Hi ,
Have you ever heard of lectins? They are a carbohydrate-binding protein found in many plants.
Lectins are found in certain foods (see below). They help
plants defend themselves against pests, like insects, by making it harder for the pests to eat them. If they do eat them, most seeds remain intact as they pass through the digestive system. That way, when an animal poops 💩, the seed can still sprout, grow and produce more seeds.
Are Lectins Good or Bad?
On the good side, they can
help our bodies in some ways. Some scientists think lectins might help our immune system, which is like our body's shield against getting sick.
On the other side, if we eat too many raw foods with lectins, they can upset our stomach. Cooking foods with lectins usually makes them safe to eat. For example, when you cook beans, the heat breaks down the lectins, so they don't bother us! However, if someone’s digestive
system is impaired, the lectins can make their way into the bloodstream causing other problems.
To enjoy foods with lectins safely, make sure to cook them well. Boiling beans until they are soft is a good way to make them safe and tasty. You can also soak beans in water before cooking them to help reduce the lectins even more.
How to prep lectin foods:
Kidney beans - Soak, cook
Chickpeas - Soak, sprout, cook
Green peas - Soak, sprout, cook
Beans - Soak,
sprout, cook
Lentils - Soak, sprout, cook
Most grains (wheat, rice, oats, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, rye, etc.) - Soak, sprout, cook
Edamame - Cook
All soy products - Soak, ferment,
cook
Corn and corn products - Cook
Grain flours and products made from them (bread, crackers, cereal, cookies, muffins, etc.) - Cook
Eggplant - Cook
Tomatoes (unless peeled & seeded) - Peel, de-seed,
cook
Cucumbers (unless peeled & seeded) - Peel, de-seed
Bell pepper (unless peeled & seeded) - Peel, de-seed, cook
Chili peppers (unless peeled & seeded) - Peel, de-seed, cook
White
potatoes - Cook
Peanuts - Cook (roast)
Pumpkin seeds - Soak, cook (roast)
Sunflower seeds - Soak, cook (roast)
Chia seeds - Soak
Cashews - Soak, cook
(roast)
Foods low in lectins:
Onion and garlic family
Celery
Carrots
Beets
Fresh herbs
Lettuce greens
Spinach
Seaweed
Berries
Avocados
Green plantains
Sweet potatoes
Pasture-raised poultry
Grass-fed or -finished meat
Most seafood, especially wild-caught
Coconut
and coconut oil
Olives and olive oil
Hemp seeds and hemp products
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts, radish, etc.)
