The Plant Paradox Quick and Easy: The 30-Day Plan to Lose Weight, Feel Great, and Live Lectin-Free - by Steven R. Gundry

Date read: 2019-04-14
How strongly I recommend it: 9/10
(See my list of 150+ books, for more.)

Go to the Amazon page for details and reviews.

Believe it or not, most plants that you have been told are good for you are actually trying to kill you. And the best way to feel young at an old age is by protecting your gut. And you do this by avoiding a protein called lectins, which some are designed to tear holes in your stomach and reek havoc on your immune system. Great insight on how not only to lose weight, but how to live a healthier lifestyle.

My Notes

Here, then, is the reason grains and beans took over the world. It wasn't because they were "healthy." It wasn't because they could be stored. No, it was merely because such foods promoted greater fat deposits per calorie than any other food source. That was good then, but it certainly isn't now. Nor is the fact that such a diet also does a better job of shortening the postreproductive years.

The more lectins you ingest from grains and beans, the hungrier you are.

You've already learned about two other disruptors: whole grains and transglutaminase.

DISRUPTOR 1: Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics - Almost all American chicken or beef contains enough antibiotics to kill bacteria in a petri dish!

DISRUPTOR 2: Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) - Ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), Celebrex, Mobic, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We now know that NSAIDs damage the mucosal barrier in the small intestine and colon, allowing lectins, LPSs, and other foreign substances to pass through the intestinal wall, initiating a war within your body.

DISRUPTOR 3: Stomach-Acid Blockers - Drugs such as Zantac, Prilosec, Nexium, and Protonix.

PAIN-RELIEVER ENEMIES: Generic ibuprofen or Advil, Aleve, Naprosyn, Celebrex, Mobic, and other NSAIDs. Friendly Substitutes: Boswellia or white willow bark.

ACID-REDUCER ENEMIES: Zantac, Prilosec (omeprazole), Protonix, Nexium, and Imeprazole. Friendly Substitutes: Rolaids are a low-sugar source of calcium carbonate. Also chew DGL wafers.

SLEEP-AID ENEMIES: Ambien, Restoril, Lunesta, and Xanax. Friendly substitutes: My favorite combination of sleep aids is in Schiff Melatonin Ultra, or buy time-release melatonin and take 3 to 6 mg before bed.

DISRUPTOR 4: Artificial Sweeteners - Also steer clear of soft drinks or sports drinks, any health or protein bar that contains any of these sweeteners, as well as any form of sugar, including corn, agave syrup, or pure cane sugar. Ditto for any processed foods with such sweeteners.

DISRUPTOR 5: Endocrine Disruptors - Many of the compounds in this class of agents are used as preservatives or stabilizers; a prime example is butyl hydroxytoluene (BHT), which is used in processed foods, including whole-grain products.

ENEMIES: Any food that uses BHT as a stabilizing agent, particularly commercial baked goods. Hint: It is likely that BHT has been added if the food comes in a wrapper or has the words "whole grain." (Don't forget that any cracker, bread, cookie, or "crunchy" bar probably also contains transglutaminase.) Food manufacturers are not required to list this chemical on the packaging. Friendly Substitute: Homemade baked goods using approved flour substitutes (coconut or almond).

ENEMIES: Teflon, the brand name for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and similar products used on nonstick cookware, as well as on stain-resistant fabrics and carpeting. Perfluorooctanoic octanoic acid (PFOA) is also used in some nonstick cookware. Friendly Substitute: Use conventional cookware or those with a ceramic coating that are certified to contain no PTFE or PFOA made by T-fal, Amoré, Culina, and other manufacturers.

ENEMIES: Containers made of BPA plastic. Friendly Substitutes: Buy products (and store leftovers) in glass or stainless steel containers, which are nonreactive. Purchase canned foods only in BPA-free cans. Some bottled water is sold in non-BPA plastic, but it is debatable that these plastics are any safer. Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water-pun intended-it turns out that BPS causes the same if not more problems as BPA.35 Purchase a stainless steel or glass water bottle (one with a protective wrapper) and use your own tap or filtered water instead.

ENEMIES: Deodorants and antiperspirants that contain parabens or aluminum. Friendly Substitutes: Again, EWG has analyzed and rated deodorants and antiperspirants as part of its cosmetics database: www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/antiperspirant;deodorant. Acceptable brands include Be Green, Purely Great, and Penny Lane Organics.

ENEMIES: Hand sanitizers with triclosan and all antibacterial soaps. Aside from all their health risks, there is no need to use such products. Soap and hot water are all you need.

ENEMIES: Toothpastes with triclosan and its cousin triclocarban. Triclosan is also in certain mouthwashes and antibacterial toothbrushes. For a long list of other personal care products with this chemical, see http://drbenkim.com/articles/triclosan-products.htm. Pass them all by. You also want to avoid toothpaste that contains sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Friendly Substitutes: Jason, Face Natural, Desert Essence (Natural Tea Tree Oil or Neem flavor), and Trader Joe's Antiplaque No Fluoride All Natural (Peppermint or Fennel) toothpastes contain neither triclosan nor SLS. Ditto for my new favorite (despite its unappealing name): The Dirt's Natural Organic Fluoride Free Toothpaste with MCT Coconut Oil. Tom's of Maine products contain no triclosan, and its Botanically Bright line offers two SLS-free products.

DISRUPTOR 6: Genetically Modified Foods and the Herbicide Roundup.

ENEMY: GMO foods. Friendly Substitute: Organic foods.

DISRUPTOR 7: Constant Exposure to Blue Light - Televisions, cell phones, tablets, other electronic devices, and even certain energy-saving lightbulbs emit light in the blue range of the spectrum, which is known to interfere with sleep.

You are insulin- and leptin-resistant not because you are overweight; rather, you are overweight because your body is at war and is saving calories for the war effort. This is the complete opposite of the common wisdom of why we bulk up. However, if the body senses that there is no war because no lectins and no LPSs are getting into the body, there is no reason to hoard calories, by either conserving food or seeking more food. Weight loss is a "side effect" of ending the war. No wonder almost everyone was slim fifty years ago, back when our bodies weren't constantly at war!

The reason to avoid red meats is to avoid an autoimmune attack that promotes heart disease and cancer, all because of a genetic mutation of a lectin-attracting sugar molecule that's found in humans.

Every time you waver, every time you rationalize something about what you plan to eat, every time you hear a little voice in your head saying, "But this is healthy food," stop and return immediately to Rule Number 1:

RULE NUMBER 1: what you stop eating is more important than what you start eating.

RULE NUMBER 2: Pay Attention to the Care and Feeding of Your Gut Bugs, and They Will Handle the Care and Feeding of You. After All, You Are Their Home.

RULE NUMBER 3: Fruit Might as Well Be Candy.

If it has seeds, it's a fruit! That means that a zucchini, a tomato, a bell pepper, an eggplant, and a pickle are all fruits! And when you eat them, they deliver the same chemical message to your genes and your brain as a more obvious fruit, such as an apple, does: Store fat for the winter. Moreover (and this will surprise most of you), eating the fructose in fruit causes your kidneys to swell and suffer injury, which can destroy them.

There are three fruits that you can have, so long as you eat them when they are still green: bananas, mangoes, and papayas.

Our dear friend the avocado is the only acceptable ripe fruit because it contains nary a trace of sugar and is composed of good fat and soluble fiber, which help you lose weight and absorb fat-soluble vitamins and antioxidants.

RULE NUMBER 4: You Are What the Thing You Are Eating, Ate

• Great apes eat fruit to gain weight for the winter. What makes you different? Nothing.
• Farmers use grains, corn, and beans to fatten livestock for slaughter. What makes you different? Nothing.
• Horses are fed oats to fatten them for the winter when forage is hard to come by. What makes you different? Nothing.