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i'm stephanie

I'm a functional nutritional therapy practitioner, restorative wellness practitioner, certified holistic health coach, and educator. I inspire individuals to take back their health with real food so they can finally get to the root cause of dysfunction and restore wellness within themselves. I reside in Southern California where I enjoy spending time outdoors, drinking copious amounts of tea, cuddling with cats, and reading good books. 

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Do You Need to Worry About Lectins?



If you're at all into health and wellness there's a chance you've come across the word 'lectins' recently. You may have heard about them from Dr. Steven Gundry when he wrote about them in his book The Plant Paradox. They're also a popular topic among the carnivore community. No matter where you heard about them, you may be like me wondering if you should worry about them.


Today, eating vegetables has become synonymous with being healthy. But after having evaluated MRT food sensitivity panels, I can tell you that vegetables can be problematic for some people. Not everyone reacts to every vegetable. And some vegetables promote different reactions in different people. But one thing became clear to me: some vegetables are not always healthy for some people. And the reason people might react to certain vegetables may have to do with the way their bodies process a vegetable's lectin content.


Here's the thing; vegetables are living things too. Unlike animals though, they cannot run away when it's time for harvest. So some of them develop defense mechanisms. Lectins are a defense mechanism that protects the seed. And they're in a lot of so-called healthy foods.


You'll find lectins in more than just vegetables. They're very high in beans, grains and nuts as well. Some of the highest lectin-containing foods include potatoes, beans, soy, wheat, rice, quinoa, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and peanuts. These foods, once consumed, can be highly inflammatory for certain individuals. They can wreak havoc on the gut, making you more vulnerable to leaky gut, or gut permeability. Gluten is the most infamous lectin. This is why I recommend everyone avoid it.


Other nasty effects of lectins in sensitive individuals include disrupted endocrine dysfunction, blood sugar dysregulation, insulin resistance, poor digestive function, gut and bowel inflammation, autoimmunity, brain fog, depression, water retention, and unexplained weight gain.


Luckily, lectins aren't toxic like an anaphylactic peanut allergy would be. But that does tend to make them harder to pinpoint as a culprit to certain health issues. Fortunately, an MRT food sensitivity panel can help you to identify if lectin-based foods are harmful to you. Curious about the MRT food sensitivity panel? Contact me, and we can chat about how I can run one for you.


In the meantime, if you are experiencing unexplained health issues, it might be wise to ease up on the lectin-containing foods. Instead, go heavier on the low-lectin foods that include salmon, grass-fed red meat, pasture-raised chicken, eggs, leafy greens, berries, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, avocados, olive oil, and citrus.

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