What are lectins? Are they good for us ?
These days that we are all staying at home for the safety of ourselves and others due to Covid-19 , we are all trying to stay positive and busy at home but most importantly we are trying to stay healthy and eat as healthy as possible to boost our immune system. Today I woke up and before I head over to Facebook and Instagram as usual, I saw an article about Lectins that I found very interesting and I wanted to share with you. Lectins are a type of protein found in all forms of life, including the food you eat.
In small amounts, they may provide several health benefits. However, larger amounts can reduce your body's ability to absorb nutrients.
6 Foods That Are High in Lectins
Red Kidney beans
Soy beans
Wheat
Peanuts
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Humans are unable to digest lectins, so they travel through your gut unchanged.
What are lectins?
Lectins are a type of protein that can bind to sugar.
They're sometimes referred to as antinutrients. Animal studies suggest that certain lectins can reduce the body's ability to absorb nutrients. Lectins are thought to have evolved as a natural defense in plants, essentially as a toxin that deters animals from eating them (1Trusted Source).
Lectins are found in many plant- and animal-based foods, yet only about 30% of the foods you eat contain significant amounts (2Trusted Source).
Humans are unable to digest lectins, so they travel through your gut unchanged.
How they work remains a mystery, though animal research shows certain types of lectins bind to cells on the gut wall. This allows them to communicate with the cells, triggering a response.
Animal lectins play important roles in several bodily processes, including immune function and cell growth.
Research suggests that plant lectins could even have a role in cancer therapy (3Trusted Source).
However, eating large amounts of certain types of lectins can damage the gut wall. This causes irritation that can result in symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. It can also prevent the gut from absorbing nutrients properly.
The highest concentrations of lectins are found in healthy foods like legumes, grains, and nightshade vegetables. Luckily, there are several ways to reduce the lectin content of these healthy foods to make them safe to eat.
Research shows that by cooking, sprouting, or fermenting foods that are high in lectins, you can easily reduce their lectin content to negligible amounts (4Trusted Source, 5, 6).
Below are 6 healthy foods that are high in lectins.
Here is the link to the article. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Eat healthy my friends and stay safe and healthy.
