Is Pasta Good Diet Food

10 Foods that Are High in Lectins

CC BY-SA 2.0/StateofIsrael/Flickr

Lectins are present in many foods that you might otherwise think of as healthy — so it's important to cook them well. These proteins can interfere with the body's ability to effectively absorb nutrients and, since they cannot be digested, they travel through the gut intact. Small amounts are fine and possibly beneficial, but large amounts can damage the wall of your gut. But which foods contain lectin? Here are 10 of the most common.

Wheat

Raw wheat, and wheat germ in particular, has roughly 300 micrograms of wheat lectins per gram. However, these can be destroyed by cooking and processing. Whole-wheat flour contains only 30 micrograms per gram.

CC BY-SA 2.0/joannapoe/Flickr

Corn

Corn is often used as a gluten-free replacement for wheat products. It doesn't need processing and may be a healthier source of carbs. However, the lectins in corn may be problematic so it's best avoided on a lectin-free diet.

CC BY 2.0/andrewmalone/Flickr

Soybeans

Cooking soybeans also eliminates the lectins, as long as they're boiled for 10 minutes or more at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry heating has little effect, but sprouting and fermentation also help to destroy lectins. So soy sauce, miso, tempeh and soybean sprouts are generally okay.

CC BY-SA 2.0/Kjokkenutstyr.net/Flickr

Peanuts

Peanuts are not actually nuts, but rather a type of bean or legume. This is why they often appear on lists of foods high in lectins. They may even be one of the worst, allowing the lectins to cross the gut lining into the blood.

CC BY 2.0/andrewmalone/Flickr

Casein A1 Milk

As unfamiliar as this one might sound, it actually refers to most store-bought milks. One recommendation is to try alternatives to cow milk, favoring casein A2 sources like goat's milk and sheep's milk — as well as the cheeses that are made with them.

CC BY 2.0/JeepersMedia/Flickr

Out-of-season Fruit

Most fruits contain high levels of lectins in the seeds and skin. Easy enough to avoid, you might say; but what about berries, grapes and so on? If you can't avoid fruit altogether, stick to fruit that's in season. Out-of-season fruit tends to be higher in lectins.

CC BY 2.0/Theo Crazzolara/Flickr

Squash

High levels of lectins are present in the seeds and skin of squash, and fortunately they're relatively easy to remove before eating. Of course, it's not common to eat squash raw. However, boiling them may be the best way of eliminating the lectins — and this isn't an especially common cooking method.

CC BY 2.0/Muffet/Flickr

Potatoes

Potato lectins appear to be heat-resistant. More research is needed to ascertain the effects of potato lectins on humans, though. They don't seem to be problematic for most people — and some potatoes have even been linked to a reduction in inflammation.

CC BY 2.0/Beau B/Flickr

Tomatoes

The lectins in tomatoes appear to be relatively benign in humans — although they can cross the gut wall into the blood. Although lectins have been linked to rheumatoid arthritis (in those who carry the genes for it), tomatoes have not been.

CC BY 2.0/ollesvensson/Flickr

Kidney Beans

Kidney beans are low-GI thanks to slow-release carbs and a healthy replacement for many other foods. However, red kidney beans are one of the more problematic foods with lectin content. They contain the lectin phytohemagglutinin, which may lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea in some people. However, cooking lowers the lectin content from up to 70,000 hau (hemagglutinating units) to as little as 200 hau.

CC BY 2.0/dominik18s/Flickr

Brazier Morselp