The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain
“Dr. Gundry is a true trailblazer, always at the forefront of scientific knowledge. The Plant Paradox shows the world what pioneer thinking is about and is a must-read book for anyone interested in being as healthy as nature has designed them to be.” —Alejandro Junger MD, New York Times bestselling author of Clean, Clean Gut and Clean Eats
“The Plant Paradox elegantly explains how plants defend themselves from being consumed by humans, and how eating the wrong ones at the wrong times immeasurably hurts our health. An eye-opening read.” —Mehmet Oz, MD, Professor of Surgery, New York Presbyterian/Columbia University
Most of us have heard of gluten—a protein found in wheat that causes widespread inflammation in the body. Americans spend billions of dollars on gluten-free diets in an effort to protect their health. But what if we’ve been missing the root of the problem? In The Plant Paradox, renowned cardiologist Dr. Steven Gundry reveals that gluten is just one variety of a common, and highly toxic, plant-based protein called lectin. Lectins are found not only in grains like wheat but also in the “gluten-free” foods most of us commonly regard as healthy, including many fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, and conventional dairy products. These proteins, which are found in the seeds, grains, skins, rinds, and leaves of plants, are designed by nature to protect them from predators (including humans). Once ingested, they incite a kind of chemical warfare in our bodies, causing inflammatory reactions that can lead to weight gain and serious health conditions.
At his waitlist-only clinics in California, Dr. Gundry has successfully treated tens of thousands of patients suffering from autoimmune disorders, diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases with a protocol that detoxes the cells, repairs the gut, and nourishes the body. Now, in The Plant Paradox, he shares this clinically proven program with readers around the world.
The simple (and daunting) fact is, lectins are everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Gundry offers simple hacks we easily can employ to avoid them, including:
· Peel your veggies. Most of the lectins are contained in the skin and seeds of plants; simply peeling and de-seeding vegetables (like tomatoes and peppers) reduces their lectin content.
· Shop for fruit in season. Fruit contain fewer lectins when ripe, so eating apples, berries, and other lectin-containing fruits at the peak of ripeness helps minimize your lectin consumption.
· Swap your brown rice for white. Whole grains and seeds with hard outer coatings are designed by nature to cause digestive distress—and are full of lectins.
With a full list of lectin-containing foods and simple substitutes for each, a step-by-step detox and eating plan, and delicious lectin-free recipes, The Plant Paradox illuminates the hidden dangers lurking in your salad bowl—and shows you how to eat whole foods in a whole new way.
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Kindle Edition, 416 pages
Published April 25th 2017 by Harper Wave
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Gruia Novac i would try keto. switching to fat as energy source fixes most issues. aim at <20g carbs="" of="" span="">
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To put it generously, I am not the intended audience for a book like this, and I would not normally seek out, let alone read, a diet book. Nonetheless, someone whose opinion and educated intellect I deeply respect recommended the book to me, and so I read it.
This book was, at the very least, easy to read, condensing scientific (and pseudo-scientific) terms and concepts into easily digestible chunks with cutesy analogies. Of course, for a fad diet to catch on, it has to be something that people c ...more
This book was, at the very least, easy to read, condensing scientific (and pseudo-scientific) terms and concepts into easily digestible chunks with cutesy analogies. Of course, for a fad diet to catch on, it has to be something that people c ...more
Not a big fan. The diet seems incredibly difficult to maintain. Plus, I think there's some contradicting information. He states that research shows that the longest living people are vegans, followed by vegetarians, and so on. Yet he says all of these fruits and vegetables are so bad for you. Well, those are the foods those vegans are eating! There were a couple of interesting things that I took away from this book, but it's incredibly wordy and something better left to skimming, rather than rea ...more
Jun 25, 2017Katherine Reay added it
Fascinating... Rethinking food and autoimmune diseases. Learning so much!
I enjoyed reading this book. I definitely learned a lot and have some great takeaways for myself, but I also remain skeptical about some of Dr. Gundry's recommendations. He shares very convicing scientific research and success stories, yet his program seems to be most successful for people suffering from serious health issues and autoimmune diseases. What I remain uncertain on is whether or not it's the best dietary approach for everyone. I would recommend reading the book with an open mind whil ...more
Fascinating, I watch his videos and stopped eating a few of the foods he suggests (nuts, tomatoes and peppers) and am having better digestion and energy. Excited to read the rest of the book
May 11, 2017Robert rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: health-fitness, medicine
Impressive and convincing book. Dr. Gundry revisits his earlier diet recommendations but this time he does so based on some convincing biochemistry research. His work with thousands of patients over decades has validated his food recommendations but this recent book adds the information about the actual biochemistry underlying his recommendations. His earlier book relied on a "Paleo" argument which I found less convincing than the material in this book. His recommendations require a major shift...more
We’ve all heard the saying, “you are what you eat.” But in the era of Genetically Modified Organisms, this maxim can produce a lot of anxiety. That’s why world-renowned heart surgeon Steven R. Gundry, MD has written The Plant Paradox. Here he helps us navigate the world of food so we can eat better and live longer.
Dr. Gundry enlightens us with new thoughts about food consumption so we don’t bloat minutes after eating. Like so many Americans, I try to make sure my family eats healthy. Tomatoes, ...more
Dr. Gundry enlightens us with new thoughts about food consumption so we don’t bloat minutes after eating. Like so many Americans, I try to make sure my family eats healthy. Tomatoes, ...more
I have been waiting for this book for a long time. For as long as I can remember, I have had an intuitive sense that the micro biome in and on our bodies is intricately related to our health. The Plant Paradox finally articulates that connection with clarity and conviction. I will begin changing my diet and my habits immediately. Stay tuned for progress.
Dr. Gundry discusses lectins, which are present in many foods and which he says are responsible for a plethora of health problems. I was surprised by his assessment of foods which we think of as "healthful," and believe the book would be especially interesting to people with autoimmune disorders.
I approached this book with a lot of skepticism, since I have been a firm believer in the health benefits of whole grains and I always have baskets full of fresh fruit on my counters. However, the scientific arguments that he presents are quite compelling, and there were a few "aha!" moments for me where things that myself or my friends had experienced made sense. I haven't tried implementing the diet yet, but I'm willing to at least give it a try.
While Dr Gundry is fully convinced his new way of eating is superior to all other nutritionists discoveries, I remain a bit skeptical. The book is quite repetitive and I found it to be more of an infomercial for him than I would've liked. Still his plant based recommendations shouldn't be totally ignored and I agree that the nightshade veggies do pose challenges for some. It really is just another diet book to add to the hundreds that have gone before!
This was a very interesting read and the science was very enlightening. i however found a lot of inconsistencies. For example he cites that billions of Asians eat rice and have no significant levels of obesity and diseases yet his diet categorically excludes rice with no real explanation why. Also he offers no real advice of how to ease in and maintain his extremely restrictive diet. This is very off-putting. I will definitely take some of his advice to heart but I don't know if his anecdotal ev ...more
This seems like the text of one diet and the recipes on f another. The first part is a collection of foldable like scare stories and confused science and the recipes contain many things you were warned off in the text.
Well written, easy to understand. Interesting and informative. Did not give 5 stars because of Gundry hawking his own line of supplements.
The principles seem sound. I found the continuous sales pitch tone to be tiring and the overall suggested program to be completely impractical.
I have read many health and diet-related books over the years, but never one like The Plant Paradox. Dr. Gundry combines history, chemistry, and biology to explain why and how certain plants were never meant for us to eat. However, don't let this dissuade you from reading the book because it does not read like a dry, academic journal piece. I also think it's important that his research has been peer reviewed, and his endnotes are extensive. Much of what he writes about he's known for years to be ...more
I thought this was going to contain some interesting history on the interactions between humans and foods, maybe some fun botany facts -- and it did, for about 50 pages. Thereafter, I found it to be a self-congratulating, Santa Barbara-style food fad book. I pretty much gave up after seeing the phrase, "My good friend, Tony Robbins" twice in 20 pages. Stop. Just stop.
People. Eat food that isn't processed, and try to keep it local and organic. Cook your food at home. Limit grain intake, possibly ...more
People. Eat food that isn't processed, and try to keep it local and organic. Cook your food at home. Limit grain intake, possibly ...more
The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven R. Gundry focuses on "The Hidden Dangers in 'Healthy' Foods that Cause Disease and Weight Gain." It is quite an interesting concept, and I do see the logic in many of Dr. Gundy's claims which are backed by scientific research, as noted in the notes section. I like the fact that it includes sample meal plans and recipes for those ready to try Dr. Gundy's plans. Since I have not tried it myself, nor am I an expert, I can't provide claims of it's relevance or success ...more
Dr Gundry's diet is essentially a low carbs diet with a twist. He introduced lectins to us. Lectins are proteins present in certain plant seeds and husks, and they are bad for us, thus the 'Plant Paradox'. He introduced tons of anecdotes for miraculous cure for rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes and cancer. However, while the low carbs diet have been demonstrated in many studies to be safe and effective in weight loss and diabetes control, the low lectin diet has not been researched. Also I ...more
Love, love this author.
I've been anticipating the release of Dr Gundry's new book for a while. NOT a disappointment at all. This can be a life changing step to better health.
I've been anticipating the release of Dr Gundry's new book for a while. NOT a disappointment at all. This can be a life changing step to better health.
This book finally helped me see through the fog of food options. Thanks to it I've made some crucial changes in my life:
gave up sugar, gave up almost entirely to bread, carefully choosing the moments when I eat and how much I eat, and of course not to mention the lectin story - which I believe and study to see its effects in action.
Definitely, a must read!
gave up sugar, gave up almost entirely to bread, carefully choosing the moments when I eat and how much I eat, and of course not to mention the lectin story - which I believe and study to see its effects in action.
Definitely, a must read!
There are many similar findings with the Paleo Diet and Forks Over Knives. I'm calling this diet "Beyond Paleo."
Life changing!!! This is the first book ever to make the connection between the one to two advils I take every day for a bad knee and why I cannot lose weight. Following his plan all my chronic hunger has STOPPED! Be sure to get the prebiotic thrive, vital reds and primal greens. I started those and immediately felt so much more energy and so much better.
Apr 28, 2017Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: cooking-food-gardening, own-physical
Well, I just devoured this book in 2 days! Fascinating read! Now, I will see if I devour any of these recipes...
You are what you eat, ate!
I picked up this book by chance, not expecting to learn much more than what I thought I already knew about food. I was hooked from the first page! Its all very interesting and I must say very different from what we have been drilled with. All the "healthy" stuff like fruits, quinoa, lentils aren't so healthy after all.
I read every page and some over and over again because I couldn't get over some of the concepts he put out but also because I felt like I learnt again ev...more
I picked up this book by chance, not expecting to learn much more than what I thought I already knew about food. I was hooked from the first page! Its all very interesting and I must say very different from what we have been drilled with. All the "healthy" stuff like fruits, quinoa, lentils aren't so healthy after all.
I read every page and some over and over again because I couldn't get over some of the concepts he put out but also because I felt like I learnt again ev...more
Wow! This book effectively integrates many things I knew about food and LOTS of things that I didn't know. Yes, grains are bad but WHOLE GRAINS are much worse! We really haven't evolved enough to eat tomato seeds and other nightshade vegetables, so that tomato-cucumber salad that we thought was so healthy? Not so much. At a certain point when we've shot our gut biomes to hell, animal proteins are basically just like sugar. Is fruit good for you? Hmm, well if you're ready to pack on some pounds, ...more
Some good information regarding lectins and their effects, but a pretty restrictive diet. Also, I'm really bothered by the fact that animal protein is still advocated in this book, despite all the evidence that it adversely affects our health,so this taints my opinion of Dr. Gundry's work. My takeaways are that I will pressure cook my beans and seed & peel my tomatoes. But I will return to the Forks Over Knives approach, which respects vegan sensibilities and also offers a MUCH bigger select ...more
I found the conclusions in this book surprising and even, in places, startling. However, it is backed up with good references and with years of clinical work. I have been on the diet for 3 weeks (not a long time, I know), but I have seen some significant improvements in my health - sufficient to stay the course to see the longer term benefits. Written in a logical and engaging manner - thanks to Dr. Gundry for bringing this information to the fore.
This makes so much sense and I am already thankful to have found the science behind why I still have joint inflammation despite eating "healthy" (relatively low fat and low/no sugar) paleo. I've only just begun the first steps but I'm glad to have a new plan and can already feel some relief from two days of eliminating remaining traces soy and nightshades.
Very interesting read I would love to see what the world does with lectins in the future! The secret to aging well and healthy? Maybe! As far as the diet goes I wouldn't do it unless I was very ill and had no other options because it is very restrictive. But I will be eating more cruciferous vegetables and making a few other small changes to my diet after reading this.
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