There’s a lot of talk about lectins and how bad they are for you. A lot of people have jumped on the band wagon so to speak. But, what does the research say? You knew that statement was coming! I’m all about the research.
What are lectins?
Lectins consist of carbohydrate-binding proteins. Lectins are nature’s defense for plants to ward off attacks from insects. Lectins are found in most foods, however, legumes and grains contain the largest amounts. We know that in certain cases lectins can cause digestive issues by reducing absorption of minerals and vitamins and can contribute to leaky gut disease. Lectins can also contribute to changing the environment of the gut by decreasing gut bacteria. One thought is lectins can exacerbate autoimmune diseases by increasing the inflammation throughout the body.
While all this is true, it’s not the full story. Most of the information on lectins is based on eating raw foods that contain lectins such as beans. Dried beans are what most of the controversy is about. I don’t know anyone who eats raw dried beans, do you? The other component to the claim that lectins are harmful is that one would have to eat a large amount of lectins. Most of us don’t eat large amounts of lectin containing foods in one setting.
Research facts
I’m not a big fan of the FDA, WHO and the other alphabet health agencies right. (That’s another article for another time.) However, both agencies make a good point in that preparation of the lectin containing foods is the key.
Lectins are nearly eliminated through cooking. Studies show that soaking beans in preparation for cooking reduces the amount of lectins in the beans by more than half. Then the cooking process eliminates nearly all of the lectins left in the foods. So, the cooking process destroys nearly all of the lectins in foods.
I’m not going to list the groups of foods that have the highest levels of lectins. That information is easily found. The purpose of this article is to encourage you to NOT believe everything you see on YouTube, even if the presentation is by an “expert”. Think about what is being said and do your own research.
If you eliminated all foods with lectins, you would be left with very little to eat. You would also be losing much needed vitamins and minerals from your diet. Most importantly, you will be losing a lot of pleasure in life. We need a variety of foods to stay healthy. Remember, I have told you to eat the “rainbow” in past articles. Eat foods rich in colors. Foods with rich colors contain more of the vital nutrients we need to have a healthy body.
Eat to live, don’t live to eat. Therefore, when you do eat, experience the pleasures in the taste and textures of foods.
Do you know beans and rice make a complete protein? Beans and rice are one of my favorite foods. This combination can have a large variety of combinations. I like to add salsa to my beans and rice to give it a spicy kick. Beans and rice can have as many variations as there are herbs and spices.
Whole foods are our first defense to have a healthy life. Always remember, food is medicine for our bodies. Buy the best quality of foods that you can afford. When you stop buying the junk foods, you have more money to spend on foods that nourish your body.
When we were children, our parents would tell us to stop playing with our food. I disagree! Play with your food, be creative! Enjoy life, enjoy your food, be creative, have fun!
