Lectins - What are they?

     Lectins are carbohydrate-binding proteins.  They have been around for thousands of years. 
     Through trial and error, any animal, including man, learned how to avoid the ones that made them feel bad, and eat the ones that didn't.  For a detailed discussion of lectins purchase the book, The Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry, MD. 
     There is a specific lectin that has gained a lot of attention these days, but is really just a minor player: gluten.  Many people assume that manufactured foods that are called "gluten-free" are also grain free.  Not so.  Where wheat, barley, and rye are eliminated, when you look at ingredients, you will probably find they have been replaced with corn, rice, or teff; which all contain forms of lectins similar to gluten.  Other products often found in them may include soy or other bean flours, which of course also contain lectins.  
     This being said, the thing most people (including me) miss when eating a lectin free diet are good tasting baked goods: bread, muffins, cake, pie.  When you begin Dr. Gundry's method of eating there are three phases.  

• In Phase 1 these items are off the eating list, but Phase 1 only lasts for three days. 
• In Phase 2 more things are added back into your diet, but there is still a list of things to JUST SAY NO to.  
• Phase 3 is a permanent lifestyle change.  It isn't just for 3 days, 3 months or even a year - it is a new way of life that you embrace as your new normal.

     In Phase 3 you can even eat sourdough products made with wheat.  You heard me right.  Here is why:
     "Since 1950, commercial bakers in the United States have replaced the rising agent of yeast with transglutaminase, which is also a binding agent.  When I do eat bread in the United States, it makes me feel bloated, but I have no such reaction with white bread made with yeast when I am in Europe.  That's because yeast ferments and destroys the lectins in wheat, taming their effects.  And guess what? In France and Italy, where bread is produced by traditional yeast-rising techniques, almost all the bread is white, not whole wheat.  It contains gluten, which has been digested by the yeast, but no WGA.  Would it surprise you to learn that sourdough bread, made by fermenting wheat with bacteria and yeast, consistently ranks as one of the safest and least injurious breads, in terms of blood sugar spikes?  The bacteria and yeast together "eat" the lectins and a good deal of the sugars." (The Plant Paradox by Steven Gundry, MD.)

     This is why I make all of my baked goods at home with my own two hands.  When I want to use wheat, it is always in a sourdough based recipe.  I also have incredible gluten-free (GF) breads and muffins, and some equally good tasting "no-grain" baked items.

     Of course, eating lectin free is not just about eating yummy baked foods, but about the type and amount of protein, vegetables, and fruits that we consume.  In due time I will cover all of these categories. To kick it off with, I will share my best every GF sandwich bread recipe with you.

     Hope to hear from those of you who try out these recipes.

Linda