In order to lose weight and get healthy, you need to eat a healthier diet and exercise on a regular basis. However, finding an effective diet can be a tricky thing. Many people have food sensitivities that make so-called healthy foods a bad choice. It can be hard to determine which diet is best for you.

One diet that you may want to give a change, is the lectin-free diet from Dr. Gundry. He is a well-known heart surgeon who has done substantial work in the past years researching and writing books like The Plant Paradox which explains his diet and the role of lectins in weight gain and health issues.

What are Lectins?

Dr. Gundry attributes his own weight loss and improved health to a lectin-free diet. Lectins are proteins that are found in grains, dairy, and nightshades such as tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. Dr. Gundry feels that these lectins can contribute to a number of health issues like inflammation, weight gain, high blood pressure, and many more diseases.

Lectins can damage your gut, and the gut is where most diseases originate. If you take measures to heal your gut through a healthy diet that limits or removes lectins, you can reverse disease and illness and all the symptoms that come with it to feel better and live a better life.

Foods to Eat

Dr. Gundry’s lectin-free diet recommends a diet that is full of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. Fruits that are allowable on the diet are avocados and berries, but these should be used sparingly, and you should only eat fruits that are in season.

A good quality olive oil is a healthy alternative to other oils or butter. Some seeds and nuts are good additions to meals and can also be eaten as snacks. Standard dairy should be avoided, but goat and sheep cheeses are acceptable.

Meat should be limited a bit but is not forbidden on this diet. However, the kind of meat that you consume is important. You should only eat pasture-raised meats that are free of antibiotics. These protein sources are much healthier than lower quality alternatives. Wild caught fish is also permitted.

Natural sweeteners are allowed on this diet plan along with coconut and almond flour. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation only.

Foods to Avoid

Dr. Gundry’s diet is unique because it also restricts some fruits and vegetables. While these are normally considered healthy foods, Dr. Gundry believes that they can actually cause harm. Nightshades, in particular, can cause these negative effects. Tomatoes and cucumbers are allowed in some circumstances, but only when they are peeled and deseeded.

Gluten is one of the best known lectins. It has been known for some time that gluten can cause gastrointestinal distress and that some people are particularly sensitive to it. Gluten found in grain is one reason why pasture raised meat is a better option than grain fed cows, chickens, and pigs. These animals don’t have the nutritional value that pasture raised animals have. They also pass on the negative effects of the grain that they themselves eat, to the humans that consume them.

Since grains are known to contain gluten, they are a big food group to avoid. Starchy foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread are not allowed. Other foods to avoid are legumes like peas, beans, and lentils. Certain nuts like cashews and peanuts should be avoided, along with seeds from pumpkins and sunflowers.

The foods that you avoid can make a huge impact on your diet. Dr. Gundry states that if you stop eating these foods, your gut lining will begin to repair itself and stop allowing toxic materials into your bloodstream.

Dr. Gundry believes that following this type of diet and avoiding lectins will not only fix gut issues but will improve all aspects of your health and allow you to live a longer life that is free of most diseases.