LECTINS WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO
KNOW
Soon or later in our life we can all be affected by an adverse reaction between
the lectins contained in food and our small intestine. These carbo binding
protein are ubiquitaries in the vegetal world and are very useful to plants to
protect them against attack. The major lectins are:
-peanut agglutinin
-ricin
-wheat germ agglutinin
-soy lectin
And many others contained primarily in grains, cereals, nuts and legumes
We never had problems with lectins and there are population of the world where
this problem is rarely seen, but sometime our digestive system become weak and
in some situation and during stress face a thinning of its lining that combined
with the bound of certain lectins to its tissues may cause serious adverse
reactions such as bloating, constipation, diarrhea, blooding, and allergic
reaction as well.
In all these cases the best thing to do would be eliminate all sorts of lectin
sources ( soy, milk, wheat, oat, barley, quinoa, beans, nuts and others ) till
the side effects disappear. For some it might even go further for life.
In some searches this had been related to Blood type, origin, but for others it
doesn’t have any relation to it. Better would be to have a diet rich on these
nutrients unless you have a problem that is symptomatic, but not specific and
may affect your articulation, give headache, autoimmune syndromes and digestive
tribulations. Some time the only discards of these food give an immediate
relieve. This is what the SCD ( specific carbo diet ) or GAPS ( gastro
psychotic syndrome ) diet are all about eliminating all complex carbo,
privileging monosaccaride diet and permitting these food, here listed:
• Asparagus, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, beets, cauliflower, carrots, celery,
artichokes, garlic, onions, zucchini, squash, rhubarb, cucumbers, turnips,
watercress.
• Fermented foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, pickled ginger, fermented cucumbers,
coconut yogurt, kombucha, etc.
• Meats: Fish, chicken, beef, lamb, organ meats, . Best choice are grass-fed
and pastured meats from a local farm. Second best is organic. Avoid
factory-farmed meats that contain antibiotics and hormones..
• Low glycemic fruits: Apricots, plums, apple, peach, pear, cherries, berries,
etc.
• Coconut: Coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, coconut cream.
• Herbal teas
• Olives and olive oil
Also is suggested to avoid coffee that may react as gluten in sensitive people.
The WGA ( lectin of wheat ) is capable of simulating the effect of insulin,
some people might be able to disacctivate it before it react with the
intestinal linen, but other are more sensitive, and worse could happen if
combined with other grains and legumes. Potatoes tomatoes and eggplants may
trigger autoimmune syndrome to the articular system with pain felt in fingers
and knee.
But why this is happening more and more now and was less evident before. For
two simple reasons:
– We should start to eat whole at an early age instead of white form of cereal
that at long term to some sensitive people may trigger important adverse
reactions
– And then the touch of man that by genetically modifying food had change for
ever the relation between our cells and the foods cells ( i.g. corn, soy, wheat
and many others )
What shall we do then : if healthy, eat a varied diet especially whole grain
and of old derivation like kamut or spel or Capelli senator and many other
different cereals and not just wheat
If sick instead, try to start avoiding all sort of lectins to reintroduce them
one at the time and not together to better understand what cause the adverse
reaction