Celebrity diets take on a life of their own. That’s why, even if you don’t watch football or shop at Victoria’s Secret, you’ve probably heard of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s restrictive diet, also known as the lectin-free diet.
Obviously, this controversial eating style hasn’t hindered Brady’s athletic performance, but is it something you should consider trying? Here’s what you need to know.
What is lectin?
Lectins are natural proteins found in about 30% of the food we eat. They bind to carbohydrates and are present in plants and animals.
Lectins “perform a protective function for plants as they grow,” says Jim White RD, ACSM EX-P, owner of Jim White Fitness and Nutrition Studiosnoting their beneficial properties.
They can also cause gastrointestinal upset in sensitive people if certain foods containing them are not well cooked.
Although small amounts of these proteins may provide benefits, some health professionals caution against consuming large amounts, while others say more research is needed to confirm these claims.
Humans may have trouble digesting lectins, so some pass through the gastrointestinal tract unaffected. But others have the potential to bind to the intestinal lining in susceptible people, where they can cause digestive issues.
And although more research is needed, some claim that when they bind to the intestinal lining they have the potential to reduce nutrient absorption.
What is the lectin-free diet?
“The lectin-free diet involves reducing or completely eliminating lectins from your diet,” says nutritional twins Tammy Lakatos Shames, RDN, CDN, CFT and Lyssie Lakatos, RDN, CDN, CFT. This approach to diet, based on the theories of cardiologist Dr. Steven Gundry, is exactly what its name suggests.
This means you’ll cut or cut out nightshade vegetables like bell peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes as well as legumes, some nuts and dairy, and grains like barley, rice, and quinoa. (Read: No cereal, bread or pasta.)
Gundry says lectins are associated with health issues and digestive issues, Lakatos and Lakatos Shames explain. He claims that lectins are associated with negative reactions because they bind to carbohydrates, especially sugars, in the body, and can block messaging between cells.
But they point out that these effects are not supported by research done on humans.
What can you eat on a lectin-free diet?
Since the lectin-free diet cuts out specific foods from certain broader categories, like fruits and vegetables, it’s often easier to think about what you can’t eat on the diet rather than what gets the hang of it. green light.
But dietary recommendations on this diet, according to Gundry’s research, include the following:
- Olive oil and olives
- Farmed meats
- Leafy green vegetables
- cruciferous vegetables
- Attorney
- Baked sweet potatoes
- Asparagus
- A2 milk (and butter made from it)
- Celery
- Mushrooms
- Garlic and onion
What should you avoid on a lectin-free diet?
While there are ways to reduce the lectin content of certain foods, such as pressure cooking, fermenting, sprouting, deseeding, peeling, and boiling, Gundry recommends reducing consumption of these foods. .
- Nightshade vegetables (eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato)
- Legumes (beans, peas, peanuts and lentils)
- Cereals
- Squash
- Fruit (allowed in season in small quantities)
There are certain foods that Dr. Gundry recommends people following his lectin-free diet as planned to avoid completely:
- But
- Milk A1
- Meat from corn-fed animals
There have been questions in the past about certain foods in particular. Since it is an animal product, eggs, for example, are allowed on the lectin-free diet, but only those from pasture-raised chickens.
Certain types of nuts and seeds are allowed, such as walnuts, pine nuts, hemp seeds, Brazil nuts, pecans, flax seeds, pistachios and sesame seeds. Almonds and cashews are prohibited, as are peanuts since they are technically a legume.
The lectin-free diet allows certain seasonal fruits in moderation. This includes apples, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, lemon, oranges, cranberries, and raspberries.
However, bananas contain lectin and are discouraged by the regime.
List of lectin-free foods
To reiterate, the lectin-free diet is still a theoretical approach to eating that has not been scientifically validated.
But if you want to make your own experiences, what are the allowed and forbidden foodsaccording to Gundry.
Can a lectin-free diet help with weight loss?
Brady and Bundchen may have given the lectin-free diet a first boost, but Kelly Clarkson and her weight loss on the plan catapulted him over the wall, leading many to wonder if this controversial approach to diet would yield similar results for them.
It depends, explain the Nutrition Twins, but technically the lectin-free diet could create the conditions for weight loss. It’s because any A diet that eliminates food groups is likely to create a calorie deficit, which lowers the number on the scale — not necessarily the specifics of the plan.
“If someone is currently eating a large portion of their diet from lectin-rich foods like legumes, beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, squash, fruits, nightshade vegetables, grains, corn, meat from corn-fed animals and cutting these foods out of their diet, they can lose weight simply by reducing their caloric intake,” they explain further.
But again, the duo point out that a calorie deficit is necessary: ”If you just eat other foods to replace the ones you cut out, you probably won’t experience any weight loss.”
Visually, you may also appear to lose weight if you have a food intolerance that is alleviated with this plan. Whenever you identify foods that are not well tolerated by your body, you will feel better. And better digestion resulting from elimination can lead to less bloating and gas, which means your stomach will feel — and maybe even look — flatter.
As for what we know works, however, White summarizes, “Lectins have not been extensively studied in humans. Currently there is no evidence that concludes whether it is good or bad for your health or helps create weight loss.
What are the benefits and risks of a lectin-free diet?
“Eating a variety of nutrients is part of being healthy. And without food variety, health can have a negative impact,” explain the Nutrition Twins. “This lectin-free diet lacks many nutrients necessary for optimal health.”
White echoes their concern, noting that the biggest downside is “lacking in vital nutrients like fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, protein, and heart-healthy nutrients.”
But it also comes with other concerns. Overall, the risks of the lectin-free diet include:
- Lack of vital nutrients
- Higher feed costs (especially for pasture-raised meat products)
- feeling too limited
- Potential deprivation, which could lead to binge eating
People who are already on a diet that eliminates certain food groups, such as vegetarians and vegans, should probably avoid the lectin-free diet because it would likely remove even more foods from their already limited menu.
But even if you have no other limitations, the Nutrition Twins worry that the lectin-free diet is simply too restrictive and lacks scientific evidence to be sustainable for most people.
