If you missed my last post, catch up on the backstory here!
Ok so lectins. Literally never heard of them until about two weeks ago. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins that are found throughout the diet. They are mostly found in grains and legumes, but are also in other healthy foods. More info on lectins here! According to my nutritionist, there’s no way to cut out ALL lectins in your diet, and that’s ok because a lot of people tolerate them just fine!
For ME, on my TRIAD test it showed my inulin was high, which can occur when there is lectin sensitivity. Because I am not digesting them well, they could be damaging my intestinal wall and contributing to all of my inflammation. So I cut out high lectin foods for ten days to see if it helped with my bloating.
Below is a list of high lectin foods. Basically everything I eat in abundance. I mean, almond milk (drink it everyday), oats (you know my obsession with oats), hummus (I eat a tub a week) nut butter (kill me), pumpkin (perfect, it’s October). That being said, I’m on a mission to get my digestion working properly and my bloating reduced. So tell me to cut it out and it’s gone.
High Lectin Foods
Grains: Barley, Bulgar, Buckwheat, Millet, Quinoa, Oats, Rye, Spelt, Wheat, Brown and white rice
Oils: Canola, Corn, Peanut, Grapeseed, Safflower, Cottonseed, Grape
Dairy: Milk, Kefir, Sour Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Cottage Cheese
Sweeteners: Agave, Artificial Sweeteners, Sugar, Sucralose
Legumes and Beans: Cacao beans, Mungbeans, Chickpeas, Peas, Peanuts, Kidney, Lentil, Soy
Vegetables: Corn, Cucumber, Eggplant, Pepper, Pumpkin, Squash, Zucchini, Tomatoes
Nuts: Almonds, Hazelnuts, Pine Nuts, Cashews
Seeds: Chia, Pumpkin, Sunflower
So what happened? I hate to say it but I noticed a consistent (being the key word) decrease in my overall bloating. Not like “I’m cured!” but enough for me to feel the difference. The problem is I can’t live my life (and enjoy it) never eating these foods again. And according to my nutritionist I shouldn’t have to! I’m going try to make more of an effort to reduce high lectin foods in my diet until I get my gut bacteria to where it should be (read more here). Then I can start adding these foods back in and see if my body can handle them better.
She also mentioned that soaking grains and using a pressure cooker can actually lower the amount of lectins in foods. Never used a pressure cooker, but I’ll Amazon Prime that immediately.
Again, I’m no lectin expert and this is not a “diet.” But if you have any questions email me and I can ask someone who is. 🙂
I have also been trying to follow a lower lectin diet for my bloating as well! Thanks for the list of food!
You’re welcome jennifer!
Glad you found some relief! Hope it continues for you!
So glad you are feeling better. Hope it continues to spirl up for you!
Hmm, so interesting. I didn’t really know much about lectics aside from the soaking grains and legumes to reduce them. I’ve been struggling a bit with bloating too, I started with cutting out peanut butter (devastating), I thought it might a culprit and it did help, I also cut out pea protein and raw cauliflower. so far, so good. will have to learn more about lectins!
Ugh the peanut butter is so hard for me! It’s impossible to cut everything out and still live haha but I try my best to lower what I can!
It’s always great to hear an honest-to-goodness testimonial. I hope you find your balance and a happy gut again 🙂 I bet you will quickly fall in love with your pressure cooker. Super, super handy for making bone broth fast!
Yes I can’t wait!
I experienced something similar. I do keto paleo, so definitely less lectin-foods and I notice a huge difference.
Thanks Kerri good to know!
That is quite a list! Elimination diets are so hard and there are so many concepts of what can be wrong. I’m glad you are at least honing in on the potential problem!
Agreed, I’ve tried so many other things as well so just taking it one step at a time 🙂
For real those foods are my whole diet! Lol whats life without nut butter?! HopefUlly you can find a balance that Refuces bloAting and still lets you enjoy The foods you love!
Omg i knowwww! So they can’t be completely cut out it’s impossible, but good for me to make a conscious effort 🙂
This would definitely be hard for me to do, but I’d be interested to know how my body reacts to it! It’s an interesting idea, for sure. Saving!
This is great! I am so glad you tried this out!
I don’t Think Cucumber should be on the list. Might want to research that one more.
You could be right! I got the list from a nutritionist I’ll circle back and check.