15 Lectin-Free Superfoods Dr. Gundry Recommends

Superfoods have exceptionally high concentrations of polyphenols and other antioxidants, earning them ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scores that greatly surpass most other healthy foods.

According to nutrition expert Dr. Steven Gundry, they can help you to look and feel younger and healthier while preventing (and even reversing) disease. Some of them are even great sources of protein.  

Dr. Gundry’s 3 Superfoods You Should Never Eat

Before we get to the list of 15, a word of caution: Dr. Gundry also says that there are hidden dangers in some superfoods, and if you’re on the Plant Paradox Diet you’ll want to be careful. There are 3 superfoods in particular that he says you should never eat: goji berries, chia seeds and wheat grass. 

The problem is that some so-called superfoods also contain lectins, those pesky plant proteins that can cause inflammation and set the stage for a variety of diseases, as well as weight gain.

It’s tricky with the wildly popular goji berries, chia seeds, and wheatgrass. They have very high ORAC values and contain some other goodies too. But they also contain lectins, so if you’re sensitive to lectins then any health benefits these “superfoods” confer could be canceled out.

Superfoods to Eat, According to Dr. Gundry

Don’t despair: there are plenty of delicious, lectin-free superfoods available. Below are the top 15 superfoods that Dr. Gundry recommends you eat. They are 100% Plant Paradox compliant and appear on his “Yes, Please” list. 

To make this list, the foods had to have an ORAC Value of at least 1000. The #1 rated superfood at the end of the list has an off-the-charts ORAC value of 127,000 (hint: start ordering more curry!). The runner up may take the guilt out of some of your favorite treats.

Foods with lower scores had to have significant additional health-boosting properties beyond antioxidants. There’s much more to superfoods than ORAC values, after all. For example, ORAC values do not account for fiber.

Coconut Oil

An ORAC value of 1070 may not make you want to run out and buy coconut oil. However, coconut oil has so many other health benefits that it belongs on any superfoods list. It’s incredibly rich in fatty acids (medium chain triglycerides, to be specific) that contain a host of medicinal properties. It also tastes great and is incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

Coconut oil is pure saturated fat, which is good for you in moderation. It should be consumed as part of a balanced diet that includes other healthy fats such as grass-fed butter or ghee, olive oil, and fish oil.

Kiwis

Kiwis are also relatively modest in the antioxidant department, but don’t underestimate them: they boost the secretion of Mucin in your gut, and Mucin is a natural lectin blocker. They’re also a great source of vitamins C, K, E and folate, and contain significant fiber. As a bonus, Kiwis are relatively low in sugar. Golden kiwis have slightly more antioxidants than green, including more Vitamin C, but they also have more sugar. Here’s a comparison from Zespri Kiwi.

Green Tea

The health-boosting properties of green tea are legendary. Its potent anti-inflammatory polyphenols can help with everything from weight loss to cancer prevention to skin tone.

How is this possible with an ORAC score of just 1,253? Green tea’s secret to success is that it’s 30 percent polyphenols by weight, and easy to consume. So, even though it’s ORAC value is modest, the sheer quantity of antioxidants it can deliver is high. Drink up!

Macadamia Nuts

Macadamia nuts seem like an indulgent treat (aloha!) and their ORAC score is unremarkable, so how did they make it onto this list?

What makes Macadamias special is that they’ve got the highest Omega-9 content of all nuts. Omega-9s are otherwise somewhat difficult to come by compared to the other Omega fats. Omega-9s are known to be beneficial to your heart, brain, and even mood, and it’s important to balance your Omega fats. These nutrient-dense treats also have essential vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, iron, B vitamins, manganese, and folate.

Kale

No superfoods list would be complete without kale. It’s jam-packed with vitamins: just one cup has 200% of your daily required vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C and 700% of vitamin K. Its antioxidants include quercetin, which has potent anti-viral properties that support your immune system. With 120g of Omega-3s per cup and loads of soluble fiber, kale really does have it all. Did you know kale is also a great source of protein? Just one cup (chopped, raw) has 3g of protein.

Avocados

Avocados are the one and only fruit you don’t have to eat in moderation. They’re low in sugar while being loaded with healthy fats and soluble fiber that promotes healthy gut bacteria. As a bonus, an avocado has almost as much protein as an egg. This superfood is so good for you that Dr. Gundry recommends eating one every day.

Sweet Potatoes and Yams

When you look at the rich orange color of a sweet potato or yam, what nutrient do you think this root veggie is most likely to be high in? If you guessed the potent antioxidant beta-carotene, you’d be right. In fact, sweet potatoes and yams have even more of it than carrots. They’re also high in fiber and contain an array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, and selenium, as well as significant amounts of B vitamins and vitamin C.

Kalamata Olives

With their rich dark color, it’s no surprise that Kalamata Olives have the highest antioxidant content of all olives. You may be wondering why olive oil didn’t make this list. Due to a quirk in the way ORAC values are calculated, extra virgin olive oil has a lowish ORAC score (~300) despite being incredibly rich in antioxidants.

I nonetheless consider extra virgin olive oil to be a superfood, especially since some super premium brands of olive oil have extraordinarily high antioxidant counts.

My favorite is Dr. Gundry’s own GundryMD Polyphenol rich olive oil, which has 30x the polyphenols of regular extra virgin. Read my review, or buy it here to save 37% (or more in bulk). It’s not cheap but it’s backed buy his legendary 90 day money-back guarantee (hint: use it up and if it wasn’t worth the money, return the bottles empty!).

Pomegranates

With their beautiful rich red color, it’s no surprise that pomegranates are loaded with antioxidants. In fact, they have 3x more antioxidants than red wine and green tea including being loaded with Vitamin C.

The juice of this well-known superfood has been used as medicine for thousands of years to treat everything from inflammation to high blood pressure to digestive complaints.

To easily access the fruit: cut one in half, hold it over a large bowl and wack the skin with a wooden spoon. You’ll be amazed how well this trick works.

Blueberries

In addition to an impressive ORAC Value of 4,669, the beauty of blueberries is that they’re low in sugar (and in calories overall) while being very high in nutrients, including fiber. A cup contains just 84 calories and has 4g of fiber.

Blueberries get their health-promoting properties by way of flavonoids. Specifically, they’re loaded with anthocyanins.

Contrary to what some people have heard, blueberries do not contain lectins. There’s a catch though: blueberries are highly seasonal, and are best consumed fresh and local. Berries that come from overseas (like Chile and Peru) were almost certainly picked underripe, which means they could contain lectins.

Cilantro

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Cilantro is a superfood. Weighing in at a healthy 5,121 points, this versatile herb is rich on phytonutrients, flavonoids and phenolic compounds, including vitamins A, K, folate, and potassium.

Cilantro has been used medicinally for thousands of years for everything from cleansing to improving digestion to reducing excess heat in the body. Today it’s also known to protect against cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, urinary tract infections, and heavy metals.

Blackberries

Most people think blueberries are the most antioxidant-rich berry, but with an ORAC Value of 5,905 it turns out blackberries have them beat. Like blueberries, they’re low calories and high in nutrients, including fiber, and they’re loaded with anthocyanins.

Blackberries have a very similar flavor profile to blueberries and can easily be used as a substitute. Next time you reach for blueberries at the store, consider opting for blackberries instead. It’s important to maintain as a diverse a diet as possible because diversity on the plate = diversity in the gut.

Walnuts

When it comes to ORAC values for nuts, walnuts have no competition. In fact, they beat out most other common superfoods foods you’d eat. Walnuts also have the more Omega 3s than any other nut, further solidifying their place on the throne. As a bonus, they’re high in protein and, like most nuts, have some prebiotic fiber.

Chocolate

Dark chocolate is one of the few things in life that seems too good to be true but actually isn’t. With its rich dark color, it’s no surprise that its ORAC Value is so formidable.

In addition to being loaded with polyphenols, flavanols, and catechins, chocolate is high in the minerals manganese, magnesium, copper, and iron. It has an excellent fatty acid profile, being mostly saturated and monounsaturated, with small amounts of polyunsaturated fat.

From supporting heart and brain health to lowering blood pressure, the benefits of chocolate are well established, and many. 

Looking for an healthy way to get more chocolate in your diet? Take a look at our own chocolate-almond-coconut nutrition bar. 

Turmeric

As if to flaunt its potency, Turmeric dazzles with its rich orange color and infuses itself into seemingly everything it touches. This is the king of superfoods, and its ORAC Value of 127,068 should give you every excuse you need to order curry more often.

Few herbs have been studied as thoroughly as Turmeric, and research has proven out its broad health benefits. Many of them stem from its potent anti-inflammatory effects, which can easily rival popular NSAIDs like ibuprofen.

Babab fruit

Last on the list is baobab fruit. Africa’s baobab tree (Adansonia digitata) has become increasingly popular for its high nutritional content and impressive health benefits. For this reason, the baobab fruit is referred to as the superfruit of Africa’s tree of life.

Baobab has an astonishingly high ORAC value of 140,000. Hunter Gather tribes in Africa have relied on baobab to get their vitamins and minerals for thousands of years – and they live longer and with lower levels of disease. That’s why we added baobab fruit to Human Food Bar. 

Prebiotic fiber: Dr. Gundry’s number one superfood

Prebiotic fiber didn’t make the official list of 15 because there are many types of prebiotic fiber and there is no way to assign an ORAC value. But it needs to be mentioned because it’s Dr. Gundry’s #1 superfood.

It’s no secret that Dr. Gundry advocates for gut health, and recommends that you do everything you can to boost your microbiome. For that reason prebiotic fiber, which supports healthy gut flora, is the number one superfood that you should consume every day.

The Plant Paradox diet is rich in foods that contain prebiotic fiber, including cassava flour, baobab fruit, sweet potatoes, yams, yucca root, taro and tiger nuts to name just a few.

But it can still be hard to get enough, especially resistant starch. That’s why we created the Human Food Bar, which contains a broad spectrum of prebiotic fibers and resistant starches.

You can also take Dr. Gundry‘s PrebioThrive formula, which contains a diverse array of prebiotic fibers. Get 40% off when using our Wellness Ambassador link. Savings added automatically. You can also read our review.

Are superfood supplements worth it?

Lots of people on the Plant Paradox diet take superfood supplements to get an extra boost. Dr. Gundry’s advice on superfoods is that you want to consume as many as possible across a broad spectrum.

That’s because there are thousands of species of microbes in your gut, and different species feed on the wildly varying types of fiber contained in the foods you eat. Different colored foods typically contain different nutrients, so consume a “rainbow of foods” every week and you’ll most likely cover all your bases.

There’s definitely no easier way to get more variety than superfood supplements. Dr. Gundry’s Vital Reds, which contains 34 polyphenol-rich superfruits with natural fat-burning ingredients, especially berries, is wildly popular and worthy of your consideration. Read our in-depth review.

Save 30-50% off everything on the when you buy through Wellness Ambassadors like us. Avoid Amazon unless you enjoy paying full retail.

Dr. Gundry’s Protein Hack: Get it from Plants

When people think of high-quality protein sources, plants don’t usually come to mind first. But, some superfoods plants actually contain a lot protein.

Dr. Gundry eats a lot of plants, and they’re one of his primary protein sources. In fact, his favorite protein hack is to choose vegetables with high protein content, including three on this list: avocados, walnuts and kale. Other favorites include all leafy greens of all kinds, mushrooms, pecans and pistachios.

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