As a person with lifelong food allergies, my diet continues to evolve. However, it wasn’t until my 30’s that I finally began to feel better, and it all started with a little book. A quick read, Fit For Life by Marilyn and Harvey Diamond, first edition. What an excellent book for being proactive on what ails us. Overweight, underweight, fatigue, bloating, and even blood sugar issues. That book allows us to eat a variety of foods, just not at the same time. Fast forward to 2022, and I was introduced to another great book, Plant Paradox by Dr. Gundry. Talk about healthy food hoaxes worse than gluten. There are so many foods we should avoid, it’s rather mind boggling. Need an example before reading on? Dave's Killer Bread.
What makes these so-called healthy foods bad? The lectins that surround the many seeds and grains in them. Plants are smart. They purposely form a protective layer to try and stop us from eating them. Many of the foods on the list to avoid were never intended for human consumption. They wreak havoc on our digestive tracts, leading to anything from allergies, weight gain, autoimmune and even cancer.
Here’s a longer excerpt from the book that explains it better.
"You've probably never heard of lectins, but are definitely familiar with gluten, which is just one lectin among thousands. Lectins are found in almost all plants, as well as some other foods. In fact, lectins are present in the vast majority of foods in the current American diet, including meat, poultry, and fish. Among their other functions, lectins level the playing field in the war between plants and animals. How so? Long before humans walked the earth, plants protected themselves and their offspring from hungry insects by producing toxins, including lectins, in the plants' seeds and other parts.
It turns out the same plant toxins that can kill and immobilize an insect can also silently destroy your health and isidiously impact your weight. I titled this book The Plant Paradox because while many plant foods are good for you--and form the bedrock of my eating plan--others that have been regarded as "health foods" are actually to blame for making you sick and overweight. That's right, most plants actually want to make you ill. Another paradox: small portions of some plants are good for you but large amounts are bad for you."
His book is a fascinating read, though it is a bit longer than I like. If that sounds like you, he does offer a summary of it on Goodreads. A ONE HOUR READ it says.
There are hacks around the foods however. Some as easy as cooking in a pressure cooker. Other ways Dr. Gundry suggests helping the gut is to peel and disgard seeds, and/or omit the foods for awhile until gut heals then slowly reintroduce. If you’re like me with MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) you’re used to not eating a whole lot, trying his program can be somewhat easy. For those who have a hard time saying no to foods, perhaps this story will convince you to try this way of eating. If only for awhile to see just how they have been affecting you.
This story is about the artist Usher. He was set to play Sugar Ray Leonard in a movie, except Sugar Ray said he was too fat. Hardly! But yes, too bulky to play the clean lean fighting machine role. According to Dr. Gundry, Usher tried many diets, nothing worked. It wasn’t until someone gave Usher a list of Dr. Gundry's foods to eat and avoid that he got in tip top acting shape. All without dieting.
We owe it ourselves to try. God helps those that help themselves. There are many more testimonies in the book. I know if it wasn’t for my diet and regular detox, I’d either be wheelchair and bed bound or dead. Thankfully I hate feeling like $#!T, so I remain in the upright position eating and doing what my body needs. Almost done reading his book, and already began cooking with an Instant Pot, but oh how I look forward to trying his program to reset the health of my gut.
Whether it is fatigue, skin issues, weight (over or under), many have been healed of much.
If not wheat belly, grain brain. From memory to mood and more, it pays to know how to look, feel, and think our best. Here's his print friendly list of foods to get you started.
May you be empowered to wake the doctor within!
Carmen