw-beet salad with basil and pine nuts.
Day 6: On the 6th day, make it a point to include coconut milk, almond butter, spinach as well as hemp protein into your diet. You can consist of raw beet salad, mustard greens, olive oil, and lemon dressing. This diet will include four ounces of pastured chicken, asparagus, Napa cabbage and 1 ounce of dark chocolate.
Day 7: The last day of the diet. You still consume dark chocolate, walnuts and avocado as a part of your diet. 2 ounces of pastured chicken salad and leafy greens with lemon and olive oil dressing could aid in the diet, along with lemon asparagus and hemp seeds.
Foods to Include
If someone follows a lectin-free, they should know what food is healthy for them. All animal and plant items undoubtedly contain lectins, and since lectins are certainly present in all goods derived from plants and animals. Still, there are some fruits and vegetables that contain only some amount of lectin-like: apples, arugula, artichokes, asparagus, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chives, collards, kale, leafy greens, leeks, lemons, mushrooms, okra, onions, oranges, pumpkin, radish, raspberries, scallions, strawberries, sweet potatoes as well as Swiss chard.
You also include animal protein in your diet, like beef, chicken, fish, eggs, and the fats found in avocados, butter, and olive oil. You can also consume pecans, pistachios, hemp seeds, flax seeds, pine nuts, and Brazil nuts. Walnuts, almonds as well as sunflower seeds are also allowed.
Foods to Avoid
Foods you cannot consume, keep out of your diet as they contain lectins. E.g., wheat, quinoa, wheat germ, brown rice, oats, barley, pasta, bread, flour, cookies, crackers, cereal, artificial sweeteners, diet drinks, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, hot peppers, as well as cucumbers, peanuts, soy, lentils, split peas, seeds, milk as well as mon-pasture raised meats.
The HealthifyMe Note
Although lectins are present in most plant foods, some are low in lectins, such as broccoli, apple, cabbage, celery, okra and strawberries. People who follow a lectin-free diet should avoid grains, milk, diet drinks, legumes, nightshades, and peanuts. Lectin-containing foods are typically regarded as safe when properly cooked. But some people might be intolerant to these foods; research is contradictory. Before adopting a lectin-free diet, speak with your doctor or dietitian.
Tips for Preparation
When you follow a prohibitive diet, like a lectin-free diet, it becomes essential to derive enough nutrients from the other food items. The reason is that many of the foods on the lectin-free diet list are high in dietary fibre, which benefits health. So, make sure to compensate for the same. You can do this via fruits, veggies, or a dietary supplement to aid in the well-being of your health.
Some tips to keep in mind while following the lectin-free diet are:
- First and foremost, soak and boil the beans to reduce their lectin content.
- You can ferment or sprout the grains and beans to reduce the lectin content.
- Try an elimination diet to determine whether you are sensitive to lectin-containing foods. You can check this by removing one food item at a time and seeing if your symptoms improve or worsen.
You can talk to a doctor or perhaps a dietician to take care of your daily dosage of nutrients. A lectin-free diet can be helpful for people suffering from health issues, but nutritionists disapprove of it as it is not a healthy way of eating or treating health conditions.
Benefits of the Lectin-free Diet
All kinds of diets do not always have drastic health outcomes or do not always fulfil desired motives like weight loss, expected symptoms of chronic inflammation or better digestion. But a diet which is low in processed foods can be very beneficial. Some of the benefits of the lectin-free diet are:
Inflammatory Response
As per research, eating a lot of lectins can activate an inflammatory response in your body. Studies have indicated that a molecular pathway has been identified where lectins might play the role of a “danger signal” for promoting autoimmune diseases. Thus, you can reduce or eliminate lectins to end inflammation.
Nutrient Absorption
Lectins can also be labelled as antinutrients because they accumulate in the gut region, and the nutrient absorption and digestion process suffer. You can eliminate them from your diet for better nutrient absorption by your body.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
This lectin-free diet can be advantageous for people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome or IBS. Certain foods could aggravate constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, and other IBS problems. An interplay between food containing lectins and other carbohydrates causing digestive issues is possible. As per research, foods containing FODMAPs connect with foods containing lectins. More research is required to find out how they could help people suffering from IBS.
Focus on Whole Foods
Lectin-free diets do an excellent job of keeping you away from processed food items. If you check the list of consumable foods above, you will realise that most of your cooking will be at home. You will use veggies, grass-fed meats, and plant-based fats in your diet, and this will reduce calories in your diet and will hence be beneficial. And improving your cooking abilities is usually a good idea.
Lower the Risk of Diseases
According to research, processed foods are bad for health and are directly proportional to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, cancer, obesity, and depression. Lectins come in a wide variety, the majority beneficial to human health. There is substantial research to support the advantages of eating plant-based foods, even though lectins may be problematic for those who are intolerant or consume them in excess.
The HealthifyMe Note
There is no need to eliminate all lectin-containing foods from your diet unless you have a specific lectin sensitivity. Remember that many other methods to pursue health than weight loss, including exercise, sleep, and other lifestyle choices, significantly impact your general well-being. Always go for a balanced diet that fits your lifestyle. Ensure you get adequate nutrients from other food sources if you try the lectin-free diet.
Drawbacks to the Lectin-Free Diet
If a lectin-free diet has advantages, it has disadvantages as well, which include:
Digestive Sensitivity
People may experience gastrointestinal stress after consuming lectin-containing food. As a result, metabolism might be harmful since the cell membranes are connected to the digestive system. In other words, the body is unable to metabolise lectins.
People suffering from IBS may experience adverse effects after consuming antinutrients like lectins. It will always make sense to avoid such foods that cause digestive problems. When you feel discomfort after consuming any food groups, you should see a doctor and stop the consumption of such food items.
Toxicity
Various types of lectins will have different kinds of effects on the body. Study shows some of these could be very toxic, including a toxin derived from castor beans called ricin. In the meantime, a lot of them are quite harmless. It would help if you avoided raw, soaked or undercooked beans.
E.g., Lectin in kidney beans, called phytohemagglutinin, can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea after only 4 or 5 raw beans. As per research, raw kidney beans comprise 20,000 – 70,000 hau (haemagglutinating units), whereas you will find only 200-400 hau in fully cooked beans which are safe to consume. Soaking beans is not enough for the removal of lectin.
According to studies, you can cook these beans for 30 minutes to destroy the lectin content and make them safe for consumption. But do not resort to slow cooking as the destruction of lectins requires higher temperatures.
May Damage the Digestive Tract
As per research, lectins can disrupt digestion while interfering with nutrient absorption. It can lead to intestinal damage if eaten in large quantities.
Is the Lectin-free Diet A Healthy Choice for You?
If you look at the bigger picture, foods like whole grains, tomatoes and beans are wholesome but may not be the best choice for you since they contain lectins. Staying clear of lectins when there are no adverse reactions in your body is unnecessary.
Conclusion
Lectins are present in many kinds of foods,and are known to provide health benefits. However, it also has its cons when dealing with people who are intolerant towards these or consume them in excess. Extensive research strongly supports the benefits of these plant-based foods. People whose bodies respond well to the lectin-free diet prefer attaining their weight loss objectives and monitoring their overall health and well-being.
Sometimes, restrictive diets might result in malnutrition or disturbed eating. It would help if you understood the principles of a balanced diet. It is always advisable to see a doctor or dietician first. Make sure that your pregnancy or a health problem you are concerned about doesn’t interfere with your efforts to lose weight. Only adopt a lectin-free diet if you find it to be beneficial.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q.What foods do not have lectins?
A. Food with less or no lectins are meats (grass-fed), fish, seafood, poultry, meat without soy, sheep and dairy products, cruciferous veggies, avocado, celery, and broccoli, sweet potatoes, and nuts and seeds.
Q. Are eggs OK on a lectin-free diet?
A. Eggs can be a part of a lectin-free diet, but only if they are raised on pasture. Cooking may eliminate most of the lectin in food and reduce its capacity to bind to cells or other substances found in food.
Q. How do I get rid of lectins in my diet?
A. Most lectins get inactivated when cooking food using high-heat methods like stewing or boiling. It would help if you soaked grains in water for long hours to get rid of lectins. Another way to get rid of lectins is to peel and deseed high-lectin plant food like cucumbers, eggplant, etc.
Q. Is coffee high in lectins?
A. Lectin is a protein that binds to carbohydrates. Most foods contain lectins, including beans, lentils, grains, nuts, chocolate, and coffee. Lectins are present in coffee beans, but the amounts of grains, beans, and nuts are higher.
Q. What bread is lectin-free?
A. Only one type of bread, known as “Barely Bread,” is free of lectins. Almonds, seeds, and coconut flowers are barely bread, containing none of the grains. However, this bread is a good source of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and other healthy plant elements. It has several health advantages, from improved digestion to decreased hunger and weight loss.
Q. What milk is lectin-free?
A. Lectin levels are high in casein, one of the proteins found in cow’s milk. Particularly casein A1, a subtype of casein. You still have to eat casein even if you buy organic. It affects the digestive system, is high in lectins, and negatively affects gluten-intolerant persons. You can opt for almond milk over regular milk, which is more nutritious, low in calories, and rich in vitamins and minerals. It may also help to reduce heart disease and help to strengthen bones.
Q. Do bananas have lectins?
A. One of the proteins that predominate in the pulp of ripe bananas is called Musa acuminata L. and plantains – these have been identified as lectins. If you follow a lectin-free diet, you must eat green bananas in your diet but not ripe ones because they contain lectin and have a lot of sugar.
Q.Does oatmeal contain lectins?
A. Oats are a nutritious food, despite this. Oatmeal has a higher lectin content than other foods and typically contains gluten and a few antinutrients. Oatmeal also contains a lot of starch and carbohydrates, which can cause an increase in blood sugar and weight gain. As a result, it can’t be a healthy option for a ketogenic, carb-free, or lectin-free diet.
Q.What fruit is lectin-free?
A. The lectin-free diet impacts many healthy foods, and this diet lacks essential nutrients like fibre and may differ based on the type of fruits. Lectin-free fruits include pomegranates, lemons, beets, blackberries, blueberries, apples, plums, sweet oranges, tangerines, and dates.
Q. Does rice have lectin?
A. The lectin content of whole grains, such as brown rice and wild rice, may be higher than that of processed grains. Furthermore, white rice does not contain lectins; you can boil and ferment grains to get rid of them.
