Lectins: What They Are and the Surprising Foods That Contain Them

This post is Part 6 in my Gut Healing Journey series. By this point in my story, I had been actively working on healing for nearly a year. I’d tried a Low FODMAP diet, a low-acid diet, and even Candida protocols. I’d made progress, but I still wasn’t well. My reflux, bloating, and constant burping weren’t gone, and I couldn’t figure out why. That’s when I stumbled onto Dr. Steven Gundry and his book The Plant Paradox. His theory about lectins unlocked my healing.

Today I’m focusing this blog on lectins, because they were the missing link that led to a breakthrough in my health recovery. They are also one of the main talking points for Dr. Gundry in ALL of his books. I’m going to try to explain what lectins are, what they do to your gut if you eat a lot of them, and (most importantly) what foods contain lectins.

What Are Lectins?

Lectins are proteins found in many plants. Think of them like “plant defense molecules.” Their job is to protect the plant from being eaten by bugs, animals… or us. They can be found in a lot of foods we eat, and in small quantities, they don’t present a problem. The mucosal layer that lines our gut is prepared to deal with them in moderate amounts. 

When humans eat too many lectins — especially with an already weakened gut from antibiotics, stress, ultra-processed foods, steroids —they can bind to the lining of the small intestine and poke microscopic holes in it, which lets food particles and toxins slip into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation, digestive issues, joint pain, brain fog, and autoimmune reactions.

Remove the lectins, and you’ll seal the gut wall, and stop disease in its tracks.

It’s possible that the food you are eating is the real cause of your current health issues.

The problem is: most people don’t know about lectins, or how bad they are… That’s partly why I wanted to write this blogpost chapter. You need to hear this, just in case it ends up being useful for you someday.

So where do you find lectins?…

The “No” List: Foods That Shocked Me

Dr. Gundry has assembled a list of all the foods that contain high levels of lectins. You can find it here in his YES/NO food list. This list was originally published in his New York Times Best-seller The Plant Paradox. After I read this book, I felt like I saw my story in its pages. So I decided I’d try out his diet to see if it would help me. I removed the foods from the “NO List” in my diet and saw dramatic results in a matter of weeks.

Now I’ve shared this list in a previous chapter of this blog series, but I have a feeling you maybe didn’t actually go and look at it. So… in THIS blogpost, I’m going to take the time to actually list them out, because I want you to see what they are. I know you are eating some of these foods.

That way, if you ever come down with strange health symptoms out of the blue, you can try removing these foods for 4 weeks to see if it will help.

Here’s the short version of Gundry’s NO list. Are these in YOUR pantry?…

• Grains & starches: pasta, rice (yes, even brown and wild rice), potatoes, bread, tortillas, crackers, cereals, pastries, sugar, Splenda, diet sodas, agave, maltodextrin.
• Legumes & beans: hummus, peas, lentils, chickpeas, edamame, soy, tofu, pea protein – all of it. I lived on hummus, peas, and beans.
• Nuts & seeds: cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds. Fun fact: cashews are in the same botanical family as poison ivy. Their shells contain urushiol – the same oil that causes poison ivy rashes. Between that and their lectins, cashews may not be the “innocent snack” we’ve been sold.
• Veggies: cucumbers, zucchini, all squashes, melons, eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers, goji berries. This was tough to swallow as a farmer, since these are vegetables I grow. 
• Fruits: Dr. Gundry also teaches that most fruit should be avoided or significantly reduced. Why? Because today’s fruit has been bred to be much sweeter (higher in sugar and fructose) than the fruit our ancestors ate, and we now eat it year-round instead of seasonally. In nature, fruit was meant to fatten us up for the lean winter months, but when we eat it constantly, the high sugar load feeds bad bacteria, drives insulin resistance, and inflames the gut. His phrase is “give fruit the boot” – with the exception of low-sugar, in-season fruits like green bananas, green pears, pomegranates, and berries. This was a big mindset rewrite for me. I did cut out fruit for my rehab phase, but I now consume maybe one serving of fruit per day.
• All Dairy: This didn’t bother me too much – I suspected I had developed a dairy intolerance. The problem isn’t lactose. It’s a milk protein called casein A1, found in the dominant breeds of dairy cows in the U.S. Casein A1 has lectin-like effects that irritate the gut lining. Casein A2 – found in goats, sheep, and heritage cows – doesn’t. But guess which cows our industrial food system is built on?… A1. Unless you deliberately seek out A2 milk, goat milk/cheese, or sheep cheese, you’re probably consuming A1 daily without realizing it. For the first 8 months, I avoided all A1 dairy, but I used goat’s milk, goat cheeses, and sheeps cheeses. As of September, 2025, I discovered via blood test that I have a food sensitivity to all “Casein” so I have removed all dairy products for 4 weeks to test if I notice a reduction in symptoms.
• Pseudo-grains & sprouted grains: quinoa, oats, couscous, buckwheat, barley, bulgur, wild rice, spelt, corn, popcorn, rye, wheatgrass. All those fancy “9-grain breads”? Yep. Full of lectins. This was tough for me, because I used refined grains a lot. But I have discovered some tasty replacements, which I’ll share in the next blog chapter.
• Vegetable oils: soybean, sunflower, safflower, corn, canola, cottonseed, grapeseed. Hidden in processed foods everywhere. The “seed oils” are also high in Omega-6 fatty acids. The good news is that there are PLENTY  of other fats/oils that our body loves. In fact, our body prefers fat as its fuel source! And if we can keep sugar out of the diet, it will use the fat as fuel first. 

Important note: Some lectins like squash, beans, pumpkin, hummus, and potatoes can be reduced by peeling, deseeding, soaking, or pressure-cooking. But for me, it was simpler to cut them out altogether at first.

The Shock of the “NO” List

I’ll be honest. I was crushed when I read that list. (Are you, too?) Nearly every food I had been relying on was suddenly off-limits. Foods I thought were nourishing me might actually be compromising my health.

But I was also desperate. And when you’re desperate, you’re willing to go down any rabbit hole.

So, in December 2024, I dove into Gundry’s Plant Paradox protocol. Within 7 days, my body started shifting. My bloating decreased, my burping lessened, and my digestion felt calmer. And as I kept going, the symptoms that had haunted me for a year continued to fade. I continue to uncover new insights as I change my diet. I can’t wait to keep sharing it with you.

Why I’m Sharing This With You

I know some of you are skeptical that lectins are one of the primary culprits in disease. I get it. This idea sounds radical when you first hear it.

But here’s why I’m writing this: even if you’re not ready to believe it today, I want you to know this theory exists. File it away. Because someday, when you – or someone you love – gets unexplainably sick and you are out of options, you might remember it. Maybe it will open a door.

For me, removing lectins was life-changing. My reflux, bloating, and constant burping disappeared. My energy came back. My skin glowed. I felt younger, lighter, and freer than I had in years.

According to Gundry’s books, lectures, and promotional materials, the Plant Paradox (lectin-free) diet is said to help with or reverse/prevent:

• Autoimmune diseases

• Inflammation (chronic systemic inflammation)

• Obesity and weight gain

• Type 2 Diabetes / insulin resistance

• Heart disease / coronary artery disease

• Neurodegenerative conditions (e.g. dementia, Parkinson’s)

• Allergies

• Skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis)

• Gut issues like leaky gut, chronic bloating, reflux

• Cancer risk (in general or certain cancers)

• Food intolerances / digestive sensitivity

• Mental health / mood disorders (in some claims)

Not everyone reacts the same way. But if you’re struggling with autoimmune flares, reflux, gut issues – or if you’ve recently had your gut compromised by antibiotics or steroids – this could be worth trying for 4 weeks. What do you have to lose?

So here’s my invitation:
👉 Read The Plant Paradox.
👉 Download Dr. Gundry’s YES/NO Food List here.
👉 Try it for 4-6 weeks. You’ll know that quickly if it’s making a difference.

What if food really is the medicine? And what if the very foods we’ve been told are “healthy” are actually holding us back from healing?

This blog will trigger some of you. I know. But for somebody… it’s going to THE dot that connects all the other ones. I wrote this for YOU.

Want to read more?…

Read  the next installment… Chapter 7: Rebuilding My Pantry: How I Transitioned to a Lectin-Free Kitchen

Read Gut Healing Chapter 5: A Mindset Shift That Changed Everything (It’s Happening For You)

Read the Blog that started this series: Chapter 1: How I Healed My Gut – The Beginning