I was a complete vegetarian for 27 years.  About twenty years ago I was given a book called Eat Right for Your Blood Type.  I had begun to experience inflammatory problems including joint pain and allergies as well as autoimmune thyroiditis also known as Hashimoto’s Disease. This book introduced me to Lectins.  Lectins are proteins found in plants that, when not cooked at high heat or pressure, cause an inflammatory response when eaten.  Although I reduced my consumption of lectin foods at that time, I did not completely eliminate them altogether.  Over time, the joint pain and inflammation got worse and I even began to have Lupus like symptoms.

This summer our family decided to eliminate all lectin containing foods.  Over the past several months we have been following this list very closely.  My personal experience has been extremely positive.  Most of my inflammatory symptoms have decreased.  On top of that, I have lost about one pound per week.

If you would like to give this a try, here is the list of foods to consume as well as the list of foods to avoid.

Lectin Free Foods

Oils and Fats

• Algae oil
• Olive oil
• Grass-fed ghee
• Coconut oil
• Macadamia oil
• MCT oil
• Avocado oil
• Avocado oil mayo
• Perilla oil
• Walnut oil
• Red palm oil
• Rice bran oil
• Sesame oil
• Flavored cod liver oil

 

Fruit

• Avocado
• All berries in season (berries are natural lectin blockers)
• Kiwis

Resistant Starches

These are great for your microbiome, but eat them in moderation.

• Siete brand tortillas
• Bread and bagels made by Julian Bakery
• Paleo Wraps made with coconut flour
• Paleo coconut cakes
• Green plantains
• Green bananas
• Baobab fruit
• Cassava
• Sweet potatoes or yams
• Rutabaga
• Parsnips
• Yucca
• Celery root
• Glucomannan
• Persimmon
• Jicama
• Taro roots
• Turnips
• Tiger nuts
• Green mango
• Millet Sorghum
• Green papaya

Veggies

• Cruciferous
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cauli ower
• Bok choy
• Napa cabbage
• Chinese cabbage
• Swiss chard
• Arugula
• Watercress
• Collards
• Kale
• Green and Red cabbage Radicchio
• Raw sauerkraut Kimchi
• Nopales cactus
• Celery
• Onions
• Leeks
• Chives
• Scallions
• Chicory
• Carrots
• Carrot greens
• Artichokes
• Beets
• Radishes
• Daikon radishes
• Jerusalem artichokes
• Hearts of palm Cilantro
• Okra (lectin blocker)
• Asparagus
• Garlic
• Leafy greens
• Romaine
• Red and green leaf lettuce Kohlrabi
• Mesclun
• Spinach
• Endive
• Dandelion greens
• Butter lettuce
• Fennel
• Escarole
• Mustard greens
• Mizuna
• Parsley
• Basil
• Mint
• Purslane
• Perilla
• Algae
• Seaweed
• Sea vegetables (Bladderwrack is a lectin blocker)
• Mushrooms

 

Sweeteners  (In general, I would try to avoid sweeteners for other reasons)

• Stevia
• Inulin
• Yacon
• Monkfruit
• Erythritol
• Xylitol

Nuts and Seeds

• (1⁄2 cup/day) Macadamia, Walnuts, Pecans, Pistachios, Pine nuts
• Pecans
• Coconut
• Coconut Cream Hazelnuts
• Chestnuts
• Flaxseeds
• Hemp seeds
• Sesame Seeds
• Hemp protein powder
• Psyllium
• Pine nuts
• Brazil nuts

Fish

• Any wild caught 2 – 4 oz per day
• White fish
• Freshwater bass
• Alaskan salmon
• Canned tuna
• Alaskan halibut
• Hawaiian fish
• Shrimp
• Crab
• Lobster
• Scallops
• Calamari/squid• Oysters
• Mussel
• Sardines
• Anchovies
• Crustacean shells are a natural lectin blocker

Olives

All

Vinegars

• ALL without added sugar

Flours

• Coconut
• Almond
• Hazelnut
• Sesame

Dairy Products

• A2 Milk
• 1 oz. cheese or 4 oz. yogurt per day
• French/Italian butter
• Ghee
• Goat butter
• Goat cheese
• Butter (grass fed French or Italian)
• Goat brie
• Goat and sheep brie
• Sheep cheese (plain)
• Coconut yogurt
• High-fat French/Italian cheeses such as triple-cream brie
• High-fat Switzerland cheese
• Buffalo mozzarella (made from buffalo milk)
• Organic heavy cream
• Organic sour cream
• Organic cream cheese (high fat dairy doesn’t have casein)

 

Vinegars

• ALL without added sugars

Herbs and Seasoning

• ALL (except chili pepper flakes)
• Miso

Wine and Spirits

• Champagne (one 6 oz glass per day
• Red (one 6 oz glass per day)• Aged spirits (1 oz.)

Pasture-raised poultry

• 2-4oz per day (avoid farm-raised)
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Ostrich
• Pastured or omega 3 eggs
• 4 yolks daily or 1 egg white
• Duck
• Goose
• Quail
• Dove Grouse

Plant Based Meats poultry

• Quorn
• Hemp tofu
• Hilary’s root
• Veggie burger
• Tempeh (grain free only)

Meat

• Grass fed and grass finished 4oz per day (learn why grass-fed protein is better)
• Bison
• Wild game
• Venison Boar
• Elk
• Pork
• Lamb
• Beef
• Prosciutto

Lectin Foods to Avoid

Avoiding refined, starchy foods, grains, dairy products that do not come from A2 cow milk, nightshades, legumes and select nuts, oils and other fats. The complete list of lectin foods to avoid follows below.

Refined, starchy foods

Pasta

Rice

Potatoes

Potato chips

Milk

Bread

Tortillas

Pastries

Flour

Crackers

Cookies

Cereal

Dairy

Non-Southern European Cow’s Milk Products (these contain casein A-1)

Yogurt (including Greek yogurt)

Ice cream

Frozen yogurt

Cheese

Ricotta

Cottage cheese

Sweeteners

Sugar

Agave

Sweet One or Sunett (Acesulfame K)

Splenda (Sucralose)

NutraSweet (Aspartame)

Sweet’n Low (Saccharin)

Diet drinks

Maltodextrin

Vegetables and legumes

Peas

Sugar snap peas

Legumes*

Green beans

Chickpeas* (including hummus)

Soy

Tofu

Edamame

Soy protein

Textured vegetable protein [TVP]

Pea protein

All beans, including sprouts

All lentils

*Vegans and vegetarians can have these legumes in Phase 2. but only if they are properly prepared in a pressure cooker.

Fruits (some called vegetables)

Cucumbers

Zucchini

Pumpkins

Squashes (any kind)

Melons (any kind)

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Bell peppers

Chili peppers

Goji berries

Nuts and Seeds

Sunflower

Chia

Peanuts

Cashews

Grains

Kefir Grains, Sprouted, Grains, Pseudo-Grains, and Grasses

Wheat (pressure cooking does not remove lectins from any form of wheat)

Einkorn wheat

Kamut

Oats (cannot pressure cook)

Quinoa

Rye (cannot pressure cook)

Bulgur

White rice

Brown rice

Wild rice

Barley (cannot pressure cook)

Buckwheat

Kashi

Spelt

Corn

Corn products

Cornstarch

Corn syrup

Popcorn

Wheatgrass

Barley grass

Oils

Soy

Grape seed

Corn

Peanut

Cottonseed

Safflower

Sunflower “Partially hydrogenated”

Vegetable

Canola