Reduce inflammation with lectin-free eating

Holistic Healthcare
Written By Kenneth Haas

I was a complete vegetarian for 27 years and 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, below is the list of foods to consume as well as the list of foods to avoid.

Table filled with fresh fruits and vegetables

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

(Note that 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) 

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 “meat”

  • 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

To achieve a lectin-free diet avoid 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

Kenneth Haas
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