What is the plant paradox diet?

According to Dr Steven R Gundry, avoiding lectins can help in weight loss and improve a range of health condictions.

Happening

Dr Steven R Gundry, an American cardiologist, has written a book called The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in ‘Healthy’ Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain. The premise of the book is that lectins, found naturally in foods such as wheat (gluten is a lectin), beans (especially rajma, peanuts), potatoes, nuts (especially cashew), nightshade vegetables (brinjal, tomato, peppers), are “edible enemies”. Eliminating them, the book proposes, will help with weight loss, and improve a range of health conditions, such as a thyroid imbalance.

Lectins are proteins found in plants that protect them from predators, so they’re most likely to be found in the peel. Within our bodies, Dr Gundry says, they cause inflammation, which then leads to many other conditions, mainly autoimmune diseases (when the immune system gets hyperactive and attacks healthy cells: asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, among a few).

Dr Alok Chopra, a Delhi-based erstwhile cardiologist, who is the founder and medical director of Daivam Wellness that practises non-pharma bio-regulatory medicine, says it’s true about lectins, unfortunately. He calls them hormone and nutrient disruptors (they prevent the body from absorbing nutrients), which, over time, causes havoc in the system. “Eliminating all lectin-producing foods is not possible for the regular person, because you don’t want to lose out on nutrition,” he says. But when people already have autoimmune diseases, “We have to restore harmony in the body,” he says. So a diet where many of these plant foods are eliminated is suggested.

For people who don’t have a problem, it’s best to restrict foods that contain lectin in high amounts. “Peeling and deseeding helps,” says Dr Chopra, as does soaking hard pulses (like rajma) for 24 hours, before double-pressure-cooking. Fermenting and sprouting also reduces lectin levels. He says prebiotic foods like leeks, chicory, artichokes, cocoa nibs, asparagus are good to offset the ill-effects of lectins.

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